Genetic & Breeding·Germplasm Resources·Molecular Biology

• Identification of PpTRM Gene Family Members and Screening the Interacting PpTRMs with the Fruit Shape Regulator PpOFP1 in Peach
• SU Yanyan, WANG Yutong, JING Yanfu, XU Yaoguang, YU Yang, and XIE Hua
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2835-2845. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0250
• Abstract ( 413 ) HTML ( 358 ) PDF (3457KB) ( 358 ) 　　　

• Flat peach，with its unique flat fruit shape，provide an ideal material for analyzing the mechanism of fruit shape regulation. Previous studies have confirmed that PpOFP1 is a key regulator of flat fruit formation in peach；however，its molecular regulatory network remains unclear. Studies have shown that TRMs（TONNEAU1 Recruiting Motif proteins）interact with OFP family proteins though a conserved M8 domain，and this interaction plays a pivotal role in regulating tomato fruit shape. In this study，a total of 12 TRM family members were identified in peach，and phylogenetic analysis revealed their classification into four evolutionary clades. The analysis of protein conserved motifs revealed that 8 of these members contain the conserved M8 domain，which is essential for TRM-OFP interaction. In this

  study，we also found that PpTRM5，PpTRM17，PpTRM18，and PpTRM26 were confirmed to interact with PpOFP1 through yeast two-hybrid assay，luciferase complementation assay，and bimolecular fluorescence complementation analysis，and this interaction occurs in the cytoplasm and cell membrane. Transcriptome analysis indicated that PpTRM17was highly expressed during the first rapid growth phase of both flat and round peach fruits，which was consistent with the high expression of PpOFP1 in flat peaches during this period，revealing that the two might jointly regulate the formation of flat fruit shape in flat peaches.

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• Screening and Validation of Interacting Proteins of the Grape Ovule Development Transcription Factor VvDDF2
• LIU Miaomiao, YAO Jin, ZOU Fuyan, CHU Yanyan, and WANG Xiping
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2846-2860. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0889
• Abstract ( 180 ) HTML ( 144 ) PDF (3239KB) ( 144 ) 　　　

• In order to investigate the regulatory mechanism of the grape transcription factor VvDDF2 in ovule development and seedless traits formation，the yeast two-hybrid bait vector pGBKT7-VvDDF2 was constructed. It was verified that VvDDF2 had transcriptional self-activation activity and the active region was located at the C terminal. Using yeast two-hybrid system（Y2H），14 candidate interacting proteins of VvDDF2 were screened from the yeast cDNA yeast library related to the development of grape ovule，including lipase，amine oxidase，exocyst complex component，large ribosomal subunit protein and other enzymes and proteins，which are mainly involved in cell division，growth，and morphogenesis，embryonic development，plant hormone signal transduction and fertility regulation，as well as biosynthesis and metabolic reactions of various substances，and play an important biological function in the process of plant seed development. The interaction between VvDDF2 and VvEXO70A1 was further verified by yeast two-hybrid system（Y2H），bimolecular fluorescence complementation（BiFC）and luciferase reporter system（Split-Luc）. RT-qPCR analysis showed that the expression level of VvEXO70A1 during the development of grape ovule were significantly different between seeded and seedless grapes. In summary，VvDDF2 and VvEXO70A1 may form a complex through protein interaction to synergistically regulate the development process of grape ovule.

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• Cloning of Litchi LcICE1 Gene and Its Functional Analysis Under Low Temperature Stress
• ZHANG Xiaoting, ZHUANG Yun, XIAO Kaiting, and ZHOU Biyan
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2861-2875. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0875
• Abstract ( 173 ) HTML ( 121 ) PDF (4130KB) ( 121 ) 　　　

• The ICE plays an important role in the cold resistance mechanisms of plants. The gene LcICE1 was cloned from‘Huaizhi’litchi，and the gene is 2 242 bp in length，with an open reading frame of 1 614 bp，encoding 537 amino acids，including the bHLH structure and three functional sites. Evolutionary tree analysis revealed that LcICE1 had the highest similarity to DlICE1，indicating that litchi and longan are the closest relatives. Through ProtParam prediction，signal peptide，protein prediction and secondary structure prediction analysis，it was found that LcICE1 may have disulfide bonds，is a non-secretory protein，located in the nucleus，and does not have transmembrane domain，α-helix as a large number of structural elements in the protein distributed throughout the peptide chain；NetPhosk 3.1 server predicted that LcICE1 protein has 4 glycosylation sites and 49 phosphorylation sites. The VIGS treatment assay demonstrated that silencing LcICE1 promoted the browning degree of‘Feizixiao’litchi callus under low-temperature stress，indicating that the cold resistance of callus tissue decreased. Further，low temperature treatment results showed that the blank control and pCAMBIA1301-Empty litchi callus accumulated more and H₂O₂ than pCAMBIA1301-LcICE1 litchi callus，suggesting that over-expression of LcICE1 enhances the cold resistance of litchi callus.

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• Identification and Functional Analysis of Key Gene for Male Sterility in Wucai
• FENG Kezheng, WANG Kang, WANG Yongkang, ZHAO Longlong, LIAO Na, TANG Xiaoyan, WANG Wenjie, WANG Chenggang, YUAN Lingyun, HOU Jinfeng, WU Jianqiang, and CHEN Guohu
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2876-2888. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0923
• Abstract ( 116 ) HTML ( 67 ) PDF (7666KB) ( 67 ) 　　　

• A total of 6 657 differentially expressed genes（DEG）and 1 443 differentially expressed proteins（DEP）were identified between fertile and sterile Wucai（Brassica campestris L.）plants，based on transcriptomic and proteomic analyses. The DEG and DEP were primarily enriched in biological processes related to pollen development（GO：0009555）and pollen wall assembly（GO：0010208），as well as metabolic pathways including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis（ko00940），and cutin，suberin and wax biosynthesis（ko00073）. An integrated analysis identified 387 mRNA-protein association pairs showing a positive correlation between transcriptome and proteome data. Protein-protein interaction（PPI）network analysis of proteins involved in the pollen development and pollen wall assembly revealed that several proteins，including BraA05g034940.3C（FAR2），were highly interconnected with other proteins. Expression pattern analysis indicated that BcFAR2 gene was most highly expressed in floral bud tissue，particularly during the tetrad and mononucleate stages of anther development. Moreover，overexpression of BcFAR2 restored pollen fertility in Arabidopsis far2 mutants.

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• MiR169a Regulates the Stomatal Characteristics of Potatoes to Adapt to the Dynamic Environment
• ZHANG Hongguan, LEI Ziqian, WANG Ming, ZHANG Xingyuan, MAO Jun, LIN Yuan, HU Xinxi, XIONG Xingyao, and QIN Yuzhi
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2889-2898. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0962
• Abstract ( 83 ) HTML ( 58 ) PDF (2631KB) ( 58 ) 　　　

• To verify the specific function of potato microRNA169a（miR169a）in stomata，potato miR169a overexpression（OE169a）and silenced（STTM169）lines were constructed，using the wild type as a control，and measured relevant parameters. The results showed that OE169a increased the stomatal aperture of potatoes under dynamic environmental conditions，while reducing their net photosynthetic rate （P_n），intercellular carbon dioxide concentration（C_i），intrinsic water use efficiency（iWUE），and antioxidant capacity. In contrast，STTM169 decreased the stomatal aperture under dynamic environmental conditions and enhanced P_n，C_i，iWUE and antioxidant capacity. In conclusion, silencing miR169 reduces the stomatal aperture of potatoes under dynamic environmental conditions and helps maintain higher light and water use efficiency under stress，thereby improving potato adaptability to dynamic environments.

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• Breeding System and Pollination Biology of Rare and Endangered Phalaenopsis zhejiangensis
• WANG Jiangming, DAI Yingchao, ZHOU Xinyang, PAN Chen, LÜ Jie, SUN Weiming, and XIA Guohua
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2899-2912. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0898
• Abstract ( 58 ) HTML ( 60 ) PDF (6286KB) ( 60 ) 　　　

• In order to explore the breeding system and pollination biological characteristics of Phalaenopsis zhejiangensis，its flowering phenology，floral syndrome，mating system and pollination biology were studied. The results showed that：in Zhejiang，the flowering period of P. zhejiangensis was from May 23 to June 6. The flowering period of single flower was 252.77 h，the flowering period of the plant was 292.21 h，the flowering period of the population was 308.08 h，the full bloom period of the plant was 269.06 h，accounting for 92.08% of the flowering period of the plant. It had the characteristics of centralized flowering. There were some differences in floral syndromes of different populations in different years. Artificial pollination significantly increased seed setting rate，and there was significant difference between artificial pollination and natural pollination. The seed setting rate of self pollination was the highest，up to 97.78%，but the number of seeds per capsule was the least；The seed setting rate of cross pollination among populations was 86.67%，and the number of seeds per capsule was the largest；The seed setting rate of natural pollination was the lowest，only 32.22%，the number of seeds per capsule was between self pollination and cross pollination，and there was a significant difference. The flower visiting insects include Bombus，Apis cerana cerana and Syrphidae，among which Bombus is an effective pollinator. The P. zhejiangensis has the characteristics of concentrated flowering，self-compatibility but no active self pollination，cross pollination is beneficial to improve the seed setting rate and fruit quality；the effective pollinator is Bombus，the seed setting rate is affected by the size of flowering population，floral syndrome，pollinator visiting frequency and human interference. Difficulty in seed planting and germination，lost of habitats and fragmentation are the main cause of endangerment of the P. zhejiangensis.

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Genetic & Breeding · Germplasm Resources · Molecular Biology

• Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis of Flavonoid Biosynthesis in the Leaves of Ailanthus altissima‘Chaoyang’
• ZHENG Conghui, XU Zhenhua, ZHANG Manman, WANG Yuzhong, LI Xiangjun, DU Kejiu, SUN Ran, and LI Ya
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2913-2930. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0011
• Abstract ( 81 ) HTML ( 42 ) PDF (7171KB) ( 42 ) 　　　

• The leaves from the upper，middle，and lower positions of Ailanthus altissima‘Chaoyang’and common A. altissima were utilized as experimental materials in the study. Ultra- performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry（UPLC-MS/MS）and high-throughput RNA sequencing were employed to determine the flavonoid metabolome and transcriptome，respectively. The flavonoid components and their content changes responsible for coloration in the leaves of the two types of A. altissima at different leaf positions were analyzed. Pearson correlation analysis was used to identify potential regulatory genes of key flavonoid metabolites. The results indicated that two chalcone metabolites and four flavonol metabolites were the key flavonoids directly responsible for the yellow coloration in‘Chaoyang’leaves. Two CHSs and one PGT1 were identified as key candidate structural genes regulating chalcone metabolites，while two FLSs，one FG2，and one FG3 were found to be key candidate structural genes catalyzing the synthesis of flavonol metabolites. Cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside was identified as the key anthocyanin that makes the upper leaves of both types of A. altissima redder than the middle and lower leaves，and‘Chaoyang’leaves redder than those of common A. altissima. Two CHSs，three F3Hs，two DFRs，and one CHI were the main candidate structural genes that positively regulated the synthesis of cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside. Regulatory genes encoding transcription factors（two MYBs and one bHLH）are highly likely to activate these above-mentioned positively regulating structural genes，while one MYB and one bHLH are extremely likely to have inhibitory effects.

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Cultivation · Physiology & Biochemistry

• Relationship Between Fruit Quality of‘Fuji’Apple and Environmental Factors
• WANG Sen, HE Ping, WANG Haibo, CHANG Yuansheng, HE Xiaowen, ZHENG Wenyan, Wang Yongxu, and LI Linguang
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2931-2942. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0967
• Abstract ( 150 ) HTML ( 127 ) PDF (1667KB) ( 127 ) 　　　

• This study analyzed soil properties，climate conditions，and fruit quality of 87 Fuji apple orchards across 14 counties in Shandong Province from 2019 to 2021，and the differences between environmental factors and fruit quality were compared among counties. Correlation analysis and redundancy analysis（RDA）were used to screen the main environmental factors affecting fruit quality. The results showed that the average single fruit weight was 262.22 g，more than 60% of the orchards had single fruit weight above 250 g and less than 5% of the orchards had single fruit weight below 200 g. The fruit hardness was concentrated in the range from 6.5 to 7.5 kg · cm^-2. Fruit firmness mainly ranged between 6.5-7.5 kg · cm^-2. The average soluble solids content across counties was 14.45%，showing low variation. The content of titrable acid in Wendeng was the highest（0.32%），while the content in other areas was below 0.30%. Mengyin solid acid ratio was the highest，69.71% higher than the lowest Wenden，with nosignificant differences among other regions. The average pH of the orchard soil was 5.64，indicating an overall acidic nature. There were significant variations in nutrient content across different orchards，particularly in organic matter，available phosphorus，and available potassium，with coefficients of variation exceeding 50%. Correlation analysis showed that soil pH was negatively correlated with fruit quality indexes except titrable acid. Soil organic matter was positively correlated with solid-acid ratio，sucrose and sweetness value，and negatively correlated with titrable acid. Total nitrogen，available phosphorus，and available potassium negatively affected flavor components like sugar-acid ratio and soluble solids. Both average temperature and average temperature difference were significantly correlated with titrable acid and sugar-acid ratio. The results of RDA analysis showed that organic matter content，available P content，mean temperature difference and pH were the key factors affecting fruit quality.

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• Association Between Vineyard Soil Factors and Fruit Quality：An Analysis of Cultivar Response Differences
• GUO Ziyan, TANG Wen, XU Mengyu, LÜ Jinhan, FANG Jinggui, WANG Jiangbo, and LU Suwen
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2943-2958. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0906
• Abstract ( 86 ) HTML ( 70 ) PDF (5416KB) ( 70 ) 　　　

• This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between soil physicochemical properties and fruit quality indicators of five main grape cultivars（‘Summer Black’‘Jumeigui’‘Gold Finger’‘Shine Muscat’‘Zuijinxiang’）grown in five vineyards of Nanjing. The aim was to identify key soil factors influencing fruit quality and to provide a theoretical basis for high-quality grape production. Comprehensive analysis of soil properties and fruit quality traits was performed，followed by principal component analysis（PCA）to evaluate the comprehensive quality of different cultivars. The results indicated that soil mineral nutrients（available nitrogen，available phosphorus，available potassium），exchangeable calcium，exchangeable magnesium，and soil porosity were key factors affecting grape quality. Among the fruit quality indicators，anthocyanin content and soluble solid-to-acid ratio exhibited considerable variation（with coefficient of variation up to 78.61%），indicating high sensitivity to soil conditions. In contrast，fruit shape index and color parameters remained relatively stable. Significant cultivar-dependent responses to soil environment were observed：‘Summer Black’showed strong adaptability and consistently exhibited superior comprehensive quality across all orchards；‘Gold Finger’performed poorly overall；while the quality of‘Jumeigui’‘Shine Muscat’and‘Zuijinxiang’was highly dependent on specific orchard soil conditions（porosity，enzyme activity，etc）. PCA further revealed that soil fertility structure and nutrient status jointly regulated grape quality formation. In conclusion，grape fruit quality is determined by the interaction between genetic characteristics and soil environmental factors. Accordingly，it is recommended to implement cultivar-soil matching strategies along with precise fertilization and soil management practices to improve fruit quality and planting efficiency.

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• Preparation of Protocatechuic Aldehyde Zinc Oxide Chitosan Hybrid Coating and Its Preservation Effect on Flat-Nectarine
• LI Na, CAO Jinfeng, ZHAI Meizhu, LI Ying, JIN Shujian, and LI Yue
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2959-2968. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0887
• Abstract ( 49 ) HTML ( 15 ) PDF (1184KB) ( 15 ) 　　　

• Using chitosan（CS）as the film-forming matrix，a hybrid coating composed of protocatechualdehyde（PCA）as a cross-linking agent and inorganic filler nano-zinc oxide（ZnO）was prepared with varying compositions for the preservation of flat-nectarines. The mechanical properties，gas barrier capacity，antioxidant and antibacterial performance of the hybrid coating，as well as the weight loss rate，hardness，soluble solids，titratable acid，and malondialdehyde content of the stored flat-nectarines，were tested. The results showed that as the PCA content increased，the cross-linking degree improved，leading to enhanced internal density，significantly better mechanical properties，and improved gas barrier capacity. The addition of protocatechualdehyde and zinc oxide also significantly enhanced the antibacterial and antioxidant performance of the coating. The protocatechualdehyde-zinc oxide-chitosan hybrid coating effectively delayed postharvest decay and maintained fruit quality，reducing the fruit decay rate by 70% after 12 days of storage. The hardness reached 3.8 kg · cm^-2，while the soluble solids and titratable acid consumption increased by 68% and 136% respectively compared to untreated fruits，and the malondialdehyde content decreased by 41%.

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• Effects of Spent Mushroom Substrates on the Roots，Nitrogen Accumulation，Yield and Fruit Quality of Continuous Tomato in Greenhouse
• LIU Yujie, YIN Zhi, WANG Yuan, KANG Min, LI Ruizhen, and NIE Yuanjun
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2969-2986. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0257
• Abstract ( 62 ) HTML ( 34 ) PDF (3945KB) ( 34 ) 　　　

• To investigate the effects of composts of spent mushroom and manure used for organic cultivation substrates（OS）on root growth，plant nitrogen accumulation，yield and fruit quality of continuous tomato in greenhouse，a two-season field experiment（autumn season and winter-spring season）was performed with four treatments：mineral fertilizer application in a continuously mono-cropped tomato（MF），organic fertilizer application in a continuously mono-cropped tomato（OF），peat substrate（PS）and OS. Results showed that the relative high root biomass was produced by OS at harvesting stage，which was produced a higher value by 42.00% and 45.04% than MF treatment did in autumn season and winter-spring season，respectively. And compared to PS，the root biomass under OS treatment increased by 16.04% and 11.51%，respectively，at harvesting stage of two seasons. PS treatment significantly stimulated root elongation，while the root of OS tended to be thicker than other treatments. In these two seasons，compared with MF，the total root length under PS treatment was increased by 85.58% and 120.46%，while OS treatment increased by 42.86% and 59.74%，respectively，at harvesting stage. Compared to the values when chemical mineral fertilizer was applied，OS also enhanced average diameter by 20.97% and 23.38%，respectively，at harvesting stage of two seasons. OS could produce the highest values for root nitrogen accumulation，aboveground nitrogen accumulation，yield and sugar-acid ratio，which were increased by 68.71%，63.63%，35.29% and 22.49% in autumn season and 44.76%，27.46%，31.09% and 11.88% in winter-spring season，compared with MF，respectively. And in compared with PS，the values of root nitrogen accumulation，aboveground nitrogen accumulation，yield and sugar-acid ratio were increased by 41.71%，27.53%，5.26% and 12.89% in autumn season and 12.59%，5.88%，4.49% and 6.25% in winter-spring season，respectively，induced by OS treatment. Pearson correlation analyses revealed a strong positive relationship between plant nitrogen accumulation and total root length，sugar-acid ratio，root biomass，plant biomass，root nitrogen accumulation and tomato yield and a significant negative correlation between plant nitrogen accumulation and organic acid content in two seasons. In winter-spring period，the plant nitrogen accumulation was also positively correlated with vitamin C content，total sugar content and root surface area of tomato. In conclusion，OS can evidently mitigate continuous cropping obstacles compared to conventional fertilization（MF，OF）and PS. It significantly improved root growth（particularly root thickening），enhanced nitrogen absorption，and increased fruit yield and quality. This study provides a basis for OS to replace traditional soil in greenhouse tomato，and also provides an alternative to reduce the use of peat in horticulture，alleviating environmental impacts to agricultural wastes.

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• Comprehensive Evaluation of Storage and Preservation Effects of Exogenous GABA Treatments on Cherry Tomato
• TIAN Yu, PAN Wencheng, YANG Jiayu, WEI Yaxiong, ZHU Yanzhe, HUANG Yanfa, and WU Longguo
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 2987-3002. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0326
• Abstract ( 69 ) HTML ( 38 ) PDF (4414KB) ( 38 ) 　　　

• In order to study the effects of different concentrations of γ-aminobutyric acid（GABA）treatments on the quality and antioxidant system of cherry tomato. In this study，‘Seoul Red’cherry tomato was used as experimental material and soaked in GABA solutions at concentrations of 0，25，50，75 and 100 mmol · L^-1. Regular measurements were conducted on indicators including fruit decay index，weight loss rate，firmness，nutritional quality（soluble sugar，vitamin C，soluble solids，titratable acid，etc.），and antioxidant enzyme activities （POD，PPO，CAT，SOD，LOX，PAL）. Additionally，models such as principal components analysis（PCA），entropy weight method（EWM），and entropy weight-TOPSIS were used to comprehensively evaluate the preservation effects. The results showed that the 75 mmol · L^-1 GABA treatment group significantly reduced the fruit weight loss rate and decay index，delayed the decline in firmness，and maintained higher levels of soluble sugar and vitamin C content. Meanwhile，it significantly enhanced the activities of POD，PPO，CAT，and SOD，reduced MDA content and LOX activity，thereby slowing down the fruit post-ripening and senescence process. PCA extracted three principal components with a cumulative contribution rate of 86.87%；the entropy weight method identified CAT activity and sugar-acid ratio as key indicators；entropy weight-TOPSIS showed that the relative closeness of the 75 mmol · L^-1 GABA group was the optimal. The 75 mmol · L^-1 GABA group significantly prolongs the shelf life of fruits and maintains better quality. Therefore，exogenous GABA treatment is a feasible postharvest preservation technology for cherry tomatoes.

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• Effects of Shading on Anthocyanin and Chlorophyll Accumulation in Flower Petals of Zinnia elegans
• CAO Kaijun, LIU Xinyue, SHAN Kaixin, SONG Chunlin, SONG Ruyi, ZHANG Chao, and FU Jianxin
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 3003-3015. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0303
• Abstract ( 84 ) HTML ( 47 ) PDF (3783KB) ( 47 ) 　　　

• The content and distribution of anthocyanin and chlorophyll in petal cells affect the color of ray florets in Zinnia elegans. However，it is still unclear how light affects the metabolism of anthocyanin and chlorophyll in Z. elegans. In this study，the flower buds of Z. elegans‘Dreamland Red’were treated under darkness，and the petal color，anthocyanin and chlorophyll contents and gene expression of related metabolic enzymes were measured in the treatment group and the control group. Results showed that shading significantly increased the brightness and decreased the a^* value of the front side of the petals in Z. elegans. The brightness of the back increased significantly and the chroma decreased significantly. After dark treatment，the contents of pelargonidin，cyanidin and total anthocyanin in ray florets significantly decreased，as well as the contents of chlorophyll a，chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll. Further studies showed that relative expression level of ZeCHS，ZeF3H and ZeF3'H，these enzyme genes related to anthocyanin synthesis in ray florets of Z. elegans，significantly increased under shading，but relative expression level of ZeCHI and ZeDFR significantly decreased. Two STAY-GREEN genes，ZeSGR1 and ZeSGR2，were found in Z. elegans，both of which contained conserved SGR domain，N-terminal chloroplast transport peptide and variable C-terminal region，and their relative expression level significantly increased after dark treatment.

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• Effects of Gibberellin on the Growth and Development of Forsythia suspensa Heterostyly
• FAN Amei, JIN Yaxin, HE Longjiao, LI Qi, ZHANG Yanqing, SHAO Qi, SONG Yun, NIU Yanbing, and QIAO Yonggang
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 3016-3030. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0893
• Abstract ( 73 ) HTML ( 33 ) PDF (4452KB) ( 33 ) 　　　

• The injection of gibberellin（GA）and the gibberellin synthesis inhibitor paclobutrazol（PAC）into flower buds of Forsythia suspensa found that the application of GA₃ significantly lengthens the style and filament，while the application of 100 μmol · L^-1 PAC significantly shortens the style and filament. The GA₁ and GA₄ levels in the long morphs F. suspensa were significantly higher than those in the short morphs F. suspensa，indicating that GA is involved in the development of F. suspensa heterostyly. After transcriptome sequencing of F. suspensa styles，16 differentially expressed genes related to GA were screened. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the gibberellin biosynthesis genes CPS，KS，GA3ox，and their degradation gene GA2ox are key genes influencing the accumulation and distribution of active GA in F. suspensa styles. The expression of the GA receptor GID1 encoding gene EVM0006917 is negatively regulated by GA. The differential expression of GA-related genes in F. suspensa leads to variations in GAconcentration in the style，further regulating the length of the style.

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Plant Protection

• Identification and Genetic Diversity Analysis of Common Viruses of Apple in Shandong Coastal Areas
• HAN Zhilei, YIN Xiao, HONG Hao, XU Shuai, LI Lili, and JIANG Shanshan
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 3031-3043. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0925
• Abstract ( 66 ) HTML ( 23 ) PDF (3591KB) ( 23 ) 　　　

• To investigate the occurrence and genetic diversity of apple viral diseases in the main apple-producing areas along the coastal region of Shandong Province，a total of 57‘Fuji’apple samples were randomly collected in Weihai and Yantai. High-throughput sequencing combined with RT-PCR was employed to identify the virus species present in the samples. Subsequently，coat protein（CP）or movement protein（MP）genes of the detected viruses from Shandong apple isolates were cloned，and sequence similarity and phylogenetic analyses were performed. The results indicated that four plant viruses were detected in the 57 apple samples：apple stem pitting virus（ASPV），apple stem grooving virus（ASGV），apple chlorotic leaf spot virus（ACLSV），and citrus leaf blotch virus（CLBV），with detection rates of 63.16%，87.72%，78.95%，and 1.75%，respectively. Notably，81.48% of the samples exhibited mixed infections，with co-infections of ASPV，ASGV，and ACLSV accounting for 61.11%. Nine CP gene sequences of ASGV，two CP gene sequences of ASPV，nine CP gene sequences of ACLSV，and one MP gene sequence of CLBV were cloned from the positive samples. The Shandong isolates of ASGV and ACLSV had a close relationship with previously reported domestic isolates. The nine ACLSV isolates clustered into groups P205，SHZ，and B6；the nine ASGV isolates formed four distinct branches；while the two ASPV isolates clustered together within the same group. One CLBV isolate grouped with other species isolates.

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• Whole Genome Sequencing of Pseudomonas chlororaphis ZL3 and Antifungal Activity of atoB Gene Recombinant Strain Against Botrytis cinerea
• YUAN Shengnan, YUAN Jiaqi, WANG Mengxi, WANG Yan, WANG Meiqin, and WANG Chunwei
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 3044-3056. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0879
• Abstract ( 58 ) HTML ( 23 ) PDF (4238KB) ( 23 ) 　　　

• In order to clarify the antibacterial mechanism of Pseudomonas chlororaphis ZL3 against Botrytis cinerea，the gene atoB related to metabolic pathways of terpenoids and polyketones was screened by whole genome sequencing analysis. The protein structure of gene atoB was predicted. The recombinant strain Escherichia coli BL21（DE3）/pET32-atoB was constructed. The inhibitory effects of E. coli BL21 （DE3）/pET32-atoB on seven pathogenic fungi were determined by using two-sealed-base-plate method. The control effects of E. coli BL21（DE3）/pET32-atoB against cherry gray mold was determined. The effects of E. coli BL21（DE3）/pET32-atoB on cherry defense enzyme activities were detected by using ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The results showed that the total length of strain ZL3 was 6 715 612 bp，with one chromosome and no plasmid，and the GC content was 63.04%. The genome contained 5 956 coding genes. A total of 2 873，5 032 and 3 446 genes were annotated in GO，COG and KEGG databases，respectively. The recombinant strain E. coli BL21（DE3）/pET32-atoB had good antifungal effects on seven pathogenic fungi，and presented the highest inhibition effects on B. cinerea with an inhibition rate of 83.21%. After treatment with recombinant strain，the catalase（CAT），chitinase（CHI）and phenylalanine aminolyase（PAL）activities in cherry. The incidence of cherry gray mold decreased by 43.75%，while the diameter of the disease spots decreased by 39.01%.

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• Endophytic Colonization of Lecanicillium lecanii JMC-01 in Tomatoes for the Control of Bemisia tabaci
• LI Jinpeng, LI Qiuyu, YAN Xiaoxi, TIAN Haoran, HONG Bo, and JIA Yanxia
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 3057-3068. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0491
• Abstract ( 47 ) HTML ( 22 ) PDF (1297KB) ( 22 ) 　　　

• The entomopathogenic fungus Lecanicillium lecanii can asymptomatically exist as an endophyte in certain plants and invade pests to inhibit their development or kill them during the feeding process. In order to determine whether L. lecanii JMC-01 could effectively endogenously colonize tomatoes，promote tomato growth，and have a control effect on Bemisia tabaci. The colonization efficiency of JMC-01 was evaluated by the antibiotic marking method，the tissue distribution of JMC-01 in tomato nutrient organs such as roots stems and leaves was detected by flat colony counting method，the growth indexes of tomato plants were measured to determine the growth promoting effect of JMC-01 on tomato plants，and the effect on growth and development and the mortality rat of B. tabaci caused by the endophytic colonization of JMC-01 were explored to assess its control effect. The results showed that JMC-01 could be effectively colonized by soil irrigation，stem injection，root irrigation，and foliar spraying. Foliar spraying had the best legal colonization effect，and the colonization rate reached 100% within 28 days. JMC-01 was easily enriched at the inoculation site，and the colonization rate was the highest when inoculated conidial suspension at 1 × 10⁸ spores · mL^-1. When JMC-01 colonized endophytically in tomatoes for 14 days，the plant height and chlorophyll content of tomato were significantly higher than that of the control，and the mortality of B. tabaci significantly increased and the developmental period was prolonged，and the control efficiency of adults in the greenhouse could reach 59.35%. The research results indicated that JMC-01 could not only endogenously colonize tomato plants，but also promote their growth，and significantly inhibit the growth and survival rate of B. tabaci.

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• Mutation in the Non-Conserved Residue N₄₃₆ of HC-Pro Affected Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus Virulence
• REN Qian, XU Zeyu, ZHANG Yue, LÜ Yixuan, SONG Danyang, XU Xiaojie, and LUAN Yameng
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 3069-3078. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0935
• Abstract ( 41 ) HTML ( 18 ) PDF (3246KB) ( 18 ) 　　　

• In this study，the amino acid sequences of potyviral helper component-proteinase（HC-Pro）from 11 potyviruses were compared，and found that asparagine at position 436（N₄₃₆）in zucchini yellow mosaic virus（ZYMV；genus Potyvirus）HC-Pro was not conserved. To analyze the role of this non-conserved amino acid in regulating ZYMV virulence，the residue of N₄₃₆ was substituted with arginine（N436R）usingthe site-directed mutagenesis method and produced plasmid pZYMV-HC-Pro_N436R-GFP carrying the green fluorescent protein（GFP）reporter gene. Results showed that the mutation of N436R reduced the accumulation levels of ZYMV in Cucurbita pepo and Cucumis melo plants，and attenuated viral symptoms. Furthermore，the effects of N436R mutation on the RNA silencing suppression activity，the self-interaction，and the subcellular localization of ZYMV HC-Pro were investigated. Compared with wild-type HC-Pro，N436R mutation significantly reduced the GFP fluorescence intensity and GFP mRNA accumulation levels in leaf patches，indicating that N436R mutation attenuated the RNA silencing suppression activity of HC-Pro. However，N436R mutation did not affect the self-interaction and the subcellular localization of HC-Pro. In conclusion，the non-conserved residue N₄₃₆ played roles in ZYMV virulence and the RNA silencing suppression activity of HC-Pro in plants.

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New Technology and New Method

• Establishment and Application of a Rapid Detection Technique for Watermelon Silver Mottle Virus Based on RT-RPA-LFD
• LI Wenyang, XIU Junqing, XU Zhihong, WANG Min, GU Qinsheng, KANG Baoshan, LIU Liming, ZHAO Shengjie, Yushanjiang · Maimaiti, and WU Huijie
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 3079-3089. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0196
• Abstract ( 58 ) HTML ( 17 ) PDF (2267KB) ( 17 ) 　　　

• A rapid detection method for watermelon silver mottle virus（WSMoV）was developed in this study based on reverse transcriptase recombinase polymerase amplification（RT-RPA）combined with a lateral flow dipstick（LFD）assay. Specific primers and a probe were designed targeting the conserved region of the WSMoV L gene. The reaction system and conditions were optimized，and the optimal parameters were determined as follows：primer concentration 0.1 μmol · L^-1，probe concentration 0.06 μmol · L^-1，reaction temperature 37 ℃，and reaction time 12 min. The established RT-RPA-LFD assay showed high specificity for WSMoV，with no cross-reactivity to other common cucurbit viruses，including cucumber green mottle mosaic virus（CGMMV），zucchini yellow mosaic virus（ZYMV），tomato leaf curl new delhi virus（ToLCNDV），watermelon mosaic virus（WMV），cucumber mosaic virus（CMV），and melon yellow spot virus（MYSV）. The sensitivity of the assay was comparable to that of conventional RT-PCR，with a detection limit of 10^-4 dilution of total RNA. Among 32 field-collected watermelon and melon samples，both RT-RPA-LFD and RT-PCR detected 14 positive samples，showing complete consistency between the two methods. The RT-RPA-LFD assay operates under a constant temperature of 37 ℃ and provides visual results within approximately 20 min，which is much faster and simpler than traditional RT-PCR（2-3 h）. This method enables rapid，sensitive，and visual detection of WSMoV and offers a reliable tool for on-site diagnosis and field surveillance of the virus.

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• High Temperature and Trifluralin Induce 2n Pollen in Hydrangea macrophylla
• YANG Ziwei, ZHANG Hua, QIU Shuai, TANG Yuchao, FU Xuehao, ZHANG Gachen, SUN Ming, and LIU Xiuli
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 3090-3102. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0950
• Abstract ( 46 ) HTML ( 20 ) PDF (3837KB) ( 20 ) 　　　

• This study observed the meiotic process of microsporoblasts using flat-topped Hydrangea macrophylla‘Ziye’as material，and then treated flower buds with trifluralin wrapping and high temperature treatments at different meiotic periods. This study subsequently determined the 2n pollen induction rate of the different treatments and the viability of the 2n pollen in vitro germination. The results demonstrated that the trifluralin wrapping treatment achieved the highest induction effect during the“pollen mother cell”stage，while high-temperature induction exhibited optimal efficacy from the“late meiotic phase to metaphaseⅠ”. In the trifluralin induction process，a 48 h exposure to 0.1% trifluralin in conjunction with 2% dimethyl sulfoxide yielded optimal results. For high-temperature induction，treatment at 40 ℃ for 6 h was the ideal condition. The 2n pollen produced by both induction methods retained viability，making it suitable for subsequent hybridization experiments. In conclusion，both trifluralin and high temperature treatments can successfully induce the formation of 2n pollen，with trifluralin being more efficient.

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Reviews

• Research Progress on Biosynthesis of Capsaicinoids
• WEN Xin, ZHANG Zhenghai, YU Hailong, WU Huamao, HUANG Junxuan, CAO Yacong, and WANG Lihao
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 3103-3120. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0786
• Abstract ( 98 ) HTML ( 77 ) PDF (1486KB) ( 77 ) 　　　

• Capsaicinoids are a type of substance specifically synthesized in chili peppers，which is widely used in food，medicine，pesticide and other fields. In recent years，many scholars have studied the biosynthesis of capsaicinoids and related genes and enzymes，and have made important progress. In this paper，the synthesis of capsaicinoids in recent years were reviewed，including the classification of peppers，the types of capsaicinoids，the biosynthesis and genes related of capsaicinoids，QTLs related to capsaicinoids content，and the external environmental conditions affecting the capsaicinoids biosynthesis.

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• Germplasm and Research Progress in Hybrid Breeding of Lagerstroemia
• WEN Wen, NI Longjie, WANG Jinfeng, and CHEN Zhuomei
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 3121-3138. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0872
• Abstract ( 80 ) HTML ( 54 ) PDF (823KB) ( 54 ) 　　　

• The germplasm resources of Lagerstroemia are extremely rich，including various natural species and cultivated varieties. Based on this，this article comprehensively reviews the research progress of the germplasm of Lagerstroemia and cross breeding，focusing on analyzing the research results of intraspecific hybridization and distant hybridization，the occurrence mechanism and coping strategies of hybridization barriers，and the identification techniques of hybrids. There are 65 recorded species of Lagerstroemia. Utilizing these abundant resources，breeders from various countries have cultivated a large number of different types of varieties. However，the vast majority are derivatives of L. indica or interspecific hybrids of L. indica and L. fauriei，or L. indica and L. limii. Although the interspecific hybridization between L. indica and L. speciosa，and between L. indica and L. caudata is compatible，the hybrid descendants of the former are sterile and cannot be backcrossed；for the latter，only one hybrid variety between the two has been obtained so far. For the remaining interspecific or intergeneric hybrids of Lagerstroemia，there are pre-fertilization or post-fertilization barriers. To solve these problems，researchers have successfully obtained a small number of distant hybrid descendants through techniques such as spraying 2,4-D on the stigma after pollination or embryo in vitro culture. Cross breeding is the main method for cultivating new varieties of Lagerstroemia at present，with the release of genomic data such as that of L. indica and L. speciosa，it is expected that through the mining and analysis of genomic data，the directional improvement of the ornamental traits of Lagerstroemia can be achieved through gene editing technology in the future，thereby rapidly cultivating new varieties of Lagerstroemia with excellent traits.

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New Cultivar

• A New Tea Tree Cultivar‘Lizao 3’
• SHU Zaifa, JI Qingyong, ZHOU Huijuan, and HE Weizhong
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(11): 3139-3140. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0409
• Abstract ( 110 ) HTML ( 43 ) PDF (1298KB) ( 43 ) 　　　

• ‘Lizao 3’is a new tea tree cultivar which was discovered from a group tea plantation in Jingning，southern Zhejiang Province，was produced by single plant selection and systematic breeding. This species belongs to the shrub type，middle class，early species，bud head more fat，more hairs，phenol-ammonia ratio of 8.9，which suitable for both black tea and green tea production. Making green tea with chestnut aroma，fresh taste，making black tea with high aroma，sweet taste. It is suitable for planting in Lishui City and Wenzhou City in southern Zhejiang Province.

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