The successful application of systems approaches in plant biology.

Abstract Plant biology has had longstanding successes from applying mathematical models to plant systems. Of the >160 models that have been developed to date, a closer study is made of crop models and more recent plant models. The latter focus on hormone response networks, metabolism, circadian clock, biomechanics of growth and new organ development. The multicellular and multiscale models have provided important and novel insights into the regulation of hormone distribution, tissue development and environmental sensing. Finally, the challenges faced when establishing multidisciplinary teams are introduced along with successful management strategies and techniques to overcome them.