Being a kind of important cash crop，apple industry in China has stably grown as the biggest country in the world，while China also has become a state-art country in apple research worldwide. On basis of stating on both research progresses of germplasm resources，cultivar breeding，seedling nursery，tree growth and fruit quality development，stress resistances，diseases and pests control，post-harvest storage and processing，orchard management，industry beneficiary，and industry status of production scale，industry regionalization，farming system，quality improvement，mechanization and simplified management，brand and circulation，diseases and pests control，post-harvest storage and processing，and disaster prevention and mitigation，the major problems are focused presently in research and industry. Leading by both the industry development needs and technical innovation，this article try to review development direction of apple future research and also the industry development trends with future prospects，for possible reference of apple innovation research and sustainably high quality industry development.

This review synthesizes the major advances in jujube production and research in China over nearly five decades since the introduction of reform and opening-up. The current situation is summarized into five aspects：growing area has stabilized，westward shift of production has completed，fresh jujube industry has emerged，export has steadily increased，scientific and technological innovation has been accelerating. Seven major challenges to industry modernization are identified：outdated perceptions，labor shortages，complex cultivation practices，outbreaks of major diseases and insect pests，a limited supply season for fresh jujubes，inadequate postharvest value addition，and slow market development. The review outlines seven emerging trends：increasing participation of personnel from non- farming backgrounds，larger operational scales，adoption of smart production systems，year-round fresh jujube supply，a shift toward premium-quality products，diversification of value addition，and internationalization of production and marketing. To support these transitions，priorities and strategies for future scientific and technological innovation are proposed across 8 areas：basic research，breeding of superior cultivars，nursery plant production and orchard establishment，efficient cultivation，disease and pest management，fresh jujube production，postharvest and processing，and international supply and technical standards.

Kiwifruit（Actinidia spp.）is one of the important fruit species domesticated in the 20th century and has since evolved into a global industry. As the primary center of distribution and origin of Actinidia germplasm resources，China has established an independent cultivar innovation system and a distinctive production technical system with Chinese characteristics through nationwide resource surveys，germplasm exploration，and sustained breeding innovations. By 2025，the industry had reached a cultivation area of 289 500 hectares，an annual production of over 4 million tonnes，and an annual output value exceeding 50 billion yuan，playing a significant role in county-level economic development，targeted poverty alleviation，rural revitalization，and ecological conservation. This paper systematically reviews the historical evolution，major achievements，and critical bottlenecks of China’s kiwifruit science and technology and industry over the past five decades，aiming to，provide valuable insights for its sustainable and healthy development.

Drought stress is a critical environmental factor limiting citrus growth and yield production. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi（AMF）can establish stable symbiotic relationships with citrus roots，playing a significant role in enhancing plant adaptability to water stress. This article focuses on the interaction between AMF and citrus，reviewing research progress on how AMF improves drought tolerance in citrus plants under water deficit conditions. It summarizes key mechanisms including water absorption and utilization，stomatal regulation，root architecture optimization，osmotic adjustment，antioxidant defense，rhizosphere soil structure improvement，and molecular regulation. Furthermore，the article addresses current research gaps and proposes future directions for the application of AMF in drought-resistant citrus cultivation，aiming to provide theoretical foundations and technical references for sustainable citrus production in arid and semi-arid regions.

High-quality genome of fruit trees provides important support for precise molecular design breeding. Through comparative analysis of high-quality genomes，whole-genome duplication events in the evolution process of fruit trees are accurately predicted and the key genomic regions associated with the domestication process are identified. Combined with comparative genomics and genome-wide association analysis（GWAS），the expansion and contraction characteristics of fruit tree gene families can be effectively revealed and the key regulatory genes of important agronomic traits are identified；this provides remarkable genetic resources for fruit tree breeding. This paper reviews the application of genome sequencing technology in fruit tree genome evolution and breeding research，focuses on the important agronomic traits and provides a prospect for the future research direction and application.

Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing secondary metabolites specific to cruciferous plants，primarily classified into aliphatic，aromatic，and indolic types. Their biosynthesis begins with amino acid precursors，proceeds through core structure formation and side-chain modifications，and is regulated by transcription factors such as MYB and bHLH. Upon hydrolysis by myrosinase，GSLs yield biologically active compounds such as isothiocyanates and nitriles，which exhibit anticancer，antimicrobial，and insect-resistant properties. Hydrolysates of aliphatic GSLs（such as sulforaphane）have significant antioxidant and anticancer activities，while indole GSLs are more involved in plant defense and hormone regulation. This metabolic process is influenced by genetic background，environmental factors（e.g.，light， temperature），and plant hormones（e.g.，jasmonic acid，ethylene），etc. Recently，advances in gene editing， metabolic engineering，and artificial intelligence-assisted design have enabled precise modulation of glucosinolates’ content and composition，promoting their applications in functional foods and pharmaceuticals. This article systematically reviews the progress on GSLs metabolism，regulatory factors，metabolic engineering，industry development，which will provide reference for glucosinolate-related researches and its industrial application in the future.

The black speck disease of Chinese cabbage is a physiological disorder that frequently occurs under conditions of excessive nitrogen fertilizer，high temperature and high humidity，or refrigeration. Although minor spotting does not compromise edibility，they seriously damage the appearance quality and commercial value of Chinese cabbage. Black speck disease of Chinese cabbage is prone to occur or become aggravated during distribution and transportation，causing substantial economic losses to enterprises. Research on this condition remains limited internationally，and its nomenclature in the literature is often inconsistent or conflated with other pathologies. In this review，the research progress on the symptoms，external influencing factors，differences in variety resistance，optimization of resistance identification methods，physiological and biochemical characteristics，and molecular mechanisms were summarized. It also provides an outlook on future research directions，aiming to facilitate the development of resistant cultivars and integrated management strategies to mitigate the impact of this disorder in commercial production.

MicroRNA（miRNA）is a kind of non-coding small RNA that is ubiquitous in organisms. Over the years，researchers have found tens of thousands of miRNAs in animals and plants，and explored their functions. More and more evidence show that miRNAs play key roles in regulating traits in crops. As a staple vegetable as well as model plant，miRNAs in tomato have been extensively investigated in growth and development，stress response and fruit quality. This article mainly reviews the research progress in tomato miRNA identification，function characterization and their applications in genetic improvement，and provides theoretical reference for miRNA in tomato genetic improvement.

In recent years，the rapid advancement of genome editing technologies has revolutionised plant breeding methodologies，offering novel technical avenues for the precise regulation of floral traits in ornamental plants. This paper systematically reviews the latest research advances in CRISPR-Cas genome editing technology for improving floral traits in ornamental plants. It focuses on analysing relevant breeding strategies and technical systems，evaluating their application outcomes，discussing current technical bottlenecks，and proposing future development trends. Although genome editing technologies demonstrate considerable potential for genetic improvement of floral traits，their application remains constrained by several factors. These include the absence of complete reference genomes for most major ornamental plants，the scarcity of efficient gene delivery tools，the lack of species-specific vector systems， and challenges posed by high polyploidization and multiple homologous alleles. Nevertheless，with further optimisation of CRISPR-Cas system，its application in precision breeding of floral traits in ornamental plants is expected to expand more effectively，continuously enhancing the quality of ornamental plants.

Carotenoids are widely distributed in nature，serving as important photosynthetic and chromogenic pigments. They play pivotal roles in regulating plant growth and development，improving flavor quality，and providing essential dietary nutrients for humans. This paper describes carotenoid categories and their roles in higher plant color and flavor，and systematically summarizes the metabolic regulatory network. Then，focusing on carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases（CCDs），this paper highlights the molecular basis of carotenoids effects on higher plant color and aroma metabolism，the molecular mechanisms underlying the coordinated regulation of these traits. This paper aims to provide a theoretical reference for the creation of novel elite germplasms with desirable color and aroma traits in higher plants， and offers guidance for the exploration and utilization of functional plants.

The genus Rosa holds significant ornamental，ecological，and economic value as a vital horticultural germplasm resource. While China serves as a primary center of distribution and diversification for Rosa，the efficiency of resource utilization remains hindered by incomplete surveys and an imperfect taxonomic system. This review systematically summarizes the progress and current status of Rosa germplasm investigations in China，outlining its geographical distribution and biodiversity characteristics. It reviews advances in the taxonomy of Chinese Rosa，analyzes the latest classification systems，identifies major taxonomic challenges，and discusses revisions. Furthermore，it integrates molecular phylogenetic findings to explore directions for updating and optimizing traditional taxonomic frameworks. Moreover，the study provides a comprehensive summary of breeding research in terms of both objectives and methodologies，offering a reference for the innovative utilization of rose resources. Overall，the study emphasizes that thorough germplasm surveys，refined taxonomic systems，and innovative breeding strategies are essential for the high-efficiency utilization of Rosa resources.

Chrysanthemum morifolium is one of the ten well-known traditional flowers and an important medicinal crop in China. It possesses abundant germplasm resources and has high ornamental，economic，and cultural value，playing an important role in landscape and horticultural production. Low temperatures，a common abiotic stress，affect the growth，development，ornamental quality，and economic value of chrysanthemums. Therefore，research on cold tolerance in chrysanthemum is essential for improving its quality and promoting its broader application. Nowadays，with the rapid development of omics technologies such as genomics，transcriptomics，metabolomics，as well as high-throughput molecular marker technologies，research on chrysanthemum cold resistance has progressed rapidly. This review systematically summarizes advances in chrysanthemum cold-tolerance research from the perspectives of phenotypic traits，physiological and molecular mechanisms，and breeding，aiming to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms underlying cold tolerance and provide a theoretical basis for chrysanthemum utilization and breeding.

Jasmonic acids（JA）have been confirmed as important endogenous signaling molecules regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis in plants. This paper reviews the effects of JAs on anthocyanin biosynthesis by exploring different application methods to treat key tissues of horticultural plants. It clarifies that JAs regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis through the COI1-JAZ core module by modulating the expression of anthocyanin-related regulatory and structural genes and mediating ubiquitination modification. The mechanisms of synergistic interactions between JAs and environmental signals such as light and temperature，as well as hormonal signals including abscisic acid，ethylene，and calcium ion signals，are systematically summarized. Future research should focus on the synergistic regulation of Jas with other signals and the underlying epigenetic regulatory mechanisms，and the significance of such studies in ornamental plants is discussed.

Polyploidization，as an important approach for crop genetic improvement，has been increasingly applied to the optimization of traits in horticultural crops. However，the effects of polyploidization are dual：on one hand，it maybe leads to organ“gigantism”，while on the other hand，it can cause growth inhibition and reduced fertility in crops. Currently，the mechanisms by which polyploidization promotes or inhibits organ development remain controversial and have become a key scientific issue in the genetic improvement of horticultural crops. In this article，the patterns of organ phenotypic variation in polyploids and explores the underlying genomic and epigenetic regulatory bases from the perspectives of cytogenomic remodeling and phenotypic plasticity were systematically reviewed. It also envisions future research directions in precise polyploid regulation and germplasm innovation，aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the optimization and application of polyploid breeding in horticultural crops.

Peroxidases are heme-containing oxidoreductases unique to plants that constitute a large multigene family. In this review，recent advances in plant class Ⅲ POD gene families are systematically summarized across five dimensions：gene identification，structural characterization，functional diversity，stress responsiveness，and transcriptional regulatory networks，with particular emphasis on horticultural crops. The number of POD gene family members varies dramatically among species，and family size is primarily shaped by whole-genome duplication and tandem repeat events. Phylogenetic analysis has revealed that POD proteins from multiple species can be classified into four major evolutionary clusters，each exhibiting distinct divergence in gene structure，subcellular localization，and catalytic properties. Functionally，PODs are broadly implicated in root development，stem lignification，pollen maturation，fruit ripening，and seed germination through catalysis of lignin oxidative polymerization，cross-linking of cell wall proteins，auxin oxidation，and modulation of reactive oxygen species（ROS）levels. In biotic stress responses，physical barriers are reinforced by POD-mediated lignin deposition in cell walls，while defense signaling pathways are activated through precise regulation of ROS homeostasis，thereby conferring resistance to fungal，bacterial，and viral pathogens. Under abiotic stress，adaptation to drought，salinity，cold，and heavy metal toxicity is primarily achieved through POD-dependent scavenging of excess ROS. Growing attention has also been directed toward the roles of PODs in horticultural crop quality formation，including anthocyanin metabolism，fruit lignification，and enzymatic browning. At the regulatory level，several transcription factor modules governing POD gene expression have been elucidated in rice，Arabidopsis，and sweet potato. Current knowledge gaps in POD gene research and potential applications inmolecular breeding of horticultural crops are discussed. This review provides a theoretical framework for the utilization of POD genetic resources to improve stress tolerance and quality traits in horticultural crops.

Fruit maturity detection is one of the key technologies for automated fruit harvesting. Accurate assessment of fruit maturity status can provide reliable decision-making information for harvesting robots，thereby improving harvesting efficiency，and fruit commercial value. Traditional approaches，which relied on manual inspection or rule-based image analysis，were found to be inefficient and unreliable in complex orchard environments due to occlusion，variable illumination，and diverse fruit characteristics. In this review，unimodal strategies based on RGB images，hyperspectral sensing，and depth information were discussed in terms of their ability to capture appearance，internal quality，and structural features. Multimodal fusion approaches，integrating RGB，hyperspectral，depth，tactile，and olfactory data，were discussed to enhance robustness under complex field conditions. Advances in attention mechanisms，lightweight model design，and edge-cloud collaborative deployment were highlighted as effective solutions to meet the requirements of real-time agricultural operations. Publicly available datasets covering multiple fruits were also surveyed，with emphasis on their annotation strategies and contributions to model generalization. Remaining challenges，including limited cross-scenario adaptability，high annotation cost，and the need for efficient deployment on resource-constrained devices，were summarized，and future directions toward the deep integration of fruit maturity detection with intelligent harvesting robots and digital agriculture platforms are proposed.

Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne plant pathogenic fungus with severe damage. Its conidia as the initial inoculum plays a key role in the occurrence of wilt disease. This article systematically reviews the environmental factors and regulatory genes influencing conidiation and germination of V. dahliae，and summarizes the pathogenic mechanism of V. dahliae causing wilt disease in plants from two aspects: virulence factors（reactive oxygen species，secretory proteins，hormones and secondary metabolites）during the infection process of V. dahliae and host defense mechanisms（plant hormone signals，lignin，cuticle，etc.）. Finally，future research directions are proposed，including elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of root exudate-induced conidial germination，conidial colonization in vascular bundles，and the molecular recognition mechanism between the pathogen and its host.