Genetic & Breeding?Germplasm Resources?Molecular Biology

• Characterization of PtSARD1 and Its Preliminary Role in Drought Tolerance
• MO Jinxia, LI Fang, XIONG Xinting, ZHONG Zaofa, PENG Ting
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1399-1411. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0478
• Abstract ( 60 ) HTML ( 37 ) PDF (3505KB) ( 37 ) 　　　

• Systemic Acquired Resistance Deficient 1（SARD1）is a transcription factor related to salicylic acid synthesis. In order to investigate its role in drought response，the 1 425 bp open reading frame of SARD1 in Poncirus trifoliata（named as PtSARD1）was obtained. The characterization of PtSARD1 was preliminarily studied by sequence analysis，subcellular localization，relative expression level，overexpression（OE），RNA interference（RNAi）and tolerance-related physiological indicators measurement. The results revealed that PtSARD1 contained three calmodulin binding protein domains and the subcellular localization of this protein will change over time，transferring from the nucleus to the cell membrane. The expression of PtSARD1 was detected in root，stem and leaf，with higher expression in leaf. Meanwhile，PtSARD1 was induced by drought and exogenous application of salicylic acid. PtSARD1-RNAi P. trifoliata and PtSARD1-OE tobacco were obtained to study its function in drought response. The detached leaves of two PtSARD1-RNAi P. trifoliata lines showed higher relative water loss at each time point. Relative water loss in detached leaves of two PtSARD1-OE tobacco lines（A7 and F7）were lower than that of the wild type tobacco（WT）. When water was withheld，potted seedlings of A7 and F7 showed better growth status，higher proline content，but lower electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde content. Overall，these results indicated that PtSARD1 may play a positive regulatory role in the drought response of P. trifoliata.

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• Joint Transcription-Metabolism Analysis of Starch and Sucrose Metabolic Pathways in the Transformation of Axillary Buds into Flower Buds of ‘Guifei’Mango
• YANG Chunmei, YU Yang, DING Yuge, XIA Jing, ZHOU Ling, and PENG Lei
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1412-1426. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0603
• Abstract ( 50 ) HTML ( 16 ) PDF (6193KB) ( 16 ) 　　　

• Removal of apical inflorescences in mango can promote the transformation of axillary buds to flower buds and delay the flowering time of plants，thus avoiding the damage of“late spring coldness”. Transcriptomic and metabolomic data were measured during the differentiation of axillary buds into flower buds after removal of apical flower buds in‘Guifei’mango，and differentially expressed genes and differential metabolites of starch and sucrose metabolism pathways during axillary bud development were jointly analyzed to clarify their temporal and spatial dynamic changes and expression patterns. The results showed that a total of 76 differentially expressed genes related to starch and sucrose metabolism，involving 17 enzymes，and five differential metabolites were identified during the transformation of axillary buds into flower buds；the expression of SUS（LOC123200616），FRK（LOC123221640），and TPP （LOC123202828）was up-regulated after the apical flower buds were removed；the expression of AMY （LOC123229947）was down-regulated，and the expression trends of the four genes were consistent with the transcriptome analysis. The above results suggested that flower bud differentiation is species-biased for the conversion and utilization of sugars，and mainly relies on the conversion and utilization of sucrose and glucose-6-phosphate；D-fructose and α,α-Trehalose can induce flower formation at specific periods. It is suggested that controlling the ratio of different sugars in axillary buds is beneficial to regulate the flowering period of mango.

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• Genetic Variation and Analysis of Important Traits of Dried Fruits in F₁ Hybrid Jujube
• XU Qiang, MA Quanhui, YAN Fenfen, WU Cuiyun, WANG Jiurui, and LIU Mengjun
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1427-1440. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0746
• Abstract ( 37 ) HTML ( 12 ) PDF (898KB) ( 12 ) 　　　

• To explore the genetic variation patterns of important traits in dried jujube fruit in the hybrid F₁ generation，and provide a theoretical basis for breeding dried jujube cultivars，an experiment was conducted using 83 F₁ lines and their parents，‘Yuhong’בJiaocheng 5’. Fourteen traits，including the fresh fruit moisture content at maturity，fruit drying rate，edible rate，appearance，texture parameters，and nutritional quality，were measured and comprehensively evaluated. The results indicated that the fruit distribution，suggesting these are quantitative traits controlled by multiple minor genes. The coefficient of variation for the drying rate and edible rate was relatively high，at 16.11% and 7.70%，respectively，while the moisture content had the smallest variation coefficient at 2.05%，exhibiting a tendency for mid-range inheritance. The variation coefficients for seven texture parameters ranged from 17.50% to 144.00%，showing a trend towards high inheritance，with adhesiveness showing a nearly 1︰1 segregation ratio，suggesting it is a qualitative trait. Hardness 1，hardness 2，cohesiveness，elasticity，chewiness，and adhesiveness followed a normal distribution，indicating these traits are likely controlled by multiple minor genes. The variation coefficients for fruit size ranged from 13.31% to 35.60%，with fruit longitudinal diameter，single fruit weight and fruit shape index showing low inheritance，and fruit transverse diameter showing high inheritance. The variation coefficients for fruit sugar-acid traits ranged from 18.18% to 36.61%，with the sugar-acid ratio showing a trend toward high inheritance，soluble sugars and titratable acid showing mid-range inheritance. A cluster analysis based on texture parameters grouped the F₁ progeny into five clusters，with clusterⅡ（including the male parent‘Jiaocheng 5’，which has higher fruit hardness and lower adhesiveness）representing 51.81% of the population，indicating that the taste of the majority of the F₁ dried fruits leaned toward the parent. Through grey relational analysis，five superior lines for dried fruit quality were preliminarily selected.

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• Genome Wide Identification and Functional Characterization of Strawberry Pectate Lyases Related to Fruit Softening
• FENG Jia, LU Peng, LI Li, YANG Li, and YANG Lei
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1441-1450. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0488
• Abstract ( 46 ) HTML ( 18 ) PDF (1941KB) ( 18 ) 　　　

• Pectate lyase is associated with fruit softening. A total of 68 members of the pectin lyase family were identified and their chromosomal locations were mapped in cultivated strawberry（Fragaria × ananassa）. Pectate lyase members in Fragaria × ananassa，F. vesca，Malus × domestica，Prunus persica，Pyrus bretschneideri and Arabidopsis were divided into nine subgroups based on phylogenetic tree analysis.Transcriptome data analysis showed that the expression levels of Fxac_5g17410，Fxac_13g48930 and Fxac_26g11190 gradually increased with the development of‘Akihime’strawberry fruits，while the expression level was very low in‘Hongxing’strawberry with hard fruits. In addition，overexpression of Fxac_13g48930 in‘Hongxing’reduced fruit firmness，suggesting that Fxac_13g48930 may promote softening of strawberry fruits.

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• Preliminary Research on the Molecular Mechanism of Color Loss in White Mulberry Fruit
• GUO Xinmiao, TIAN Luyao, CAO Jiaqi, XIE Yan, GAO Yanxia, and SUN Zhichao
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1451-1462. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0929
• Abstract ( 31 ) HTML ( 13 ) PDF (3079KB) ( 13 ) 　　　

• In order to reveal the mechanism of anthocyanin synthesis blockade in white mulberry，the metabolome and transcriptome of white mulberry and black mulberry were compared and analyzed. The results showed that the anthocyanin content of‘Anshen’（black fruit）gradually accumulated during the ripening process，and the accumulation amount was the highest in the ripening stage，while the anthocyanin content of‘Guihua’（white fruit）was the highest in the green fruit stage，and the anthocyanin content was lower at the veraison and maturity stages. The key color substances of anthocyanin glycosides，such as cyanidin，delphinin，pelargondin，malvidin pigment and petunidin，all had low accumulation in‘Guihua’，especially cyanidin-3-O-glucoside，cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside，delphin-3-O-glucoside，delphin-3-O-loccoside，pelargondin-3-O-glucoside，pelargondin-3-O-rutinoside，proanthocyanidin B1，proanthocyanidinin B3 and other substances showed a large accumulation in‘Anshen’. The expression of PAL，C4H，4CL，CHS，CHI，F3H and other genes involved in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in‘Guihua’decreased during veraison，and this down-regulation prevented the accumulation of anthocyanins in white mulberry. Based on transcriptome data，six differentially expressed MYB transcription factor genes were identified，and combined with gene expression，evolutionary analysis and downstream target gene identification，it was analyzed that MYB6 may play an inhibitory role in the synthesis of anthocyanin glycosides during the maturation of white mulberry.

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• Expression Analysis of the Cucumber Mg-Dechelatase Gene CsMDC and Functional Verification of Its Role in Regulating Chlorlorophyll Degradation
• LI Meiqing, LUO Sifei, JIA Yaohao, WANG Weigui, and SUN Jin
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1463-1476. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0160
• Abstract ( 44 ) HTML ( 5 ) PDF (708KB) ( 5 ) 　　　

• In this study，cucumber cultivar‘Zhongnong 12’（Cucumis sativus L.）was used to analyze the expression of CsMDC in cucumber and further verify its role in the process of chlorophyll degradation. The analysis and prediction of the physicochemical properties of the CsMDC protein revealed that it has the highest similarity to melon（Cucumis melo L.）from the same family and genus，followed by plants from the same family but different genera such as wax gourd（Benincasa hispida Cogn.），pumpkin（Cucurbita moschata Duch.），and squash（Cucurbita maxima Duch.）. Its similarity to plants from other families is relatively low，indicating that MDC has distinct species-specific characteristics. qRT-PCR analysis of the expression patterns of CsMDC under different exogenous growth regulator treatments and abiotic stresses showed that the gene has the highest relative expression in senescent tissues and exhibits different response characteristics to various conditions. Functional analysis through the construction of CsMDC-overexpressing tobacco plants demonstrated that the overexpression of CsMDC resulted in significantly lower chlorophyll content，dry-to-fresh weight ratio，and net photosynthetic rate compared to wild-type plants，while the reactive oxygen species content was significantly higher. qRT-PCR results showed that the expression of photosystem protein genes in the CsMDC-overexpressing tobacco plants significantly decreased after dark stress，while the expression of genes related to chlorophyll degradation significantly increased. These findings suggest that CsMDC in cucumber is closely related to chlorophyll degradation，induced by different hormones and environmental stresses，and positively regulates chlorophyll degradation and plant senescence.

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• Screening and Identification for Bacterial Wilt Resistance Accession TK083 in Tomato
• FANG Junyi, WU Weifeng, LU Qiao, LING Hongqing, and KONG Danyu
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1477-1487. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0084
• Abstract ( 37 ) HTML ( 7 ) PDF (1216KB) ( 7 ) 　　　

• In the northern part of Jiangxi Province，130 tomato accessions were naturally screened for bacterial wilt resistance，and the seedling resistance of these accessions to the local dominant Ralstonia solanacearum strain RS100 was verified，and TK083 was found to be an excellent tomato resistant to bacterial wilt accessions. After inoculation with Ralstonia solanacearum，the concentration of the pathogen in the xylem sap of TK083 was much lower than that of susceptible tomato‘Moneymaker’. The activities of SOD and POD in the leaves of TK083 increased markedly，while the MDA content showed a slight increase in the early stages post-inoculation. The activity of chitinase and β-1，3-GA increased in the early and late stages of inoculation respectively，indicating that they were involved in different stages of immune response. RT-qPCR results revealed that the expression levels of SlNAP1，SlERF2a and SlERF3，which are involved in the immune regulation of bacterial wilt，were significantly up-regulated by Ralstonia solanacearum in TK083 roots. These results suggested that TK083 likely employs multiple pathways to coordinately combat the infection of Ralstonia solanacearum.

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• Identification of Expansin Family Gene and Its Expression Analysis During Fruit Enlargement in Sponge Gourd
• CHEN Mindong, WANG Bin, BAI Changhui, QIU Boyin, LIU Jianting, WEN Qingfang, ZHU Haisheng, and LI Yongping
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1488-1504. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0373
• Abstract ( 45 ) HTML ( 9 ) PDF (1157KB) ( 9 ) 　　　

• To reveal the composition，structure，and evolutionary process of the Expansin family genes in Luffa cylindrica，as well as their role in fruit enlargement. This study identified 50 Expansin genes from the genome of sponge gourd by bioinformatics technology，which belong to 4 subfamilies[EXPA（18），EXPB（3），EXLA（27）and EXLB（2）]. Among them，the EXLA subfamily underwent 4 pairs of gene tandem duplication and 6 pairs of gene fragment duplication，resulting in a significant increase in the gene quantity in this subfamily. The phylogenetic tree showed that members of the four subfamilies gather in groups and were closely related to cucumbers. Gene structure and motif analysis showed that the exon intron structure and motif types and distributions of the four subfamilies tended to be conserved in evolution，which can serve as important basis for subfamily typing. Promoter element prediction analysis revealed that the Expansin gene promoter contained a large number of light inducible，anaerobic inducible，methyl jasmonate，and abscisic acid elements，with the highest number of light inducible elements predicted only in the EXLA/EXLB subfamily. Based on RNA-seq data，8 Expansin genes were screened，which were significantly positively correlated with fruit transverse and longitudinal diameter development. Among them，four genes LcEXPA8，LcEXPA18，LcEXPA14，and LcEXPA1 have been reported as potential candidate genes for controlling the fruit shape of sponge gourd. RT-qPCR analysis was performed on the other four genes，and LcEXPA15 was significantly overexpressed at 4 DAA（days after anthesis），LcEXPA3，LcEXPA16 and LcEXPA7 were significantly overexpressed at 8-15 DAA. It was known that 2-15 DAA was the fruit enlargement stage in sponge gourd，during which the number of fruit cells increased and single cells significantly expanded and elongated. So it was concluded that the 4 Expansin genes may play an important role in catalyzing cell growth and promoting fruit enlargement. By constructing 8 Expansin genes interaction network，it was suggested that some Expansin genes may interact with ERF，bHLH，TCP，and GATA four transcription factor families. The above 8 Expansin genes could be selected as candidate genes related with fruit enlargement in sponge gourd for further study.

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• Screening Candidate Genes Controlling Potato Maturation Time Based on RNA-Seq
• LI Ziyan, CHEN Weixi, LI Zihan, LI Yin, LIANG Fengming, ZENG Xiangli, JIAN Hongju, and LÜ Dianqiu
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1505-1518. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0315
• Abstract ( 39 ) HTML ( 8 ) PDF (1465KB) ( 8 ) 　　　

• In this study，early maturing cultivars‘Zaodabai’‘Zhongshu5’‘Eshu3’，middle late maturing cultivar ‘Atlantic’and late maturing cultivar‘Qingshu 9’were used to analyze the relationship between potato apical meristem development and tuberization time，Zaodabai and Qingshu 9 were also taken to study the function of differentially expressed genes as well as the possible regulatory pathways involved by RNA-Seq. Results showed that the apical meristem turned to reproductive growth earlier in early maturing cultivars than late maturing cultivars. A total of 2 842 differentially expressed genes were identified in transcriptome sequencing，85% of which related to hormones were concentrated in hormone signal transduction pathways and showed rich expression differences，especially in IAA，ABA，JA and other pathways. Besides，a total of 127 differentially expressed transcription factor genes were identified，distributed in 35 transcription factor families. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were mainly concentrated in photosynthesis，hormone response，plant circadian rhythm，starch and sucrose metabolism，and plant hormone signal transduction. The 20 candidate genes that may affect the early and late tuberization of potato were selected for qRT-PCR verification. The genes involved in the circadian rhythm pathway，FT and HY5，were highly expressed in Zaodabai. Genes involved in the starch and sucrose metabolic pathway，BGLU17，CWIN2 and GH9B13 were highly expressed in Zaodabai. GH3，RD22，HB16 and CYP74A involved in plant hormone signal transduction or anabolism were highly expressed in Zaodabai，while IAA17，MES1 and RCA were highly expressed in Qingshu 9. In addition，GRP3 which highly expressed in Zaodabai may also affect tuberization time. These genes may play a role in potato by regulating photoperiodic response，hormone signal transduction，sucrose level，etc.，thus affecting potato tuberization time.

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• Genetic Diversity and Core Collection Construction of Phalaenopsis Germplasm Resources
• LI Zuo, XIAO Wenfang, CHEN Heming, and LÜ Fubing
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1519-1529. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0511
• Abstract ( 41 ) HTML ( 7 ) PDF (2635KB) ( 7 ) 　　　

• This study employed fluorescence-based SSR marker technology to conduct a systematic genetic diversity analysis and core germplasm construction of 412 Phalaenopsis germplasm accessions. A total of 124 alleles（N_a）were detected using 10 pairs of SSR markers，with an average number of effective alleles（N_e）of 2.489 and a Shannon’s Information Index（Ⅰ）of 1.209，indicating a high level of genetic diversity in the Phalaenopsis germplasm resources. Based on this，core collection was selected using the maximisation strategy method，Core Finder software，and t-tests，resulting in the identification of 53 core collection，representing 13% of the original germplasm collection. This core set retained 100% of the alleles（N_a），138% of the effective alleles（N_e），and 127% of the Shannon’s information index（Ⅰ）. The results of the t-test showed no significant differences in the genetic parameters between the constructed core collection and the original collection，demonstrating that the constructed core collection effectively represents the genetic diversity of the original Phalaenopsis germplasm resources.

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• Flower Phenotype Analysis and Classification of Camellia reticulata Cultivars
• XU Xiaodan, ZHENG Wei, ZHANG Le, LI Yuqi, WANG Yanqing, WANG Zhonglang, and CHEN Longqing
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1530-1538. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0521
• Abstract ( 30 ) HTML ( 6 ) PDF (2688KB) ( 6 ) 　　　

• In this paper，the diversity analysis，correlation analysis，principal component analysis，and cluster analysis were conducted by flower morphological characters of the main Camellia reticulata cultivars，so as to further optimize the current cultivar classification method. The results indicated that among the nine morphological characters，the highest coefficient of variation and diversity index H were stamen morphology（tubular，fascicular，or petaloid），followed by the stamen number，petal color and petal number. The number of stamens was significantly negative-correlated with the number of petals，while the assignment of stamen morphology was significantly positive-correlated with the number of petals. The first principal components was the comprehensive character represented by stamen number（contribution rate of 46.88%），followed by the petal color（27.55%），and the petal length/width（25.57%）. A total of 100 C. reticulata cultivars were clustered into three clades. The cladeⅠhad 26 cultivars，whose stamen bases were tubular. The cladeⅡincluded 49 cultivars，with fascicular stamen bases. The clade Ⅲ involved 25 cultivars，which had petaloid stamens or few stamens but did not appear as bundles. Based on the above results，a new classification method for the C. reticulata cultivars by using stamen morphology was proposed，namely（1）tubular stamen cultivar group of C. reticulata，（2）fascicular stamen cultivar group of C. reticulata，and（3）petaloid stamen cultivar group of C. reticulata. Apart from their ornamental purpose，the tubular stamen cultivar group is also an excellent germplasm for oil use.

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• Genetic Diversity Analysis and Fingerprint Construction of Rosa Germplasm Resources Based on SSR Marker
• SUN Pei, ZHANG Hong, YANG Yuan, WANG Hua, LI Maofu, KANG Yanhui, SUN Xiangyi, JIN Wanmei
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1539-1552. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0433
• Abstract ( 37 ) HTML ( 16 ) PDF (1530KB) ( 16 ) 　　　

• 15 SSR markers were adopted to analyze the genetic diversity and 3 core SSR markers established fingerprint of 80 rose germplasm resources. The ploidy level of some germplasm resources were also detected. The results showed that a total of 425 alleles were amplified by 15 SSR markers，with an average of 28.33 alleles per pair of primers and the number of alleles range from 7-64. The average number Polymorphic information content（PIC）was 83.52%，and the average power of discrimination（PD）was 84.84%. These parameters manifested that the tested resources got great genetic diversity. The similarity coefficient ranged from 0.27 to 0.67 among the 80 germplasm resources. Unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means（UPGMA）analysis clustered all germplasm resources into three group at the similarity coefficient 0.28，and further divided the rose into two subgroups as Rosa hybrida and Chinese old rose when the similarity coefficient was 0.30. Three pairs of core SSR markers were selected to construct fingerprint. A certain correlation between the ploidy level and the number of amplified fragments for germplasm resources was identified，which means the number of amplified fragments could assist ploidy detection to some extent.

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Cultivation?Physiology & Biochemistry

• The Fruit Quality Variation of‘Yuluxiang’Pear at Different Picking Stages and Storage Time
• WU Dandan, LIN Menghua, LI Yahui, LIANG Ying, and ZHANG Zhiyong
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1553-1574. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0741
• Abstract ( 38 ) HTML ( 8 ) PDF (3952KB) ( 8 ) 　　　

• To clarify the variation of fruit quality of‘Yuluxiang’pear（Pyrus bretschneideri）at different picking stages and storage times，the organic acids，soluble sugars，volatile compounds and storage quality indexes of fruits were determined respectively on the 140 d，145 d and 150 d after flowering. Among them，organic acids and soluble sugars were detected by High Performance Liquid Chromatography and Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer，respectively. Volatile compounds were detected by Headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry and Headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that with the ripening of the fruit，the firmness of‘Yuluxiang’pear decreased gradually which the 150 d after flowering significantly lower than the 145 d. The soluble solids increased significantly and then decreased slightly at different picking stages. There was no significant difference in the change of total acid. The content of different organic acids in the peel and pulp had different trends at different picking stages. Among them，the content of quinic acid in the peel was the highest，decreasing significantly on the 150 d after flowering，while the content of malic acid in the pulp was the highest，increasing significantly at first and then decreasing significantly. Except for sorbitol content decreased significantly in the peel on the 150 d after flowering，the content of other soluble sugars increased with fruit ripening. Especially for the contents of sucrose，glucose，and fructose in peel，glucose and fructose in pulp were increased significantly. A total of 97 volatile compounds in‘Yuluxiang’pear were identified，in which aldehydes as the dominant substances. 7 volatile compounds were screened and confirmed as characteristic compounds. The characteristic volatile compounds of‘Yuluxiang’pear on the 140 d after flowering were 1-Octen-3-one，（E）-2-Nonenal，（E,E）-2,4-Nonadienal，Furan，2-pentyl-，Butanal，and β-Cyclocitral，among which the Butanal and β-Cyclocitral were the characteristic volatile compounds on the 145 d after flowering. The characteristic volatile compound of‘Yuluxiang’pear on the 150 d after flowering was Ethyl-2-methylproanoate. With the extension of storage time，the firmness of‘Yuluxiang’pear at different picking stages were decreased and the weight loss rate were increased. The quality of‘Yuluxiang’pear picked on the 140 d and 145 d after flowering was better than those on the 150 d when stored for 60 d. It can be concluded that the flavor of ‘Yuluxiang’pear was better picked later，and the quality for storage was better picked earlier. It is advisable to choose the harvest period according to the market and storage needs

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• Effects of Foliar Spraying of Nano-selenium on Amino Acid Content and Metabolome of Kiwifruit
• LIU Yanan, BAO Dandan, ZHANG Sipu, NIU Jiajia, XU Zhifei, YANG Yongfeng, and LU Yunfeng
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1575-1587. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0541
• Abstract ( 23 ) HTML ( 13 ) PDF (4024KB) ( 13 ) 　　　

• To explore the effects and mechanisms of nano-selenium on the amino acid nutritional components of kiwifruit，‘Xuxiang’kiwifruit was used as the experimental material，with foliar spraying of nano-selenium at concentrations of 0，10，15，20，and 25 mg · L^-1. The changes in amino acid content were measured，and metabolomics sequencing of kiwifruit was performed. The results showed that after foliar spraying with 15 mg · L^-1 nano-selenium，the content of threonine，valine，isoleucine，leucine，phenylalanine，and other amino acids significantly increased，with a higher proportion of umami amino acids. A non-targeted metabolomics analysis identified 12 861 metabolites. Through KEGG and HMDB databases，the biosynthesis and metabolism of lipids and lipophilic molecules，phenylpropanoids，polyketides，and organic oxygen compounds in mature kiwifruit were further analyzed. The metabolites were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways related to amino acid metabolism，secondary metabolites，terpenoid compounds，and polyketide metabolism. Nano-selenium may increase the amino acid content in kiwifruit by stimulating secondary metabolic levels.

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• Response of Premature Bolting of Carrots Under Different Low Temperature and Day Length
• YAN Lijuan, OU Chenggang, LIANG Chen, HU Tiankuo, LIU Xing, YANG Jing, LIN Guocang, and ZHUANG Feiyun
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1588-1598. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0895
• Abstract ( 26 ) HTML ( 5 ) PDF (2488KB) ( 5 ) 　　　

• Premature bolting of carrot has become a common problem in winter-spring shed and early spring field cultivation，but the responses of different genotypes to low temperature and day length were still unclear. In this study，premature bolting ratios of two types of carrot male sterile lines，self-pollinated lines and their crosses were investigated under different ecological conditions in Beijing，Inner Mongolia，Anhui，Henan，and Xinjiang. The results showed that the orange male sterile lines，self-pollinated lines exhibited tolerant to bolting under both low temperature and long day，and their crosses showed tolerant under low temperature，but most bolted under long day. The red male sterile lines，self-pollinated lines and their crosses were prone to bolting under low temperature but not under long day， and bolting ratios were improved with low temperature intensity during the seedling stage. Further analysis through a genetic model showed that premature bolting ratios of crosses were mainly affected by additive × environment and dominance × environment interactions，with no significant by additive or dominance effects. This indicated that the premature bolting alleles were greatly influenced by environmental factors，but no significant by genes interaction.

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• Effects of Potassium on Growth and Development of Tomato Seedlings Under Abiotic Stress
• XIAO Zhihao, ZHENG Hankai, ZHANG Mannan, TANG Huaiqian, WANG Jiaying, ZHANG Yuyang, ZHANG Junhong, YE Zhibiao, and YE Jie
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1599-1618. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0383
• Abstract ( 41 ) HTML ( 12 ) PDF (1428KB) ( 12 ) 　　　

• Using‘Ailsa Craig’tomato as experimental material，the effects of nutrient solution containing potassium of different concentrations（1.5，6.0 and 9.0 mmol · L^-1）on the growth and development of tomato seedlings under different abiotic stress（low temperature，salt and drought）were studied. The results showed that abiotic stress treatment significantly increased the content of malondialdehyde（MDA），and significantly decreased plant height，fresh weight of aboveground，fresh weight of underground part，photosynthetic pigment content，root activity，superoxide dismutase（SOD）activity and soluble sugar content. Under abiotic stress treatment，plant height and fresh weight of different parts increased with the increase of exogenous potassium concentration，and the promotion of plant height was the most significant. The content of photosynthetic pigment in the control group was medium potassium > high potassium > low potassium. Under abiotic stress，the content of photosynthetic pigment，soluble sugar and SOD activity increased significantly with the increase of exogenous potassium concentration，the root activity increased，and the MDA content decreased. According to the comprehensive evaluation of principal component analysis and membership function analysis，the growth and development of each treatment under any stress were from strong to weak in the order of control medium potassium > control high potassium > control low potassium > stress high potassium > stress medium potassium > stress low potassium. The potassium content in different parts of all treatments increased significantly with the increase of exogenous potassium concentration. Under salt stress，the increase of exogenous potassium concentration can reduce the absorption of Na⁺ in different parts. Under abiotic stress treatment，the expressions of K⁺ absorption and transport related genes HAK5 and LKT1 and abiotic stress response related genes NHX1，SOS1，SlMYB15，HY5，SlCBF1，SlCBF3，SlAREB1 and SlNAC6 were significantly increased with the increase of exogenous potassium concentration. In conclusion，increasing exogenous potassium concentration can alleviate the damage of different abiotic stresses on tomato seedling stage，help enhance the adaptability to abiotic stresses，and promote growth and development.

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• Analysis of Floral Volatile Components Among Different Bearded Iris Cultivars Using GC-IMS
• SUN Junming, LI Xiaoyun, ZHU Ying, LOU Qian, and CHEN Hongwu
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1619-1632. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0379
• Abstract ( 29 ) HTML ( 4 ) PDF (6013KB) ( 4 ) 　　　

• To identify the composition of floral volatile components and characteristic aromas of Iris × barbata，the flower volatile compounds of 16 bearded iris cultivars in full bloom were analyzed using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry（GC-IMS）A total of 55 volatile compounds were identified，including 21 fatty acid derivatives，17 terpenoids，3 benzenoids/phenylpropanoids，1 miscellaneous cyclic compound and 13 unidentified compounds. Terpenoids dominated all 16 bearded iris cultivars，followed by fatty acid derivatives. The composition of volatile compounds varied among the cultivars. Principal component analysis（PCA）indicated that α-pinene，linalool，β-pinene，limonene，myrcene，methyl 2-methylbutyrate，2-methylbutanol，methyl isovalerate，hexanol，and 3-methyl-2-butenal were the major volatile compounds in bearded iris. Analysis of relative odor activity values（ROAV）showed that methyl 2-methylbutyrate，2-octanone，myrcene and α-pinene were the main aromacontributors to the fruity and spicy aromas of the 16 bearded iris cultivars，and linalool contributed to the floral aroma of some varieties.

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• Changes in Onamental Quality and Physiological Substances of Cut Etlingera elatior Flwoers During the Vase Period
• LI Wen, LI Shaopeng, LI Donghai, WU Fuchuan, and TIAN Bo
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1633-1643. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0435
• Abstract ( 28 ) HTML ( 10 ) PDF (2365KB) ( 10 ) 　　　

• To investigate the ornamental quality and physiological changes of cut Etlingera elatior flowers at different flowering stages during the vase period，this study systematically observed flowering phenology and morphological variations using cut flowers at different stages. Key morphological parameters including vase life，wilting time，maximum flower diameter，and flower height were recorded，and the relationship between fresh weight changes and ornamental quality was explained. Concurrently，physiological indices and antioxidant enzyme activities were measured in cut flowers at the full-bloom stage during the vase period to reveal their dynamic biochemical changes. Results demonstrated significant variations in duration among different flowering stages，with the bud stage exhibiting a statistically longer duration compared to other phases. Cut flowers harvested at the budding and initial blooming stages exhibited a longer vase life but lower ornamental value，whereas those at the full bloom stage，despite their high ornamental value，had a vase life of only about 6 days. Physiological analyses of full-bloom flowers showed progressively increased levels of soluble protein（SP），malondialdehyde（MDA），and proline (Pro)，coupled with declines in superoxide dismutase（SOD）and peroxidase（POD）activities. Conversely，glutathione reductase（GR）and ascorbate peroxidase（APX）activities initially increased before eventual reduction. These findings suggest that although full-bloom stage cut flowers possess peak ornamental value，their shortened vase life may be closely correlated with oxidative stress exacerbation，aggravated cell membrane damage，and imbalanced antioxidant enzyme systems.

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• Study on Influencing Factor of Bulblet Enlargement in vitro of Asiatic Lily
• WU Xiaodan, KONG Xiangfeng, GAO Li, GONG Tiangeng, PIAO Meiling, YU Pengcheng, and JIA Guixia
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1644-1660. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0368
• Abstract ( 31 ) HTML ( 1 ) PDF (1950KB) ( 1 ) 　　　

• This study used tissue cultured bulblets of the new Asian lily cultivars‘Tianxin’and ‘Xiaohaixing’as materials to investigate the effects of 6-BA，NAA，and glyphosate on inducing adventitious buds on the scales. Based on the screening of suitable induction media for adventitious buds，the effects of plant growth regulators such as salicylic acid（SA），paclobutrazol（PP₃₃₃），and 2, 4-dichlorobrassinolide（2,4-EBR），sucrose，activated carbon（AC），NAA，6-BA，and basic media on the swelling of small bulbs were studied，and the expression changes of starch synthase genes SSS，SSS2，sugar efflux transporters genes SWEET14 and SWEET15 during the swelling development of small bulbs were analyzed. The results showed that‘Tianxin’and‘Xiaohaixing’germinated the most on MS + 0.5 mg · L^-1 6-BA + 0.2 mg · L^-1 NAA + 30 g · L^-1 sucrose medium，with differentiation coefficients of 2.78 and 2.03，respectively. The enlargement coefficients of‘Tianxin’in MS + 1.0 mg · L^-1 PP₃₃₃ + 0.05 mg · L^-1 2,4-EBR + 60 g · L^-1 sucrose，and MS + 0.5 mg · L^-1 6-BA + 0.1 mg · L^-1NAA + 60 g · L^-1 sucrose + 1.0 g · L^-1 activated carbon medium were 4.42，5.15，and 4.16，respectively. The suitable swelling medium for them was selected as MS + 1.0 mg · L^-1 NAA + 0.1-0.5 mg · L^-1 6-BA + 60-90 g · L^-1 sucrose + 1.0-2.0 g · L^-1 AC. The enlargement coefficients of‘Tianxin’and‘Xiaohaixing’in B5 medium were significantly higher than those in MS and WPM medium treatments，at 4.57 and 4.83，respectively. In B5 medium，the expression levels of soluble starch synthase genes SSS and SSS2，as well as sugar efflux transporters SWEET14 and SWEET15，gradually increase with the growth of the‘Tianxin’bulblet，reaching their highest levels during the rapid expansion phase of bulblet. In the leaves，the expression levels are highest at 36 days before entering the rapid expansion phase of bulblet.

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Review

• Research Progress on Breeding Nutrient-Rich，Strong Flavored，Simplified Management，and Mechanization-adapted Apple Varieties
• CHEN Xuesen, WANG Nan, ZHANG Zongying, ZHANG Shuhui, LIU Wenjun, ZOU Qi, YU Lei, ZHANG Jing, JIANG Yuanmao, HU Dagang, LI Yuanyuan, and MAO Zhiquan
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1661-1676. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0042
• Abstract ( 30 ) HTML ( 20 ) PDF (869KB) ( 20 ) 　　　

• This review provides an overview of the past，when China’s apple variety structure in the 1980s was primarily dominated by introduced varieties，and analyzes the present，where high-quality，late-maturing，and storage-resistant bud sport varieties of‘Red Fuji’apples account for 70%，along with seven contributing factors. To address the challenges posed by a homogeneous apple variety structure and rising production costs，which impact farmers’ sustainable income growth，and to meet the demand for a year-round supply of high-quality apples，improved nutritional value，and the development of modern large-scale cultivation models，this study proposes future directions for adjusting China’s apple variety structure. It emphasizes the cultivation of new apple varieties with diverse，distinctive，and personalized characteristics，featuring enhanced nutrition，rich flavor，simplified management，and suitability for mechanizedproduction. Building on a brief introduction to sexual hybrid breeding，graft hybrid breeding，and bud mutation selection，as well as the genetic variation and formation mechanisms of their traits，this review focuses on elucidating the formation and regulatory mechanisms of key apple traits，including enhanced nutrition，rich flavor，simplified management，and suitability for mechanized production. It also highlights innovations in breeding technologies and advancements in new variety development，providing varietal support for enhancing the nutritional value of apple products and streamlining the industry，thereby contributing to the healthy china initiative and rural revitalization.

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New Cultivars

• A New Raspberry Cultivar‘Red Diamond’
• LIU Zhendong, SUN Jingqi, LI Kai, and DAI Hanping
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1677-1678. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0330
• Abstract ( 32 ) HTML ( 9 ) PDF (931KB) ( 9 ) 　　　

• ‘Red Diamond’is a new raspberry cultivar derived from the cross of a Polish cultivar ‘Polka’as the female parent and the Chinese cultivar‘Qiuping’as the male parent. It has large，bright，uniform，firm，and relative sweet fruit and a high yield. Its fruit is easy to harvest. It is suitable for fresh fruit market and pick-your-own. It is a primocane bearing cultivar and is often cultivated for autumn production in Liaoning province. The fruits start to mature on August 1st in open field，and can be harvested until frost season. Its average yield is about 13 500 kg · hm^-2，and the fresh fruit rate of high quality can reach over 75%. It can be well cultivated in north China.

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• A New Phyllanthus emblica Cultivar‘Liangcui’
• YANG Xiaoxia, YANG Yanping, JIANG Hua, and HUANG Jiacong
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1679-1680. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0657
• Abstract ( 20 ) HTML ( 4 ) PDF (1489KB) ( 4 ) 　　　

• ‘Liangcui’is a new cultivar of Phyllanthus emblica cultivated through the path of seedling selection，with a tall plant and upright posture. The capsule is drupaceous，nearly round，with a fruit shape index of 0.84，smooth pericarp，shallow grooves，an average single-fruit mass of 17.43 g，an edible rate of 89.30%，and the pulp contains 4.12 g · kg^-1 of vitamin C，1.40% of crude fiber，7.70% of total sugar，1.52% of total acid，13.20% of soluble solids，and 84.00% of water. The fruits mature in early December. It is a very late-maturing cultivar，with an average fruit yield of 45 000 kg · hm^-2.

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• A New Cucumber F₁ Hybrid‘Duoxi 1’
• LI Qiang, GU Liqiang, DOU Yajing, GAO Yongli, ZHAO Yuqian, LU Yaru, and SONG Xiaoming
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1681-1682. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0722
• Abstract ( 39 ) HTML ( 6 ) PDF (3639KB) ( 6 ) 　　　

• ‘Duoxi 1’is a new cucumber F₁ hybrid of Southern China type developed by crossing inbred line 104C as female parent and inbred line D01 as male parent. The plant has strong growth vigor，belongs to infinite growth type and has sustainable fruit-setting ability and oval fruit. Its fruit is about 17 cm in length with short carpopodium，light green peel，white spines and small sparse tumors. The average fruit weight is about 195 g. Its vitamin C content is 135.0 mg · kg^-1. The average yield is about 82 050 kg · hm^-2. The plant is of mid-early maturity and has low temperature resistance. It is resistant to fusarium wilt and watermelon Mosaic virus disease，medium resistance to bacterial keratosis. It is suitable for cultivation in spring cold shed in Beijing，Heilongjiang，Liaoning and Shandong，autumn cold shed in Hebei and Henan，spring open fields in Tianjin，Jilin，Yunnan and Hubei，and autumn open fields in Inner Mongolia.

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• A New Quercus nuttallii Cultiwar‘Jinli’
• ZHAO Hongfei, CHEN Zhu, YI Xiangbao, XU Hualong, and REN Jie
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1683-1684. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0724
• Abstract ( 25 ) HTML ( 1 ) PDF (1224KB) ( 1 ) 　　　

• ‘Jinli’is a mutant selected from Quercus nuttallii seedlings. This species is a deciduous tree with an erect trunk，slightly pendulous large branches，and a tower-like crown. Leaves are elliptic，with a length of 12.0 cm to 17.0 cm and a width of 5.0 cm to 13.0 cm，deeply lobed with serrated margins at the top and tufted hairs. The tender leaves are yellow to golden yellow in early spring. In early June，the leaves gradually turned yellow-green. The leaves are bright red or reddish brown in fall，and turn yellow-brown at the end of October，deciduous in early December. With its distinctive golden yellow spring leaves，this species serves as good landscaping and color-enhancing tree in gardens and landscapes.

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• A New Primulina Cultivar‘Carpet of Flowers’
• YAN Haixia, ZHOU Jinye, TAO Dayan, GUAN Shikai, SONG Qian, LU Jianxun, and WAN Zhenglin
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(6): 1685-1686. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0392
• Abstract ( 22 ) HTML ( 2 ) PDF (315KB) ( 2 ) 　　　

• Primulina‘Carpet of Flowers’is a new cultivar of Primulina through hybridization，with Primulina glandaceistriata as the female parent and Primulina yungfuensis as the male parent. Perennial herb，dark green with grayish-green veins on the upper surface of the leaves，corolla light purple，length 53.5-56.7 mm，width 24.7-28.5 mm，tube length 36.4-39.5 mm，tube diameter 15.2-16.0 mm，each inflorescence has 11-25 flowers. Flowering from April to May. This cultivar has strong growth，good negative tolerance，easy maintenance，and has beautiful leaf marking，large flowers，and abundant ornamental characteristics. It is suitable for indoor and balcony flower and leaf potted.

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