RNA molecules for modulating flowering in plants

An RNA molecule comprising a first RNA component, a second RNA component which is covalently linked to the first RNA component and, optionally, one or more or all of (i) a linking ribonucleotide sequence which covalently links the first and second RNA components, (ii) a 5′ leader sequence and (iii) a 3′ trailer sequence,

• wherein the first RNA component consists of, in 5′ to 3′ order, a first 5′ ribonucleotide, a first RNA sequence and a first 3′ wherein RNA ribonucleotide, the first sequence comprises a first sense ribonucleotide sequence of at least 50 contiguous ribonucleotides, a first loop sequence of at least 4 ribonucleotides and a first antisense ribonucleotide sequence of at least 50 contiguous ribonucleotides, wherein the first antisense ribonucleotide sequence hybridises with the first sense ribonucleotide sequence in the RNA molecule to form a first double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) region, wherein the first 5′ and 3′ ribonucleotides basepair with each other to form a terminal basepair of the first dsRNA region, wherein the first antisense ribonucleotide sequence hybridises to a first region of a target RNA molecule in a plant which modulates the timing of flowering of the plant,
• wherein the second RNA component is covalently linked, via the linking ribonucleotide sequence if present or directly if the linking ribonucleotide sequence is not present, to the first 5′ ribonucleotide or the first 3′ ribonucleotide,
• wherein the second RNA component consists of, in 5′ to 3′ order, a second 5′ ribonucleotide, a second RNA sequence and a second 3′ ribonucleotide, wherein the second RNA sequence comprises a second sense ribonucleotide sequence of at least 50 contiguous ribonucleotides, a second loop sequence of at least 4 ribonucleotides and a second antisense ribonucleotide sequence of at least 50 contiguous ribonucleotides, wherein the second sense ribonucleotide sequence hybridises with the second antisense ribonucleotide sequence in the RNA molecule to form a second dsRNA region, wherein the second 5′ and 3′ ribonucleotides basepair to each other to form a terminal basepair of the second dsRNA region,
• wherein the 5′ leader sequence, if present, consists of a sequence of ribonucleotides which is covalently linked to the first 5′ ribonucleotide if the second RNA component is linked to the first 3′ ribonucleotide or to the second 5′ ribonucleotide if the second RNA component is linked to the first 5′ ribonucleotide, and
• wherein the 3′ trailer sequence, if present, consists of a sequence of ribonucleotides which is covalently linked to the second 3′ ribonucleotide if the second RNA component is linked to the first 3′ ribonucleotide or to the first 3′ ribonucleotide if the second RNA component is linked to the first 5′ ribonucleotide.