Genetic & Breeding·Germplasm Resources·Molecular Biology

• Efficient in vivo Induction of Tetraploids from Three Mono-Embryonic Citrus Cultivars
• LU Xin, REN Jie, DUAN Yaoyuan, XIE Kaidong, XIAO Gong’ao, XIA Zewen, WANG Rong, WU Xiaomeng, GUO Wenwu
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2291-2299. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0974
• Abstract ( 31 ) HTML ( 24 ) PDF (1467KB) ( 24 ) 　　　

• Mono-embryonic tetraploid plants were produced from the seedlings of three mono-embryonic citrus cultivars（Orah mandarin，Xiangshui lemon and Juhuaxinyou pummelo）. After cutting off the epicotyls of seedlings，callus tissue was induced under dark and humid conditions for 9 d，then the callus tissue was treated with 0.025% colchicine solution for 2 h，and adventitious buds were induced to regenerate on the epicotyls under light. After growing to 3-4 real leaves，the regenerated plants were identified for ploidy and mono-embryony by using flow cytometry and InDel molecular marker analysis. The results showed that 8，21，and 9 mono-embryonic tetraploids plants of Orah mandarin，Xiangshui lemon，and Juhuaxinyou pummelo were obtained，with an average induction rate of 16.2%. The regenerated plants exhibited stable ploidy，with increased leaf thickness and enlarged stomata after chromosome doubling，while leaf shape index，density of oil gland and stomata decreased. This study produced valuable core mono-embryonic tetraploid germplasm resources as seed parents for seedless triploid breeding without immature embryo rescue via tissue culture in citrus.

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• Drought Resistance Evaluation of Apricot Germplasm Resources Based on Leaf Microstructure
• LI Jialong, LUAN Xiyun, TANG Zhanghu, HAN Aizhi, GUO Ling
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2300-2316. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0834
• Abstract ( 30 ) HTML ( 9 ) PDF (12644KB) ( 9 ) 　　　

• The leaf anatomical structure and stomata morphological characteristics of 96 apricot from Central Asia ecogroup and North China ecogroup were observed by paraffin section and nail polish blotting. Furthermore，leaf typicality indexes that reflecting the drought resistance of apricot germplasm were screened by using correlation analysis and principal component analysis，and the drought resistance of germplasms from different ecological groups were comprehensively evaluated by using the affiliation function. The study showed that：the 96 apricot germplasm leaves are all typical bifacial leaf. In the meantime，the stomata are renal-type stomata，and unevenly distributed in the lower epidermis of the leaves，included among which 3 germplasm leaves of‘Kala Huanna’‘Kuipikeman’and‘Tianrenxing’ also had stomatal existed in the upper epidermis. However，the size of the stomata are small and their number are also relatively few. Leaf thickness，stomatal length，thickness of palisade tissue，stomatal width，stomatal area，upper epidermal cell thickness，upper epidermal cell width are screened out as the effective drought resistance evaluation indexes of 96 germplasm. It is demonstrated that the strongest germplasm for drought-resistant is‘Suogejia’nali’and the weakest is‘Yechengzixing’. And 2 ecological groups had obvious differences in leaf microstructure and drought resistance among apricot germplasm，9 germplasm with very strong drought resistance，such as‘Suogejia’nali’‘Yuandanxing’and‘Huanghongdaike’，are eventually screened and can be utilized as excellent materials for drought- resistant breeding of apricot.

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• Analysis of Promoter Activity and Screening of Interaction Factors of Carrot Lycopene ε-Cyclase Gene DcLCYE
• WANG Yahui, ZHANG Yuqing, ZHANG Rongrong, LIU Peizhuo, LIANG Yi, ZHOU Jianhua, XIONG Aisheng
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2317-2328. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0750
• Abstract ( 24 ) HTML ( 5 ) PDF (1475KB) ( 5 ) 　　　

• The 970 bp promoter sequence of DcLCYE was cloned and bioinformatics analysis was carried out from carrot‘Kurodagosun’‘Hongyu 8’‘Benhong Jinshi’‘Meiguihong’‘Dayu Meirenzhi’and‘Beita’，respectively. The results showed that the promoter region of carrot DcLCYE contained various light response elements，hormone response elements and transcription factor binding sites. GUS reporter expression was driven by promoter deletion fragments of DcLCYE with different lengths，and promoter activity was detected by stable expression in carrot. The results showed that the promoter region of 610 bp upstream of the initiation codon had stronger promoter activity. By comparing the sequences of DcLCYE promoters of different carrot varieties，it was found that the sequences of DcLCYE promoters of carrot varieties with similar phenotypes were more consistent. The differences of promoters may affect the transcription of DcLCYE in different carrot varieties. A carrot cDNA library was constructed，and the upstream regulatory factors interacting with DcLCYE promoter were screened by yeast one-hybrid system. Positive clones included several antioxidant proteins，heat shock proteins，zinc finger proteins，hydrolase proteins，etc. Transcription factors such as MYB，bHLH and bZIP，which may play roles in the regulation of carrot carotenoid accumulation were also screened.

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• Function Analysis ofStRGLG1in Regulating Potato to Drought Stress Response
• ZHU Cunlan, FAN Junliang, WANG Kaitong, WEI Meng, YANG Liang, LIU Haotian, SI Huaijun, ZHANG Ning
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2329-2342. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0960
• Abstract ( 16 ) HTML ( 13 ) PDF (2742KB) ( 13 ) 　　　

• RING DOMAIN LIGASE（RGLG）is a ring-type ubiquitin ligase E3，which is involved in plant growth and development，signal transduction and abiotic stress. To further investigate the function and regulatory mechanism ofStRGLG1gene in potato stress response，qRT-PCR was used to assay the expression level ofStRGLG1gene in potato under drought stress.StRGLG1overexpression and interference expression plants of potato were obtained by genetic transformation. The activities of superoxide dismutase（SOD），catalase（CAT）and peroxidase（POD）and the content of malondialdehyde（MDA）in transgenic plants were measured before and after drought stress. StRGLG1 interacting proteins were identified and validated by yeast two-hybrid（Y2H）and bimolecular fluorescence complementation（BiFC）. The results showed that SOD，POD and CAT activities ofStRGLG1overexpression plants increased by 31.78%，46.87% and 51.76% on average，and MDA content decreased by 23.12%. SOD，POD and CAT decreased by 15.83%，18.28% and 13.78% respectively，while MDA content increased by 13.30% under drought stress. It was proved thatStRGLG1gene played a role in the regulation of potato drought tolerance. Y2H and BiFC results showed that StRGLG1 and StERF53 proteins interact. These findings indicate thatStRGLG1gene expression plays a role in potato stress resistance，and the results can provide references for the molecular mechanism ofStRGLG1regulation of potato drought stress response.

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Genetic & Breeding·Germplasm Resources·Molecular Biology

• Double Populations Genetic Mapping of the Main QTL Locus qDCA.C8-1 for the Curd Appearance Trait of Cauliflower
• SHENG Xiaoguang, YU Huifang, WANG Jiansheng, SHEN Yusen, SONG Mengfei, QIAO Shuting, LIN Fan, DU Sifan, LI Jiaojiao, GU Honghui
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2343-2352. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0944
• Abstract ( 11 ) HTML ( 4 ) PDF (2485KB) ( 4 ) 　　　

• This study focused on Brassica oleracea crops，particularly cauliflower，and performed genetic mapping analysis of the curd appearance trait. By constructing two F₂ genetic segregating populations and utilizing a QTL mapping approach based on high-density genetic maps，a major locus（qDCA.C8-1）controlling cauliflower curd appearance was successfully mapped on chromosome 8. Subsequently，an F_2:3 sub-segregating population targeting the qDCA.C8-1 foreground locus was developed. Using bulked segregant analysis（BSA）sequencing technology，the target locus was re-mapped，further confirming its linkage with the curd appearance trait. The qDCA.C8-1 locus demonstrated consistent and significant genetic effects across different genetic populations，and its reliability was verified through KASP markers.

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• Cloning，Expression，and Functional Research of BhYAB4b in Wax Gourd
• WANG Baochen, LUO Chen, YAN Jinqiang, CHENG Xiaoxin, MO Renlian, LIU Wenrui, ZHANG Yuyang, JIANG Biao
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2353-2362. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0720
• Abstract ( 15 ) HTML ( 6 ) PDF (839KB) ( 6 ) 　　　

• The YABBY gene family encodes a unique class of transcription factors in higher plants，which plays important regulatory roles in plant growth and development. In this study，a YABBY gene named BhYAB4b was cloned from wax gourd and this gene was subjected to bioinformatics analysis，expression pattern analysis，subcellular localization analysis，and heterologous overexpression in Arabidopsis analysis. The length of the coding sequence of BhYAB4b was 624 bp，and the predicted molecular weight of the encoded protein was 23.469 kD，containing a conserved structural domain of C2C2 zinc finger structure at the N-terminal end and a conserved structural domain of YABBY at the C-terminal end. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the BhYAB4b protein was closely related to the YAB4 proteins of watermelon and bitter melon，qRT-PCR results showed that BhYAB4b was expressed specifically in wax gourd. In the advanced-generation inbred line B227 of wax gourd，BhYAB4b was expressed in the roots，stems，leaves，male and female flowers，and fruits，while its expression in fruits was significantly higher than that in other tissues，and its expression in fruits was higher on the day of pollination than other two periods. Subcellular localization results showed that the BhYAB4b protein was localized in the nucleus of the cell. When the BhYAB4b gene was heterologous overexpression in Arabidopsis，the transgenic lines showed larger and more rosette leaves，along with enhanced fruit length and width，suggesting that the BhYAB4b gene may regulate the development of leaves and fruits.

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Genetic & Breeding·Germplasm Resources·Molecular Biology

• Genome-Wide Identification of PoSnRK Gene Family in Paeonia ostii and Expression Analysis During Flower Senescence
• WANG Xinru, BAI Shuaishuai, SUN Yule, WU Xinyu, ZENG Feng, LIU Chunying, ZHANG Yuxi, GAI Shupeng, YUAN Yanchao
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2363-2376. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0993
• Abstract ( 16 ) HTML ( 6 ) PDF (2027KB) ( 6 ) 　　　

• To investigate the members and characteristics of sucrose non-fermenting-1-related protein kinase（SnRK）gene family in Paeonia suffruticosa，bioinformatics methods were employed to identify the members，resulting in the identification of 22 PoSnRKs，including 3 SnRK1s，6 SnRK2s，and 13 SnRK3s（CIPKs）；conserved domain analysis revealed that all PoSnRK1 proteins possessed the Pkinase，UBA，and KA1 domains，PoSnRK2s possessed the Pkinase domain，and PoCIPKs possessed the Pkinase and NAF domains；conserved motif analysis identified Motif 15，Motif 17，and Motif 18 as characteristic motifs of the SnRK1 subfamily，Motif 16 and Motif 19 as characteristic motifs of the SnRK2 subfamily，and Motif 7，Motif 10，and Motif 14 as characteristic motifs of the CIPK subfamily. Collinearity analysis indicated that there was only one pair of collinear PoSnRKs，Po04_CIPK10 and Po01_CIPK14；cis-acting element analysis found that most PoSnRK promoters contained cis-elements responsive to hormones and transcription factor binding. Transcriptome expression profiles and qRT-PCR results showed that the expression level of Po02_SnRK2.8，Po01_SnRK1.1，Po01_CIPK6 and Po04_CIPK10 was consistent with the flower senescence，suggesting that these four genes played a role in the flower aging process of tree peony.

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• Cloning and Preliminary Functional Exploration of the Transposon-Derived Gene RcHTD in Rose
• LI Maofu, YANG Yuan, WANG Hua, SUN Pei, KANG Yanhui, SUN Xiangyi, LUO Jie, LIU Xin, JIN Min, JIN Wanmei
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2377-2386. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0842
• Abstract ( 5 ) HTML ( 3 ) PDF (1246KB) ( 3 ) 　　　

• To investigate the regulatory role of Harbinger transposon-derived genes in anthocyanin synthesis in rose，the petals of the rose variety（Rosa chinensis‘Slater’s Crimson China’）were used as experimental material. In preliminary experiments，Rosa1 was employed as bait to screen a petal cDNA library，resulting in the identification of an interacting gene. This study successfully cloned the gene and characterized it as a transposon-derived gene，named RcHTD，which has an open reading frame of 1 560 bp and encodes 519 amino acids. Multiple sequence alignment analysis revealed that RcHTD encompasses a DDE transposon subfamily domain. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that RcHTD clustered closely with the genes AT5G12010，AT4G29780，AtALP1 and AtHHP1，which encode Harbinger-type transposases. Expression profilingof RcHTD in different developmental stages and tissues of Rosa chinensis‘Slater’s Crimson China’petals showed that RcHTD is expressed in all stages and tissues. Subcellular localization studies confirmed that the RcHTD protein is localized in the cell nucleus. Yeast two-hybrid experiments indicated that RcHTD physically interacts with RcMYB114. EMSA experiments further confirmed that RcHTD specifically binds to the RcMYB114 promoter，indicating its role in regulating anthocyanin synthesis，thereby consequently influencing the coloration of rose red petal.

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• Development of Species-Specific InDel Primers for Magnolia biondii and Their Application in Root Bark Identification
• DAI Xiaogang, LIANG Qingqing, BI Changwei, WEI Mingchen, LIU Jingsheng
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2387-2394. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0563
• Abstract ( 5 ) HTML ( 2 ) PDF (1232KB) ( 2 ) 　　　

• As raw materials for extracting parthenolide，the root barks of Magnolia biondii may be adulterated with that of M. denudata. Using these two species as research materials，species-specific InDel markers were identified based on pooled sequencing data. The filtered pooled sequencing data yieled 103.6 and 82.4 Gb of high-quality sequences for M. biondii and M. denudata，respectively. After alignment the filtered reads to the genome of M. biondii，a total of 13 152 interspecific-fixed InDel sites（≥ 5 bp）were detected，and primers were successfully designed for 10 627 of the identified InDels. Two pairs of primers were randomly selected from each of the 19 chromosomes of M. biondii for synthesis. Amplification results showed that 31 primer pairs（81.6%）exhibited universality in M. denudata，with 17 primer pairs displaying length polymorphism between the two species. Further examination by capillary electrophoresis using natural populations of M. biondii and M. denudata revealed that primers Mbi010 and Mbi069 produced species-specific bands with intraspecific conservation and marked interspecific differences. Primer Mbi010 could amplify 120 bp and 115 bp fragments in M. biondii and M. denudata，respectively，while Mbi069 generated 146 bp and 140 bp fragments in respective species. Using these two primer pairs to amplify DNA extracted from mixed root bark samples of M. biondii and M. denudata successfully identified species-specific fragments for each taxon，demonstrating their utility for authenticating of M. biondii root bark adulteration.

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• Identification of the LbWaxy Gene Family in Lycium barbarum and Analysis of Gene Expression Characteristics Under High Concentrations of CO₂
• ZHANG Ting, WANG Botao, ZHANG Lei, SONG Lihua, CAO Bing, MA Yaping
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2395-2409. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0814
• Abstract ( 17 ) HTML ( 9 ) PDF (7184KB) ( 9 ) 　　　

• The Waxy gene，a key regulator of amylose synthesis，is central to starch biosynthesis. In this study，bioinformatic analysis identified seven LbWaxy genes in Goji berr（Lycium barbarum L.）. Systematically characterized their expression patterns across multiple tissues at different stages under elevated CO₂ concentrations. Genomic mapping showed that the LbWaxy genes are distributed across four chromosomes，and all encode proteins containing a Glycos_transf conserved domain. The encoded proteins range from 613 to 1 408 aa，with predicted molecular weights of 67.19 to 158.23 kDa and isoelectric points ranging from 5.06 to 8.29. Subcellular localization prediction indicated that all proteins are hydrophilic and primarily cytoplasmic. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a conserved evolutionary relationship between LbWaxy and Waxy genes from Solanaceae species and Arabidopsis thaliana，with the proteins clustering into three main groups and six subgroups. Collinearity analysis indicated syntenic relationships between the LbWaxy genes and homologs in tomato（Solanum lycopersicum），pepper（Capsicum annuum），eggplant（Solanum melongena），and Arabidopsis thaliana. Protein-protein interaction network predictions suggested potential interactions between LbWaxy2 and LbWaxy1，LbWaxy4，LbWaxy5，and LbWaxy7. Combined transcriptomic and RT-qPCR analyses revealed differential expression of LbWaxy genes under elevated CO₂ concentrations across tissues and stages. Notably，all seven members showed significant up-regulated in stems at the green fruit stage and in leaves at the different stage. Furthermore，LbWaxy1，LbWaxy2，and LbWaxy7 exhibited significant up-regulated in stems，roots，and fruits at multiple stages，suggesting their role as key regulatory genes in starch synthesis under elevated CO₂ concentrations.

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Cultivation·Physiology & Biochemistry

• Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on the Growth and Mechanism of Different Apple Cultivar Under Salt-Alkali Stress
• DU Lijun, LIU Yingcai, SHI Yanyan, WANG Yang, LI Chunhui, HE Yintao, WANG Xu, BIAN Chuanjie, ZHANG Manrang
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2410-2424. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0858
• Abstract ( 17 ) HTML ( 8 ) PDF (5213KB) ( 8 ) 　　　

• To investigate the effects and mechanisms of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi（AMF）on the growth of apple grafted under salt-alkali stress，‘Qincui’and‘Ruixue’as experimental materials was grafted on M26. The experiment included four treatment groups：the control（CK，Irrigated with water），the salinity-alkality（0.2 mol · L^-1 NaHCO₃︰NaCl = 1︰1，SA），inoculation with AMF（Inoculated with Glomus intraradices，AMF），and SA + AMF（inoculation with AMF 60 d in advance，followed by watering with SA）. SA treatment significantly reduced plant height，stem diameter，shoot growth，root area，root length，root volume，chlorophyll content，and photosynthetic rate in‘Qincui’ and‘Ruixue’apple seedlings，however，AMF inoculation alleviated the growth inhibition caused by salt-alkali stress. Compared with SA treatment，the SA + AMF treatment significantly enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes（POD，SOD，and CAT）in‘Qincui’and‘Ruixue’. In‘Qincui’leaves，POD，SOD，and CAT activities increased by 28.27%，48.72%，and 37.01%，respectively，while in‘Ruixue’，these activities increased by 12.75%，23.37%，and 16.10%，and MDA content in leaves and roots significantly decreased. Compared with SA treatment，the SA + AMF treatment significantly enhanced TTC reduction intensity of‘Qincui’and‘Ruixue’increased by 71.40% and 34.29%，the root citrate content increased by 105.26% and 122.22%，respectively. AMF facilitated citrate secretion，thereby reducing root pH and enhancing the salt-alkali tolerance of‘Qincui’and‘Ruixue’. Under salt-alkali stress，AMF symbiosis decreased Na⁺ content in the leaves，while K⁺ content in both roots and leaves increased，leading to a significant reduction in the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio. Notably，the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio in the roots of‘Qincui’returned to control levels. These findings indicate that AMF inoculation promotes seedling vigor，root activity，chlorophyll content，and photosynthetic rate. Inaddition，AMF regulates the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio to maintain ion homeostasis，thereby mitigating ion toxicity caused by salt-alkali stress. Moreover，AMF enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes（SOD，POD and CAT），thereby reducing reactive oxygen species（ROS）accumulation and oxidative damage. Under salt-alkali stress，AMF also increases citrate secretion，which maintain balance of root pH and alleviates pH stress，further mitigating the growth inhibition caused by salt-alkali conditions.

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• The Effect of Exogenous Oxalic Acid Treatment on the Fruit Quality and Anthocyanin Metabolism of Postharvest Blood Orange Fruit
• TANG Jiayi, MIAO Chouyu, YIN Haojie, WU Mingyue, CAO Xiangmin, ZHANG Huimin, JIN Yan, LU Xiaopeng, ZHU Yichi, LI Dazhi, SHENG Ling
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2425-2438. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0831
• Abstract ( 5 ) HTML ( 2 ) PDF (965KB) ( 2 ) 　　　

• To investigate the effects of oxalic acid treatment on the quality and anthocyanin metabolism of postharvest blood orange fruits，mature‘Tarocco’blood orange（Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck‘Tarocco’）fruits were used as materials. The fruits were treated with 10 mmol · L^-1 oxalic acid by soaking for 5 min，and indicators such as peel color，juice color，anthocyanin，organic acid，sugar，total flavonoid，and total phenol contents，as well as disease incidence and water loss rate，were measured during storage. Meanwhile，qRT-PCR analysis was performed on genes related to the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway and reported important transcription factors involved in anthocyanin metabolism regulation. The results showed that oxalic acid treatment inhibited the accumulation of anthocyanin in postharvest blood orange fruits during storage，with lighter peel and juice colors and lower anthocyanin content. The citric acid content in the fruits was lower than that in the control，while the sucrose content was significantly higher than that in the control. In addition，oxalic acid treatment significantly reduced the fungal disease incidence and water loss of fruits in the late storage period. The expression of most genes in the anthocyanin synthesis pathway（PAL4，CHI，and ANS）and regulatory genes（NAC，CHR4，and PH4）in oxalic acid-treated fruits was significantly downregulated compared with the control during storage. Correlation analysis showed that the expression trends of transcription factors NAC，WRKY40，Ruby1，and PH4 were significantly positively correlated with the change trend of anthocyanin content. The research results indicate that oxalic acid treatment can inhibit the accumulation of anthocyanin in postharvest blood orange fruits，and this inhibitory effect is related to the suppression of the expression of genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis and regulation.

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• Differences in Volatile Compounds of Citrus medica‘Guangdong Xiangshui’Fruits in Different Harvesting Seasons from Weishan of Yunnan Province
• LI Xue, CAI Zhonghu, GAO Junyan, CHEN Jiajing, LIU Yuan, XU Juan
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2439-2452. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0943
• Abstract ( 11 ) HTML ( 6 ) PDF (2327KB) ( 6 ) 　　　

• Taking the fruits of‘Guangdong Xiangshui’lemon（Citrus medica）harvested in spring，summer，autumn and winter in Weishan area of Yunnan as materials，the volatile profiles of fruit slices at post flowering stage，enlargement stage and commercial maturity stage were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS）. The results showed that 32 volatile compounds were detected in all the samples，including 8 monoterpenes，2 monoterpene alcohols，3 monoterpene aldehydes，3 monoterpene esters，1 monoterpene oxide，10 sesquiterpenes，1 sesquiterpene alcohol，3 aldehydes and 1 other compound. Monoterpenes were dominated by d-Limonene and β-Myrcene，and d-Limonene accounted for 86.08% to 92.02% of the total volatiles；monoterpene aldehydes were dominated by β-Citral，α-Citral and Citronellal. Among different development stages，volatile compounds were most abundant in the post flowering stage. Regarding commercial maturity stage fruits of each season，winter fruits had the highest total volatile content，the richest compounds were found in summer fruits，whereas spring fruits had the least compounds and lowest content. PLS-DA analysis based on volatiles can effectively distinguish commercial maturity stage fruits harvested from different seasons；α-Terpinol content was the highest in autumn fruits，reaching（2.49 ± 0.18）μg · g^-1，whilst it was only（1.59 ± 0.18）μg · g^-1 in summer fruits；Undecanal was detected only in winter fruits. Largely variated volatile compounds richness and contents at different development stages of four seasons in the slices of Guangdong Xiangshui lemon fruits were investigated. During the enlargement stage in autumn，the fruits had the best aroma quality due to the accumulation of aroma active compounds such as citronellal，β-citral and α-citral；the aroma quality of fruits at the commercial maturity stage was superior when harvested in winter and summer；the fruits at post flowering stage harvested in summer had the highest content of volatile compounds. The results of this study can provide data support for timely harvesting and quality monitoring of Guangdongxiangshui lemon in Weishan，Yunnan.

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• Bud Overwintering Freezing and Shading for Bud Survival of Sweet Cherries in Low-Latitude and High-Altitude Regions
• LIU Rui’e, SUN Wanxia, WANG Li, NONG Honglin, QIU Minghua, YU Fei, ZHANG Qijing, ZHANG Caixi
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2453-2463. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0514
• Abstract ( 11 ) HTML ( 3 ) PDF (2575KB) ( 3 ) 　　　

• Based on 3 sweet cherry cultivars，i.e.，‘Hongdeng’‘Tieton’and‘Russia 8’，planted in Shangri-La，Yunnan Province，this study firstly pointed out the key phenology of sweet cherry in low-latitude with high-altitude regions and showed the flower bud overwintering freezing damage. Importantly，the effects of shading facilities on reducing the risk of freezing damage were also studied. The results show that sweet cherry trees in Shangri-La fall leaves in October and enter dormant period in early November. The full blooming date is early May and the fruit maturity period is mid-July，demonstrating 30-50 days later phenology compared to other major sweet cherry cultivation regions. In addition，this study revealed a linear correlation between daily minimum temperature and the freezing damage rate of flower buds（R² = 0.91）. The model estimated that the half-lethal temperature of flower buds during dormancy is-14.7 ℃，with daily minimum temperatures below to-18.2 ℃ causing 95% bud mortality. Severe freezing damage occurred after endodormancy release，showing average bud freezing damage rates of 51.0%（‘Russia 8’）to 57.1%（‘Tieton’）. Shading effectively elevate minimum temperatures by 2.7-3.9 ℃ compared to open-field conditions during dormancy，resulting in the average freezing damage rate decreased by 23.7%，when‘Tieton’flower bud endodormancy was released.

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• Effect of Different Light Quality on Berry Quality of‘Shine Muscat’Grape
• REN Tingting, ZHANG Tingxiu, ZHAN Liang, ZHANG Zhichang, REN Yiran, JI Xinglong, WANG Peipei, LIU Yuanxia, MENG Qingfu, LIU Gengsen, FANG Jinggui, LENG Xiangpeng
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2464-2476. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0877
• Abstract ( 16 ) HTML ( 3 ) PDF (5588KB) ( 3 ) 　　　

• Six different light treatments，including white（W），red（R），blue（B），and different ratios of red and blue light（1︰1，4︰1，1︰4），were used to monitor the photosynthetic characteristics and fruit quality of‘Shine Muscat’grapes under protected cultivation. Compared to the control group（CK，without supplemental light），all light treatments significantly increased the net photosynthetic rate，transpiration rate and stomatal conductance，and reduced the intercellular CO₂ concentration. The red/blue and blue（B）treatment displayed the most significant effects on the photosynthesis. Furthermore，all supplemental light treatments showed significant impacts on grape fruit quality. Among them，R1B4 treatment not only increased the single berry weight，transverse and longitudinal diameter，soluble sugars and monoterpene content，but also accelerated the chlorophyll and organic acid degradation，thereby improving berry quality. In conclusion，R1B4 treatment is the most effective strategy to improve the berry quality of‘Shine Muscat’grape.

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• Effects of EM Bacteria on Tomato Yield and Soil Bacterial Community
• CHEN Shuting, WU Mumian, LI Tao, LI Zhenxing, MAI Peiting, SUN Baojuan, HAO Yanwei, GONG Chao
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2477-2490. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0706
• Abstract ( 13 ) HTML ( 13 ) PDF (3403KB) ( 13 ) 　　　

• ‘Jinxing 1371’and‘Jinfen 1515’tomatoes were used to investigate the mechanism of effective microorganisms（EM）application in improving tomato yield by measuring soil physical and chemical properties and bacterial community structure and composition. The results showed that the total yield，single fruit weight，and single plant yield of tomato Jinfen 1515 treated with EM increased by 2.90 fold，0.55 fold，and 2.90 fold，respectively. Similarly，the yield index of Jinxing 1371 increased by 2.88 fold，0.63 fold，and 2.90 fold，respectively. The application of EM significantly ameliorated the soil physicochemical properties，with the contents of ammonium nitrogen and available potassium increased significantly in the EM-treated soils. The ammonium nitrogen and available potassium in the rhizosphere soils of Jinfen 1515 treated with EM increased by 68.90% and 78.30%，respectively，while they increased by 36.80% and 15.00% in Jinxing 1371. Furthermore，applying EM significantly changed the soil bacterial community structure and composition，increasing the relative abundance of Proteobacteria，Sphingomonadales，and Sphingomonas by 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing analysis. Correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between soil physicochemical properties and soil bacterial communities at the genus level whose relative abundance is regulated by EM. In addition，the relative abundance of Sphingomonas in two tomato varieties was significantly higher in groups with EM applicance than those without. Correlation analysis further showed that the relative abundance of Sphingomonas is significantly positively correlated with tomato yield. In summary，EM application significantly increased tomato yield by improving soil fertility and recruiting beneficial bacterial communities in the tomato rhizosphere.

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• Effect of Intercropping and Selenium-Foliar Application on the Growth of Potted Tea Seedlings，Tea Quality，and Rhizosphere Soil Enzyme Activities
• CHEN Dan, WEI Yi, ZHANG Lehui, GUO Fei, WANG Pu, WANG Mingle, WANG Yu, ZHAO Hua
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2491-2506. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0546
• Abstract ( 8 ) HTML ( 2 ) PDF (4815KB) ( 2 ) 　　　

• The study aimed to investigate the effects of intercropping selenium（Se）-hyperaccumulated plant Cardamine hupingshanensis accompanied with Se spraying on tea plants’ growth，tea quality and rhizosphere enzymatic activities. The tea variety was‘ECha 10’. The Findings indicated that the combination of intercropping combined and Se treatment significantly stimulated the growth of tea plants，showing thicker main stems and a more vigorous root system. It also notably enhanced the content of free amino acid，decreased the content of caffeine，polyphenols of catechin and flavonoids in the young shoots. The primary selenium species in the tea leaves was identified as selenomethionine，followed by selenocysteine. Furthermore，this cultivation practices，intercropping combined with selenium spraying，substantially elevated the activities of β-glucosidase，leucine aminopeptidase，and N-acetyl-β- glucosaminidase in the rhizosphere soil. Conversely，it significantly suppressed the activity sulfatase. Meanwhile，intercropping suppressed the activity of acid phosphatase. In summary，The results highlight that the integration of C. hupingshanensis intercropping combined with selenium foliar spray treatment can synergistically improve tea plants’ growth，enhance the quality of fresh tea leaves，and promote the production of Se-enriched tea. This cultivation practice significantly enhances the enzyme activities of the rhizosphere soil of tea plants.

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• Response of Bacillus subtilis YX-1 to Aluminum Stress and Its Effects on the Growth of Panax ginseng
• LIANG Chijia, DING Guanzhong, ZHOU Fan, MU Peng, ZHANG Yue, ZHENG Yidong, WANG Haitao, WANG Yan, LIU Ning
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2507-2518. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0964
• Abstract ( 10 ) HTML ( 5 ) PDF (759KB) ( 5 ) 　　　

• A strain of Bacillus subtilis YX-1 was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of understory Panax ginseng. The response of strain YX-1 to Al stress，the biofilm formation，extracellular polysaccharide content，the expression of related genes and ginseng root morphology were investigated，which explores the response of strain YX-1 to Al stress and its effects on ginseng growth. The results showed that with the increase of Al concentration，the growth ability of strain YX-1 was significantly inhibited. With the extension of Al treatment time，strain YX-1 gradually formed a biofilm，and the content of extracellular polysaccharides（EPS）also significantly increased. Under Al treatment，the expression levels of epsA，epsB，wzx and wzy in strain YX-1，which were responsible for EPS synthesis and secretion，initially increased and then decreased，with the highest expression observed at 12 h. Compared to Al treatment alone（100 mmol · L^-1），ginseng inoculated Bs and the addition of 100 mmol · L^-1 Al significantly increased the chlorophyll content of leaves，the dry weight of aboveground part and roots increased by 28.33% and 11.65%，respectively. Phosphorus content in leaves and roots increased by 13.89% and 16.24%，respectively，while the Al content in leaves and roots decreased by 32.11% and 11.90%，respectively. This study demonstrates that B. subtilis YX-1 promotes biofilm formation through EPS synthesis and secretion，mitigating Al stress on ginseng growth.

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Plant Protection

• Response of Banana Root Exudates to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Infection
• ZHANG Shengnan, PANG Yuwan, HUANG Jianfeng, WU Meihua, WU Zhaoyun, ZHANG Mu, LI Ping, FU Hongting, WU Yongpei
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2519-2531. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0590
• Abstract ( 12 ) HTML ( 6 ) PDF (862KB) ( 6 ) 　　　

• Fusarium wilt of banana is induced by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense，the tropical race 4（Foc4）is the most pathogenic type. The composition and content of root exudates from healthy and diseased bananas（wilted level 3）were detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that the contents of six sugar substances，such as galactose，in diseased bananas root exudates were significantly higher than those in healthy bananas，thirteen organic acids，such as shikimic acid，and twelve phenolic acids，such as salicylic acid，were also significantly higher in their root exudates compared to both the initial seedlings and healthy bananas. Meanwhile，the contents of three amino acids，such as L-tyrosine，were reduced compared to both the initial and healthy banana root exudates. The 39 differential components mentioned above were used for subsequent research，and it was found that Foc4 had a higher chemotaxis radius towards phenolic acids and organic acids than amino acids and sugars，and its average reproductive quantity in phenolic acids and average mycelial growth diameter in organic acids and phenolic acids were higher than the positive control. Correlation analysis showed that the growth rate of banana root exudates was positively correlated with Foc4 chemotaxis radius，reproduction quantity，and hyphal growth diameter（P < 0.05），indicating that Foc4 infection increased the content of substances in banana root exudates that were beneficial for the growth of pathogens，providing the necessary nutrients for their colonization in the banana rhizosphere.

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• Isolation，Biological Characteristics of the Pathogen Causing Fusarium Wilt on Tomato and Antagonistic Fungus Screening
• SU Xiumin, WANG Jiao, HAN Wenqing, LI Peng, WANG Qiulan, LI Wanxing
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2532-2544. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0811
• Abstract ( 10 ) HTML ( 3 ) PDF (1140KB) ( 3 ) 　　　

• Tomato Fusarium wilt samples from the stems in Huguan County，Changzhi City，Shanxi Province，were used as experimental materials. The pathogen was isolated and cultured using tissue separation methods，and its pathogenicity was determined by root-dipping inoculation. The pathogen species responsible for the tomato wilt disease was identified using conventional morphological analysis and ITS sequence analysis. Additionally，the biological characteristics of the pathogen were studied. Furthermore，after two rounds of tomato-zucchini crop rotation，Trichoderma harzianum strain M408 was isolated from the soil planted with zucchini. The antagonistic activity of Trichoderma harzianum M408 mycelium and its sterile fermentation liquid against the tomato wilt pathogen was measured using the dual-culture plate method. The results revealed that the pathogen causing tomato wilt disease in Huguan County，Changzhi City，Shanxi Province，was identified as Fusarium proliferatum，named K11. The suitable growth temperature for K11 was 28 ℃，and 6.0 was the most suitable pH value. Under 24-hour full light conditions，the growth rate of K11 was fastest. K11 was able to grow using various carbon sources，with the fastest mycelial growth observed when sucrose was used as the carbon source. Using the mycelial confrontation method on plates，after 7 days，Trichoderma harzianum M408 showed a 68.38% inhibition rate on the K11 mycelium，and its sterile fermentation liquid exhibited 93.17% inhibition rate against K11 mycelium.

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• Antifungal Activity of Pseudomonas protegens FD6 Against Botrytis cinerea and Optimization of Its Culture Conditions
• SONG Qi, SONG Xiaoya, JIAO Yongxin, MAO Ziyue, WU Xiaogang, ZHANG Qingxia
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2545-2553. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0829
• Abstract ( 10 ) HTML ( 6 ) PDF (2483KB) ( 6 ) 　　　

• Pseudomonas protegens FD6 can effectively control tomato gray mold by producing antibiotics pyoluteorin and 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol. The yield of bacterial secondary metabolites depends not only on the strain，but also the fermentation conditions. In order to improve the antifungal activity of FD6，the antagonistic ability of culture filtrates from six different media and LB filtrate displayed the best antifungal activity were assayed. Then LB were used as the basic fermentation medium to optimize the medium composition and fermentation conditions of FD6 through single-factor test and response surface method. The results showed that the optimal fermentation conditions of strain FD6 were as follows：sodium citrate 10.81 g · L^-1，peptone 10.53 g · L^-1，valine 5.28 g · L^-1，pH 7.2，28 ℃，cultivation time 120 h. After optimization，the average inhibition rate of the sterile filtrate of FD6 against Botrytis cinerea was 80.26%，representing a 39.39% increase compared to pre-optimization levels. The quantitative analysis of antibiotics revealed that the production of PLT reached 14.85 μg · mL^-1 after optimization，and caused a 4.71-fold increase compared with pre-optimization levels. Our results provide a valuable reference for the development of P. protegens FD6 bacterial agent and its application in biological control of tomato gray mold.

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New Technology and New Method

• Optimization of Paraffin Section Preparation Method for Pear Tissues
• WU Chunhao, YAN Xingkai, LU Mingyan, ZHAO Ying, ZHANG Maojun, LI Siyu, WANG Qiang
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2554-2564. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0849
• Abstract ( 17 ) HTML ( 9 ) PDF (2722KB) ( 9 ) 　　　

• Based on the conventional paraffin section method，using pear leaves，shoots，and flower buds as experimental materials，optimized key steps—including dehydration，clearing，pasting and staining. The results demonstrated that employing microwave and water bath processing dramatically reduced the total processing time（encompassing dehydration，clearing and dipping paraffin）from 750-1 320 min to 48-108 min. Screening of three clearing agent revealed that the clearing agent used for dipping paraffin and dewaxing solution demonstrated superior clearing efficacy，while significantly reducing xylene usage. The water bath mounting method combined tissue flattening and adhesion into a single step，simplifying the procedure. Comparative evaluation of four staining methods allowed selection of the most suitable protocol based on specific sectioning requirements. Ultimately，developed an integrated microwave and water bath paraffin sectioning method. This method significantly shortens preparation time and enhances sectioning efficiency.

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New Cultivar

• New Anthurium andraeanum Cultivars‘Mingnong Hongge’and‘Mingnong Shanzhuang’
• ZHONG Linshan, LI Jinye, YAO Fengqin, CHEN Weiting, GUO Yunwei, LIN Huifeng, CHEN Changming, LIN Fazhuang
• Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 2025, 52(9): 2565-2566. DOI:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0289
• Abstract ( 11 ) HTML ( 6 ) PDF (312KB) ( 6 ) 　　　

• A new potted cultivar Anthurium andraeanum‘Mingnong Hongge’which was selected from the selfing progeny of a F₁ population with Anthurium‘Fist Red’，characterized by its upright and early and continuous flowering throughout the year. It is a large plant with average plant height of 66.10 cm and width of 65.67 cm. The leaves are moderate ovate in shape with shiny green color；Spathe positioned above the leaf，and Vivid reddish orange color and inward crimp with narrow oval shape. A new potted cultivar Anthurium andraeanum‘Mingnong Shanzhuang’which was selected from the combination of‘Princess Alexia Violet’（female parent）and‘Orange champion’（male parent），characterized by its upright and outwardly arching. It is a medium plant with average plant height of 37.55 cm and width of 55.62 cm. The leaves are narrowly ovate in shape with shiny green color；Spathe positioned above the leaf，and pinkcolor and inward crimp with narrow oval shape.

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