Genetic & Breeding · Germplasm Resources · Molecular Biology

• Functional Study of the VaMYB4a-VaPAL Module in Response to Cold Stress in Vitis amurensis
• LI Jiaxin, ZHANG Zhen, YU Qinhan, WU Wenkang, ZHANG Ningbo, XU Weirong
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2531-2544. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0877
• Abstract ( 35 ) HTML ( 23 ) PDF (3702KB) ( 23 ) 　　　

• Low-temperature stress is a major abiotic factor limiting the growth and productivity of grapevine（Vitis spp.），yet the integrated mechanisms underlying the integration of cold signaling and metabolic regulation remain poorly understood. Here，a wild grapevine（Vitis amurensis）MYB transcriptionfactor（VaMYB4a）were characterized. Through the generation of VaMYB4a overexpression and CRISPR/Cas9 knockout lines，combined with physiological analyses，we found that VaMYB4a significantly enhanced the stability of photosystem Ⅱ，reduced membrane lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species accumulation，and thereby improved plant cold tolerance. qRT-PCR analysis showed that VaMYB4a activated the CBF-COR pathway and significantly induced the expression of CBF1-CBF4 and the downstream gene RD29A. Yeast one-hybrid，dual-luciferase reporter，and electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that VaMYB4a directly binds to the CAACCA cis-element in the VaPAL promoter and enhances its transcriptional activity，revealing a potential molecular mechanism by which VaMYB4a coordinately regulates the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway. Overexpression of VaPAL markedly alleviated oxidative damage under low-temperature stress and enhanced cold tolerance in callus tissues. Promoter activity analysis further indicated that VaPAL is a key low-temperature-responsive gene with the highest sensitivity within the phenylpropanoid pathway. Co-expression analysis revealed that VaPAL can feedback-regulate the response intensity of the CBF pathway，thereby acting as a bridge between signal transduction and metabolic regulation. Collectively，the VaMYB4a-VaPAL module plays an important role in the coordinated“signal-metabolism”regulation of grapevine responses to low-temperature stress，providing valuable gene resources and a theoretical basis for the genetic improvement of cold tolerance in fruit crops.

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• Screening of Pear Genotypes with High-Efficiency Leaf Regeneration and Optimization of Leaf Regeneration System for‘Zaojinxiang’Pear
• ZHANG Weifeng, WANG Fei, ZHANG Yanjie, QI Liyong, MA Li, LI Lixue, LUO Siming, YANG Zhen, JIANG Shuling, OU Chunqing
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2545-2559. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0836
• Abstract ( 19 ) HTML ( 7 ) PDF (3889KB) ( 7 ) 　　　

• To screen pear genotypes with high-efficiency leaf regeneration，the leaves of different pear varieties/lines at different stages were used as explants and disinfected by sodium hypochlorite solution with different concentrations，then the leaf regeneration was studied. ‘Zaojinxiang’was one of the screened genotypes with a relatively high leaf regeneration rate，its leaf regeneration conditions，concentrations of screening and antibacterial antibiotics were further optimized. The results indicated that tender pear leaves collected from the trees in orchard and the dormant shoots after water culture could be used for pear leaf regeneration. The disinfection treatment with 2% NaClO for 7 minutes achieved the best effect，and the explant survival rate of leaves from hydroponic shoots reached 100%. Only 15 of the 82 tested pear varieties/lines regenerated buds with the leaf regeneration rates were mostly below 50%. Among the regenerated varieties/lines，only three varieties/lines‘B1-9’‘Zaojinxiang’and‘Cuixiang’showed the relatively higher regeneration rates as 100%，72.22% and 71.43%，respectively. The leaf regeneration conditions of‘Zaojinxiang’were further optimized. The highest regeneration efficiency reached 96.97% when young leaves from the field were cultured in darkness for 14 days on a medium containing NN69 + 2.0 mg · L^-1 TDZ + 0.5 mg · L^-1 NAA + 30 g · L^-1 sucrose + 8 g · L^-1 agar. Using kanamycin and cefotaxime as screening and antibacterial antibiotics for the genetic transformation of‘Zaojinxiang’pear，the optimal concentrations were 20 mg · L^-1 and 250-300 mg · L^-1，respectively.

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• Diversity Analysis of Fruit Traits of Wild Jujube Germplasm Resources in Shanxi Province
• LIU Li, SHI Meijuan, SU Wanlong, WANG Yongkang, ZHAO Ailing, REN Haiyan, XUE Xiaofang, LI Yi, LI Dengke
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2560-2574. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0510
• Abstract ( 16 ) HTML ( 7 ) PDF (4271KB) ( 7 ) 　　　

• This study analyzed the diversity of 8 qualitative and 18 quantitative traits of the fruit of 114 wild jujube（Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa Hu.）resources in Shanxi Province by using genetic variation analysis，correlation analysis，cluster analysis and principal component analysis. The results showed that the genetic diversity indices of 8 qualitative traits ranged from 0.547 to 1.725，among which the indices of fruit shape and stone tip were both greater than 1. The coefficient of variation of 18 quantitative traits ranged from 7.27%（edible rate）to 80.50%（double-kernel rate）. Among them，fruit weight and titratable acid content also were relatively high coefficients of variation（> 60%）. The genetic diversity indices ranged from 1.811（stone-shell thickness）to 2.058（soluble solids content）. Correlation analysis showed that fruit weight was extremely significantly positively correlated with edible rate and stone weight，and significantly negatively correlated with kernel fruit ratio，kernel rate，titratable acid content. Cluster analysis divided the wild jujube germplasms into two categories：categoryⅠgermplasms were characterized by small fruit weight，low edible rate and high kernel rate，which were mainly used for kernel purposes；categoryⅡgermplasms had large fruit weight，high edible rate and low kernel rate，and were mainly suitable for fresh consumption.

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• Analysis of Fruit Quality and Comprehensive Evaluation of 47 Chinese Bayberry Germplasm Resources in Southern Zhejiang
• SONG Yang, LIU Yingyao, ZHAO Quan, ZHANG Peian, LIU Dongfeng, SHAN Linwen, CHEN Guanju, FANG Jinggui, GUO Xiuzhu
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2575-2589. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0400
• Abstract ( 20 ) HTML ( 6 ) PDF (1107KB) ( 6 ) 　　　

• Forty-seven Chinese bayberry germplasm resources were used as experimental materials. Sixteen indicators including single fruit weight，edible rate，total soluble solids（TSS），total sugar，flavonoid content，vitamin C content and peel color were measured. Difference analysis and correlation analysis of fruit quality were carried out，and principal component analysis（PCA）was applied to comprehensively evaluate the fruit quality of each germplasm. The results showed that all fruit quality traits of Chinese bayberry germplasms varied to different degrees. Among them，amino acid content had the highest coefficient of variation（CV）of 60.29%. Single fruit weight，titratable acid，color parameter a^* and color parameter C also exhibited high CV of 41.29%，36.07%，37.82% and 37.01%，respectively. In contrast，fruit shape index，edible rate and fruit hardness showed relatively stable variation，with CV of only 2.51%，1.94% and 6.28%. Difference analysis revealed that most fruit quality traits differed significantly among bayberry germplasms，and correlations of varying degrees existed between quality traits. Principal component analysis extracted six principal components from the 16 fruit quality indicators，with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 78.61%. According to the loading values of each principal component，eight core indicators were screened out，namely color parameter a^*，single fruit weight，fruit hardness，TSS，amino acid content，flavonoid content，titratable acid and vitamin C content. On this basis，a comprehensive evaluation model for fruit quality of Chinese bayberry germplasm resources in southern Zhejiang was established. Based on the results of correlation analysis and PCA comprehensive evaluation，a set of superior Chinese bayberry germplasms characterized by large fruit size，high sugar content and rich flavor were screened，including‘Dongkui’‘Dadongkui’‘Xiangdongyan 1’‘Cangnan 1’‘Chashan 3’‘Dabiqi’‘Zaotan’‘Dingshuo’‘Gaolouzao’and‘Cangnan 2’. This study provides theoretical basis and germplasm support for the excavation of elite germplasms，germplasm innovation and new cultivar breeding of Chinese bayberry in southern Zhejiang.

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• Genome-Wide Identification of the F-box Gene Family in Capsicum annuum and Functional Analysis of CaSLY1 in Modulating Plant Architecture
• QIAN Jinlong, ZHANG Xiang, WANG Dengke, ZOU Xuexiao, DAI Xiongze, XU Hao
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2590-2608. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0356
• Abstract ( 35 ) HTML ( 11 ) PDF (5616KB) ( 11 ) 　　　

• Based on bioinformatics analysis，the F-box gene family members in pepper（Capsicum annuum）were systematically identified，and a functional gene associated with the regulation of plant architecture in pepper was discovered and validated. Through analysis of the pepper reference genome data，a total of 519 members of the F-box gene family were identified，which were unevenly distributed across the 12 chromosomes of pepper. Phylogenetic analysis classified these members into 10 subfamilies，each exhibiting high conservation in gene structure and conserved motif composition. Analysis of promoter cis-acting elements revealed that pepper F-box genes contain abundant regulatory elements related to growth and development，light response，hormone regulation，and stress response. Collinearity analysis indicated that pepper F-box genes have primarily undergone purifying selection during evolution. Combining tissue-specific expression profiling and real-time quantitative PCR technology，it was found that the expression level of CaSLY1 in young stem tissues during the vegetative growth stage of pepper was significantly higher than in other tissues. Furthermore，using virus-induced gene silencing technology，it was observed that the plant height and lateral branch length of CaSLY1-silenced plants were significantly reduced，indicating that CaSLY1 plays a key role in pepper plant architecture formation.

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• Genome-Wide SNP Variation Characteristics and Development and Application of SNP-Panel in Eggplant
• WANG Benqi, HUANG Shuping, CHEN Xia, TAN Jie, ZHANG Hongyuan, WANG Junliang, CHEN Rong, ZHANG Min
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2609-2620. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0631
• Abstract ( 13 ) HTML ( 4 ) PDF (4705KB) ( 4 ) 　　　

• To clarify the genomic variation characteristics of eggplant，develop practical molecular markers，and facilitate cultivar identification and molecular breeding，this study used 122 advanced-generation eggplant inbred lines as materials. Target-seq targeted sequencing technology was applied to analyze the genome-wide SNP variation characteristics of eggplant and develop SNP markers for application exploration. A total of 1 476 variant loci were identified，including 1 433 SNPs and 43 InDels. Transition-type SNP accounted for 71.34% with a transition/transversion ratio of 2.50，and the SNP density varied significantly among different chromosomes. On this basis，a SNP-Panel containing 1 100 loci was developed，which was evenly distributed across the genome. This panel can be used for genetic diversity analysis and genetic differentiation discrimination of varieties，construct DNA fingerprints to assist variety identification and protection，and efficiently conduct seed purity identification.

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• Transcriptome Analysis of Potato Response to Pectobacterium atrosepticum Stress
• LUO Jinjun, HOU Lijuan, WANG Fei, MA Yongqiang
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2621-2638. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0505
• Abstract ( 14 ) HTML ( 3 ) PDF (5479KB) ( 3 ) 　　　

• Potato blackleg is one of the major diseases causing a decline in potato quality and yield，seriously threatening the healthy development of the potato industry. Pectobacterium atrosepticum was inoculated into plants of the resistant potato cultivar‘Longshu 19’，and RNA-Seq technology was used to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the response of potato to Pectobacterium atrosepticum infection and to screen for key differentially expressed genes. The analysis results showed that compared with the control，436，20 411，and 3 759 differentially expressed genes（DEGs）were identified at 1，3，and 5 days post-inoculation，respectively，among which 77 were common DEGs. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that DEGs at 1 day post-inoculation were mainly enriched in lyase activity and secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways；DEGs at 3 days were mainly enriched in catalytic activity and carbon metabolism pathways；and DEGs at 5 days were significantly associated with oxidoreductase activity and small molecule metabolic processes. Functional annotation of the 18 common DEGs enriched in metabolic pathways indicated that they encode defense-related proteins such as chitinase，peroxidase，and flavanone-3-hydroxylase. Screening for core pathways and core genes identified one core gene encoding flavanone-3-hydroxylase（Soltu.Q9. Chr02_A20006400.g，）and three transcription factors（belonging to the HD-ZIP and MYB families），among which StMYB1 may be a negative regulator of plant defense responses.

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• Genome-Wide Identification of the VQ Gene Family and Their Responses to Heat Stress in Pea
• LI Chengxun, XU Xiaoyu, LI Aiping
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2639-2656. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0629
• Abstract ( 13 ) HTML ( 5 ) PDF (3678KB) ( 5 ) 　　　

• The VQ gene family plays significant roles in plant growth，development，and stress response. In this study，members of the VQ gene family in pea（Pisum sativum）were identified through bioinformatics approaches，and their physicochemical properties，evolutionary relationships，gene structures，promoter elements，and synteny were analyzed. The expression patterns were analyzed by combining RNA-seq and qRT-PCR，and gene functions were verified through Arabidopsis genetic transformation. A total of 28 pea VQ genes were identified in this study，with subcellular localization mainly in the nucleus，and phylogenetically classified into three subfamilies. The VQ gene structure was predominantly single-exon，and the promoters were enriched with various cis-acting elements involved in light response，hormone response，stress response，and growth and development regulation. Four intraspecific syntenic gene pairs were identified in the pea VQ gene family，with 18，15，19，36，and 76 syntenic gene pairs detected between pea and the other five species，respectively，indicating a relatively conserved evolutionary pattern. Expression analysis revealed that pea VQ genes exhibited tissue-specific expression patterns，and certain members responded to high temperature stress. Functional verification demonstrated that，overexpression of PsVQ15 in Arabidopsis resulted in significantly longer roots，while both PsVQ15- and PsVQ26-overexpressing lines significantly elevated survival rates and total chlorophyll content under heat stress；the PsVQ26-overexpressing line exhibited the highest survival，superior phenotype，and thus stronger thermotolerance. In conclusion，the VQ gene family in pea plays a crucial role in plant growth，development，and heat response.

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• Chromosome Karyotype Analysis of Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri，Schlumbergera bridgesii，Nopalxochia ackermannii and Schlumbergera truncata
• ZHAO Tianrong, REN Xiliang, LING Jiangang, SHEN Lan, WANG Kai
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2657-2668. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0097
• Abstract ( 10 ) HTML ( 3 ) PDF (4495KB) ( 3 ) 　　　

• The phylloclades as the experimental material of five cultivars of Schlumbergera truncata and Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri，Schlumbergera bridgesii，Nopalxochia ackermannii‘Evening Dress’，to identify the ploidy levels and to determine genome size and perform karyotype analysis. The results from flow cytometry indicated that the R. gaertneri，S. bridgesii，N. ackermannii‘Evening Dress’are all diploid. The chromosome numbers of R. gaertneri，S. bridgesii，and N. ackermannii‘Evening Dress’were all 22，and all had karyotypes of type 1A. The karyotype formulas and asymmetric coefficients were 2n = 2x = 22 = 18m + 4sm，57.64%；2n = 2x = 22 = 22m，57.93%；and 2n = 2x = 22 = 20m + 2sm，57.33%，respectively. Schlumbergera truncata cultivars‘Wanqiu’‘Fengguan’and‘White Double Flowers’are all diploid. The chromosome numbers were all 22，and karyotype formulas of 2n = 2x = 22 = 20m + 2sm，2n = 2x = 22 = 18m + 4sm and 2n = 2x = 22 = 20m + 2sm，respectively. The karyotype asymmetry coefficients were 56.53%，58.10% and 57.93%，belonging to types 1A，2A and 2B，respectively. The chromosome number of the triploid S. truncata‘R9’was 33，and a karyotype formula of 2n = 3x = 33 = 30m + 3sm，with an asymmetric coefficient of 58.57%，belonging to type 2A. The tetraploid S. truncata‘Guifei Zuijiu’had a chromosome number of 44，and a karyotype formula of 2n = 4x = 44 = 32m + 12sm，with an asymmetric coefficient of 60.24%，belonging to type 2A. The evolutionary trend analysis suggests that the evolutionary levels are ranked from high to low as follows：tetraploid，triploid，diploid. S. truncata can be hybridized with its diploid relatives，namely R. gaertneri，S. bridgesii and N. ackermannii‘Evening Dress’. The karyotype formulas of R. gaertneri and S. truncata‘Fengguan’are the same. The karyotype formulas of N. ackermannii‘Evening Dress’and S. truncata‘Wanqiu’are the same as those of S. truncata‘White Double Flower’，but the karyotype classification of‘White Double Flower’is different from the other two. The clustering results indicated that the eight materials were divided into two major groups. R. gaertneri，S. bridgesii，S. truncata‘Wanqiu’and N. ackermannii‘Evening Dress’clustered into group A，while the other four S. truncata cultivars clustered into group B. The distances between groups can more accurately reflect the phylogenetic relationships among the cultivars.

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• Polyploid Induction and Identification of Rhododendron farrerae
• SUN Yuwen, LIU Xiuqun
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2669-2678. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0493
• Abstract ( 17 ) HTML ( 8 ) PDF (2718KB) ( 8 ) 　　　

• Polyploid induction of shoot tip and callus of tissue culture seedlings of Rhododendron farrerae by colchicine was carried out. The results showed that the treatment of colchicine concentration of 2.0 g · L^-1 for 24 h was the best combination for inducing stem tip doubling，and the induction rate reached 16.67%. The treatment of colchicine concentration 0.5 g · L^-1 for 24 h was the best combination for inducing callus doubling，and the induction rate was 6.67%. Ploidy identification was performed on the surviving plants after induction. It was observed that the tetraploid plants were shorter and smaller as a whole，the leaves of the tetraploid plants became larger and thicker and showed significant differences in color，the stomatal density was significantly lower than that of the diploid，and the guard cells were significantly increased. The leaf relative water content，chlorophyll content，anthocyanin content and POD activity of tetraploid plants were significantly higher than those of diploid plants.

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Cultivation · Physiology & Biochemistry

• Effects of Chlormequat Chloride on Growth，Photosynthetic Characteristics and Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism of Apple Plants
• WANG Hongguo, ZHANG Xiuying, LIU Zhaoxia, LIU Jingquan, LÜ Mengxue, ZHANG Ruirui, JIANG Han, ZHU Zhanling, GE Shunfeng, JIANG Yuanmao
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2679-2692. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0749
• Abstract ( 21 ) HTML ( 11 ) PDF (3301KB) ( 11 ) 　　　

• To elucidate the mechanism of chlormequat chloride（CCC）in regulating the growth and carbon-nitrogen metabolism of apple rootstocks，the effects of different CCC concentrations（0，150，300，450，and 600 mg · L^-1）on seedling growth，photosynthesis，¹⁵N uptake，¹³C distribution，and key enzyme activities related to carbon and nitrogen metabolism of one-year-old dwarfing apple rootstock G935 were investigated in a hydroponic experiment by applying ¹⁵N and ¹³C isotope labeling techniques. The results showed that，compared with the control，CCC application reduced plant height，leaf area，and aboveground biomass by 14.43%-38.20%，1.29%-18.90%，and 2.52%-13.16%，respectively，while it increased stem diameter，root length，belowground biomass，and root-to-shoot ratio by 9.55%-38.22%，4.59%-12.80%，8.47%-55.08%，and 6.67%-73.33%，respectively. Leaf net photosynthetic rate（P_n） exhibited an initial increase followed by a decrease with increasing CCC concentration，reaching its maximum under 300 mg · L^-1 treatment，which was 22.02% higher than that of the control. The activities of key enzymes，including sucrose synthase，sucrose phosphate synthase，nitrate reductase，glutamate synthase，and glutamine synthetase，all followed a similar trend-increasing initially and then declining-with the highest levels observed under 300 mg · L^-1 treatment. Furthermore，300 mg · L^-1 treatment enhanced the accumulation of both ¹³C and ¹⁵N in the whole plant and increased their allocation to the root system. Compared with the control，the leaf C/N ratio and ¹⁵N use efficiency under 300 mg · L^-1 treatment increased by 3.80% and 45.31%，respectively. In conclusion，the application of 300 mg · L^-1 CCC improved photosynthetic capacity，enhanced carbon and nitrogen metabolic enzyme activities，promoted the uptake and utilization of ¹⁵N and ¹³C，and optimized the allocation of carbon and nitrogen，thereby facilitating root growth and increasing the root-to-shoot ratio and C/N ratio in apple plants.

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• Analysis of Organic Acid Accumulation Characteristics and Associated Metabolic Enzyme Activities in the Pericarp and Pulp of two Cerasus humilis Cultivars with Different Acidity Levels
• GUO Bingcheng, ZHANG Fei, ZHANG Li, GUO Jinli
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2693-2707. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0927
• Abstract ( 8 ) HTML ( 2 ) PDF (3387KB) ( 2 ) 　　　

• Fruits of two Cerasus humilis with varying acidity levels were used to investigate the dynamics of organic acid composition and the activity of related metabolic enzymes in the pericarp and pulp during development. The results showed that in both cultivars quinic and oxalic acids were the predominant organic acids in both tissues at early developmental stages，which subsequently shifted to malic acid dominance. The contents of malic，acetic，and citric acids，as well as total acidity，increased initially，peaking during the coloring/enlargement or hard ripening stages，before declining. In contrast，the levels of quinic，oxalic，and lactic acids decreased continuously throughout fruit development. At maturity，the pericarp contained higher concentrations of malic acid，quinic acid，oxalic acid，and total acid than the pulp. Malic acid was the most abundant organic acid，accounting for over 50% of the total acidity in both tissues and constituting the primary factor responsible for the acidity difference between pericarp and pulp. The overall acidity difference between high- and low-acid cultivars was attributed to variations in the contents of both malic acid and quinic acid. The malic acid content in C. humilis was regulated by the activities of NAD-malate dehydrogenase（NAD-MDH）and NADP-malic enzyme（NADP-ME）. Significant differences in the activities of these enzymes were observed between the pericarp and pulp，as well as between high- and low-acid types. NAD-MDH and PEPC promoted malic acid accumulation，whereas NADP-ME facilitated its degradation. In this study，the difference in NAD-MDH activity was identified as the key enzymatic factor affecting the disparity in malic acid content between the pericarp and pulp，while the level of NADP-ME activity was the primary factor determining the difference in acidity between the two types of superior C. humilis strains.

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• Establishment of Grading Index of Citrus Fruit Mastication Based on Sensory Analysis and Metabolite Content
• WEN Tinglin, KONG Jiatao, CHEN Xiaolin, JIANG Shan, CHEN Jiajing, LIU Yuan, XU Juan
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2708-2718. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0403
• Abstract ( 12 ) HTML ( 3 ) PDF (817KB) ( 3 ) 　　　

• The mastication quality of citrus fruit is the core index to evaluate its quality，which directly affects consumers acceptance and commodity value. In this study，12 citrus cultivars were used as samples to systematically classify the fruit mastication grade by sensory evaluation and physicochemical metabolism analysis，aiming to construct an efficient grading index system. After recruiting 60 consumer panelists and selecting 15 highly trained panelists following screening and training，the sweet orange and pomelo fruits were classified into three groups-‘difficult-mastication group’‘properly-mastication group’and‘easy-mastication group’-through sensory evaluation methods including difference tests and flash profile analysis. Combined with the analysis of metabolites，it was found that the shear force of fruit sac was an effective grading index of sweet orange mastication. With the increase of mastication grade，the shear force decreased significantly（P < 0.05）. Among them，the shear force of‘difficult-mastication group’was 9 054.57-9 263.43 g，and the shear force of‘properly-mastication group’and‘easy-mastication group’were 5 996.83-6 873.17 g and 2 030.08-2 669.92 g，respectively. The content of hemicellulose in pulp can be used as a grading index of pomelo mastication，and its content decreased significantly with the increase of mastication grade（P < 0.05）. Among them，the hemicellulose content of‘difficult-mastication group’was 64.02-78.93 mg · g^-1 DW，the hemicellulose content of‘properly-mastication group’was 38.36-57.68 mg · g^-1 DW，and the hemicellulose content of‘easy-mastication group’was 25.47-39.76 mg · g^-1 DW. Repeated verification in the next year showed that the accuracy of sweet orange mastication grading based on shear force was 84%，and the accuracy of pomelo mastication grading based on hemicellulose content was 80%.

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• Applying Equal Carbon Application from Organic Materials Improved Vegetable Yield，Quality and Soil Carbon Components
• WANG Xingyue, ZHANG Jining, LU Ping, JIANG Zheng, SUN Huifeng, ZHANG Xianxian, WANG Cong, ZHOU Sheng
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2719-2732. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0392
• Abstract ( 17 ) HTML ( 13 ) PDF (2462KB) ( 13 ) 　　　

• A pot experiment with sandy loam soil was conducted using a completely randomized block design. The conventional fertilization（CF）as the control. The effects of straw，organic fertilizer，peat，and biochar on vegetable yield，quality，soil organic carbon（SOC），particulate organic carbon（POC），and mineral-associated organic carbon（MAOC）were compared through the rotation of pak choi（Brassica chinensis L.）and spinach（Spinacia oleracea L.）. The results showed that，under equal carbon input conditions，compared with the CF treatment，the biochar treatment increased the yield of pak choi by 47.4%，the soluble sugar content of pak choi by 12.0% and the vitamin C content of spinach by 23.0%. The peat treatment significantly increased the vitamin C content（18.3%）and soluble sugar content（13.0%）of pak choi，as well as the vitamin C content of spinach（35.4%），while significantly reducing the cellulose content of pak choi（27.1%）. After the vegetable rotation finished，compared with the CF treatment，the peat，biochar，and organic fertilizer treatments all significantly increased SOC content by 63.0%，59.8%，and 57.0%，respectively. Their increases in soil POC content were 109.6%，67.7%，and 115.1%，respectively；and their increases in soil MAOC were 12.9%，26.1%，and 39.5%，respectively. The soil MAOC/SOC ratios of the organic fertilizer and peat treatments were below 50%，while that of the biochar treatment was above 50%. The study indicated that applying peat in combination with conventional fertilization can improve vegetable quality and stabilize the soil carbon pool.

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• Screening and Isolation of Growth-Promoting Bacteria in Onion Rhizosphere and the Growth-Promoting Effect of Composite Microbial Agents on Onion
• YAO Wenxia, FAN Xiangjun, HAN Jia, LI Hui, LU Yang, YANG Hongyu, ZHANG Yuxin
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2733-2751. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0684
• Abstract ( 11 ) HTML ( 8 ) PDF (4142KB) ( 8 ) 　　　

• In order to screen onion rhizosphere growth-promoting bacteria and explore their growth-promoting effects after being made into compound microbial agents，the onion rhizosphere soil in Hexi area was used as the material，and the growth-promoting bacteria were isolated and screened by functional medium. A total of 25 strains were isolated and screened，all of which had phosphorus- solubilizing ability，among which YC-342 had the strongest phosphorus-solubilizing ability（455.833 μg · mL^-1）. 15 strains had nitrogen fixation function，and the nitrogenase activity of JQ-MY-42 strain was the highest（90.02 nmol · h^-1 · mL^-1）. Seven strains had the ability to secrete IAA，among which JQ-MY-41 had the highest secretion（3.590 μg · mL^-1）. The strains were identified by 16S rDNA sequence. Six dominant strains were selected to prepare four kinds of compound microbial agents，and their growth-promoting effects were verified by pot experiment. After comprehensive evaluation，the TE formula（JQ-MY-41 + JQ-MY-42 + YC-342）showed the best performance among the four composite microbial agents：its phosphorus solubility reached 611.70 μg · mL^-1，which was significantly higher than other formulas. Compared with the control，the plant height，stem diameter，dry weight and fresh weight of aboveground and underground parts of onion were significantly increased. The activity of superoxide dismutase（SOD）in leaves reached 380.34 U · g^-1，which was significantly higher than that of the control. The activity of catalase（CAT）increased by 35%，the activity of ascorbate peroxidase（APX）increased by 38.54%，and the activity of peroxidase（POD）decreased by 48.83%. The content of MDA in leaves decreased to 0.81 μmol · g ^-1，which was significantly lower than that of the control（1.02 μmol · g^-1）. The contents of chlorophyll a，chlorophyll b and carotenoids increased by 25.71%，43.24% and 26.92%，respectively，and the total chlorophyll content reached 1.85 mg · g^-1，which was significantly higher than that of the control（1.41 mg · g^-1）. The Chl a/b ratio（2.50）and Car/Chl ratio（0.18）were not significantly different from the control. The activities of catalase（S-CAT），sucrase（S-UC），urease（S-UE）and alkaline phosphatase（S-ALP）in rhizosphere soil increased by 123.08%，148.19%，58.16% and 136.36%，respectively. Principal component analysis showed that TE treatment had the highest comprehensive score （0.7478），which was the optimal formula for onion rhizosphere growth-promoting bacteria compound microbial inoculants.

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• The Effects of Different Compost Ratios on the Quality and Secondary Metabolism of Tomato in Protected Cultivation
• SHANG Xingpan, NIU Yu, BAI Peng, HE Yongmei, FENG Junfang, WANG Junwen, CHEN Jiaqi, TANG Zhongqi, LÜ Jian, XIAO Xuemei, WU Yue, YU Jihua
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2752-2768. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0441
• Abstract ( 11 ) HTML ( 1 ) PDF (2046KB) ( 1 ) 　　　

• To investigate the effects of different proportions of biogas residue application on the nutritional quality and secondary metabolism of tomato fruits in solar greenhouses，tomato cultivar‘184’ was used as the experimental material. Four treatments were set up：balanced fertilization as the control（CK），and substrate and biogas residue mixed at ratios of 3︰1，4︰1 and 5︰1. Appearance，flavor，nutritional quality，and secondary metabolic indicators of tomatoes were measured. Results showed that under the substrate-to-biogas residue volume ratio of 4︰1，the soluble solids，soluble protein，vitamin C，and soluble sugar contents，as well as the sugar-acid ratio of first-harvest fruits significantly increased. Lycopene，phytoene，and β-carotene contents were significantly enhanced by 36.18%，656.07%，and 34.53% compared to the control，respectively. Fructose，glucose，and sucrose contents increased significantly by 18.8%，110.9%，and 74.8%，respectively. Organic acid components such as citric acid，tartaric acid，and malic acid decreased，while sweet-，umami-，neutral-，and bitter-tasting amino acids increased. Mineral element contents（N，P，K，Mg，Fe，Zn，and Cu）also increased，whereas nitrate and organic acid contents decreased significantly by 55.36% and 18.18%，respectively. For second-harvest fruits，soluble solids，soluble protein，vitamin C，soluble sugars，and the sugar-acid ratio were significantly improved. Lycopene，phytoene，and β-carotene contents increased by 73.16%，132.91%，and 51.54% compared to the control，respectively. Fructose，glucose，and sucrose contents increased significantly by 106.9%，81.1%，and 69.2%，respectively. Citric acid，tartaric acid，and malic acid levels declined，while sweet-，umami-，neutral-，and bitter-tasting amino acids increased. Mineral elements（N，P，K，Mg，Fe，Zn，and Cu）were elevated，and nitrate and organic acid contents decreased significantly by 59.88% and 52.94%，respectively. In summary，applying biogas residue at a substrate-to-residue volume ratio of 4︰1 significantly enhances the nutritional quality and flavor characteristics of greenhouse-grown tomatoes.

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• Effects of New Urea Combined with Calcium Fertilizer on Photosynthetic Characteristics，Quality and Yield of Non-Heading Chinese Cabbage
• ZENG Chong, REN Li, LI Lantao, CAI Jiaming, GENG Sainan, WANG Yilun
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2769-2782. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0414
• Abstract ( 9 ) HTML ( 0 ) PDF (2129KB) ( 0 ) 　　　

• A pot experiment was conducted with five nitrogen fertilizer treatments（N0：no nitrogen application；N1：ordinary urea；N2：loss-control urea；N3：stable urea；N4：humic acid urea）and two calcium fertilizer levels（Ca0：no calcium；Ca1：applied calcium），resulting in a total of 10 treatments，to investigate the mechanisms by which novel urea combined with calcium fertilizer affects photosynthetic characteristics，yield，and quality of‘Mayman’non-heading Chinese cabbage. The results showed that under the condition without applying calcium fertilizer，the Ca0N3 and Ca0N4 treatments significantly increased the nitrogen and calcium accumulation，nitrogen fertilizer utilization rate and agronomic efficiency of non-heading Chinese cabbage compared with the Ca0N1 treatment. When urea-calcium fertilizer was applied in combination，the Ca1N4 treatment significantly enhanced the activities of NR and GS enzymes，photosynthetic gas exchange parameters（P_n，T_r，G_s），Rubisco enzyme activity and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters（F_v/F₀，F_v/F_m，Φ_PSII，NPQ，Φ_CO2 and ETR）compared with the Ca1N1 treatment. Without calcium application，the yields of non-heading Chinese cabbage under Ca0N3 and Ca0N4 treatments increased by 22.48% and 23.64%，respectively，and the soluble sugar content significantly increased by 23.99% and 25.01% compared with ordinary urea；the soluble protein content under the Ca0N4 treatment increased by 13.73%. Under the combined application with calcium fertilizer，Ca1N3 and Ca1N4 treatments increased the yield by 34.33% and 35.24%，respectively，significantly reduced the nitrate content，and significantly increased the vitamin C content by 7.12% and 10.47% compared with ordinary urea. In comprehensive comparison，the combined application of humic acid urea and calcium fertilizer achieved the best effect.

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New Technology and New Method

• Research on Flexible Wearable Leaf Humidity Sensor and Its Application in Melon Physiological Monitoring
• WANG Yingli, ZHANG Hongliang, AKEBAIERJIANG Kadeer, CHEN Xiansheng, BIE Zhilong, HUANG Yuan
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2783-2896. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0586
• Abstract ( 12 ) HTML ( 5 ) PDF (3276KB) ( 5 ) 　　　

• Using melon（Cucumis melo L.）as experimental material，this study conducted in-situ non-destructive monitoring of leaf water status under different stress conditions using sensors. Based on laser-induced graphene technology，this study developed a flexible wearable leaf moisture sensor for in situ monitoring of melon transpiration. The sensor was fabricated by patterning interdigitated electrodes on polyimide film and modifying the electrode surface with graphene oxide；After optimization，the optimized parameters were selected（7 pairs of interdigitated electrodes，350 μm width，and 100 μm spacing）. Performance tests demonstrated that the sensor exhibited high sensitivity in both capacitance and impedance modes（2.4 nF/% RH and 3.9 kΩ/% RH，respectively），along with robust resistance to temperature，light，and bending interference，while maintaining excellent stability over 20 days（fluctuation < 5%）. Application tests revealed that：（1）sensor attachment for 10 days caused no significant impact on melon leaf health；（2）it effectively identified melon leaf status under abiotic stress conditions，including temperature，low light，water deficit，and salinity；（3）it differentiated healing progress of grafted seedlings during graft union monitoring；（4）sensor capacitance was strongly correlated with transpiration rate and stomatal conductance（R² > 0.9）.

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Reviews

• Achievements and Perspectives of Citrus Industry & Research in China
• DENG Xiuxin
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2797-2806. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2026-0376
• Abstract ( 27 ) HTML ( 15 ) PDF (795KB) ( 15 ) 　　　

• Over the past five years，China’s citrus industry has maintained a growth trend in both planting area and output，with its production 69.72 million tons，ranking first in the world. The industry has shown gradual shifting from the eastern toward the western regions；Guangxi has become the largest production area，Yunnan has been keeping growth. A total of 69 new cultivars got plant new cultivar protection in China. A number of new varieties have been used in the industry；about 90 cultivars are commercially cultivated with the proportion of late-maturing varieties increasing；the fresh fruit supply has become more evenly distributed throughout the year. Although the proportion of processed products has risen slightly，the pattern dominated by fresh consumption has remained largely unchanged. Modern post-harvest fruit sorting equipment and technologies have been rapidly used in the industry. Considerable progress has been made in omics-based germplasm exploration，with the identification of genes and regulatory modules conferring important traits such as oil glands，fruit color，acidity，and self-compatibility. Also，breakthroughs have been made in basic research on Huanglongbing disease. Future research priorities will focus on meeting market demands for diversified varieties and balanced supply，as well as addressing challenges including aging labors and damage from diseases and pests such as Huanglongbing. Omics，information science，and artificial intelligence will be widely applied in various research and technological development endeavors.

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• Research Progress on Agrobacterium rhizogenes-Mediated Plant Genetic Transformation and Genome Editing
• YI Mulin, LIU Qian, QIAO Xu, LONG Zhongshuang, FU Fangfang, MING Meiling
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2807-2828. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0576
• Abstract ( 20 ) HTML ( 7 ) PDF (1761KB) ( 7 ) 　　　

• Agrobacterium rhizogenes is a Gram-negative soil bacterium that induces the formation of hairy roots in plants through the rol genes located on its Ri plasmid. Due to the advantages of hairy root cultures，such as low cost，rapid growth rate，and genetic stability，A.rhizogenes-mediated plant genetic transformation has become an ideal system for gene function research. This article systematically summarizes the methods for hairy root induction and genetic transformation mediated by A. rhizogenes，including non-tissue culture and tissue culture approaches. It further delves into the factors influencing transformation efficiency under different conditions：Under non-tissue culture conditions，plant species，explant type，infection method，A. rhizogenes strain，bacterial concentration，and post-infection treatment conditions significantly impact transformation efficiency. Conversely，the type of co-culture medium and chemical inducers are key regulatory factors under tissue culture conditions. Various aspects，including strain selection，transformation methods，and genome editing tool design，similarly influence the efficiency of A. rhizogenes-mediated plant genome editing. The review also summarizes the specific applications of A. rhizogenes-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 systems in plant gene functional studies and molecular breeding.

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New Cultivars

• A New Papaya Cultivar‘Guireyou 1’
• ZHENG Jian, ZHANG Ji, OU Lianghua, SHI Lanrong, GAN Weitang
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2829-2830. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2026-0142
• Abstract ( 10 ) HTML ( 1 ) PDF (1183KB) ( 1 ) 　　　

• The fruit-type papaya cultivar‘Guireyou 1’is an excellent new cultivar derived from a natural mutation of the dual-purpose（fruit and vegetable）papaya cultivar‘Yiyuan 8’. The plant grows vigorously with a single，erect，unbranched stem reaching 170.4 cm in height and 9.6 cm in basal diameter. Fruit are uniformly pear-shaped，averaging 0.95 kg in weight，19.0 cm in length and 10.5 cm in width；the flesh is 3.2 cm thick，bright orange-red，contains 12.0% total soluble solids and offers a sweet，aromatic flavour. Regional trials yielded an average 62.97 t · hm^-2. Combining strong drought and heat tolerance，‘Guireyou 1’is recommended for commercial cultivation in tropical and subtropical regions such as Guangxi，Guangdong，Fujian and Hainan.

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• A New Populus tomentosa Cultivar‘Jimao 1’
• ZHENG Conghui, XU Zhenhua, LIU Chunpeng, LI Xiangjun, DONG Qian, SUN Ran, DU Kejiu, LI Jida
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2026, 53(9): 2831-2832. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0596
• Abstract ( 11 ) HTML ( 8 ) PDF (1649KB) ( 8 ) 　　　

• ‘Jimao 1’is a new environment-friendly Populus tomentosa cultivar free of flying catkins and with minimal pollen release，developed from 52 male accessions of P. tomentosa. It features a straight trunk and spreading crown. At the seedling stage，its stems are light green with elliptical lenticels. Mature trees have elliptical crowns. The petioles are light-red and the leaf bases are heart-shaped. Its mature catkins are less than 10 cm in length，with an anther dehiscence rate of less than 2.3%，resulting in little pollen release. It exhibits vigorous growth，with an afforestation survival rate over 98.3%. It shows strong resistance to leaf rust，brown spot and sooty mould，and is suitable for planting in the North China Plain.

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