Abstract:Litchi， a subtropical evergreen woody fruit tree that originates in China and has been cultivated for over two thousand years， is essential to China’s fruit tree industry. The rich litchi germplasm resources hosted in China provide an important guarantee for litchi breeding and industrial development. The national litchi and banana germplasm repository （Guangzhou） serves as the primary unit for the preservation of litchi germplasm resources in China and is currently the most comprehensive and standardized litchi germplasm repository in the world. As of December 2022， the national litchi and banana germplasm repository （Guangzhou） has collected and preserved 652 litchi germplasm resources and successfully bred multiple high-quality litchi new varieties， including Hong xiu qiu， Xian jin feng， and Feng shan hong deng long. The repository has also established a population of over 500，000 natural hybrid offspring and more than 20，000 artificially hybrid offspring， promoting basic research on litchi genomics and origins， molecular markers， quality， and disease resistance. These measures have contributed to the adjustment of the litchi varieties and the promotion of the industry， playing an important role in rural poverty alleviation and the sustainable development of the litchi industry. This review presents an overview of the development history of the national litchi and banana germplasm repository （Guangzhou） and also summarizes the progress made in the past two decades regarding litchi germplasm resource collection and preservation， as well as their innovative utilization. Furthermore， we propose future research directions and focus in the national litchi and banana germplasm repository （Guangzhou）， aiming to provide a reference for the effective utilization and industrial development of China's litchi germplasm resources.

Abstract:As one of the important mechanisms of epigenetic regulation， usually occurs in plant cytosine bases， including CG， CHG and CHH. DNA methylation mainly affects chromatin structure and gene transcription level. DNA methylation plays important roles in transcriptional regulation and maintaining the genome stability. Abiotic stresses affect plant growth and reproduction and ultimately lead to plant death. Based on existing research findings， DNA methylation can induce phenotypic alterations in plants under stress.To cope with abiotic stresses， the change mechanism of DNA methylation level during growth is affected by methylase and demethylase. The signal transduction pathways can change the expression of some stress response genes， thus causing changes in plant morphology， physiology and biochemistry to adapt to adversity. Some genes are upregulated （initiate） or downregulated （close down） in expression in order to assure the adaptive growth and development of plant， thus enabling plants to adapt and resist stress damage to a certain extent. This article reviews the DNA methylation modification and its role in transcriptional regulation， research progress in the growth and development of horticultural plants， and the epigenetic regulation of abiotic stress as well as the problems and prospective of horticultural plants. It provides a reference for the genetic improvement of horticultural plants and deciphering the mechanism of stress resistance.

Abstract:AP2/ERF （APETALA2/ethylene responsive factor） is one of the largest transcription factor （TF） families in plants， which contains at least one specific AP2 domains composed of 60-70 highly conserved amino acids. Depending on the number and sequence similarity of AP2 domains， this family can be classified into five subfamilies： AP2 （APETALA2）， DREB （dehydration-responsive element binding proteins）， ERF （ethylene-responsive factor）， RAV （related to AB13/VP）， and Soloist. AP2/ERF TFs regulate their expression by binding to target genes through YRG and RAYD conserved elements in the AP2 domain. At present， AP2/ERF TFs have become a hot candidate gene for studying plant stress resistance mechanisms and biosynthesis of active ingredients. More and more AP2/ERF families and their members have been reported. In this review， we summarized the latest research achievements on plant AP2/ERF family， including the structural characteristics and classification， and the research progress of AP2/ERF TFs involved in regulation of plant secondary metabolites synthesis， participation in biological and abiotic stress response was mainly introduced.Meanwhile， possible hot research topics and fields of AP2/ERF were proposed，which may provide a reference for further mining and utilization of such transcription factor genes for plant genetic improvement and germplasm innovation.

Abstract:Lily is a perennial bulbous herb. Lily is one of the most important ornamental crops in the world because of its dignified posture and colorful flowers. The underground part fleshy bulbs of the edible lily can be eaten，and some species can also be used as medicine or extract spices，therefore，lily is a plant resource with high development and utilization value. The differences of the types and contents of anthocyanins and their distribution in different areas in petals result in the color diversity of the ornamental lily and the violet red change of the edible lily bulbs at the late storage stage are mainly caused by anthocyanin accumulation. Anthocyanin is widely distributed and an important natural pigment in plants，and its biosynthesis is mainly co-regulated by structural and regulatory genes that interact with environmental factors. Anthocyanin accumulation after biosynthesis is regulated by transporter. The variety of flower color is beneficial to improve the ornamental value，while the violet red change might decrease the quality and commodity value of the edible lily bulbs. Therefore，this study reviews and summarizes the structure，biosynthetic pathway，transcriptional regulation and transport of anthocyanins of the ornamental lily flowers and edible lily bulbs，and the exploration fields and trends were conceived，in order to provide a reference for deciphering the molecular regulatory mechanism of lily anthocyanin glycosides，as well as improving its content and accumulation site.

Abstract:Chili（Capsicum annuum L.）crops have high economic value and extensive planting， and most of the chili cultivars in China have high plant type， many branches， easy lodging， not conducive to mechanized production， and the cost of artificial production is rising. With the improvement of agricultural production technology and the increasing shortage of labor， the transformation of traditional agriculture to modern mechanized agriculture is imminent. The proposal of ideal plant type makes plant type regulation a hot spot in genetic breeding， which can provide reference for the analysis of the regulation mechanism of chili plant type. This paper reviews the research results of recent domestic and foreign scholars on the genetic factors and molecular mechanisms of plant type regulation， the biological relationship between plant hormones and plant type， and the influence of the environment on plant type， and puts forward the idea of ideal plant type of chili. Good chili plant type can improve plant production capacity， facilitate management， alleviate labor shortage， and accelerate the process of mechanized production. At present， there are few research reports on the regulation mechanism of chili plant type， so exploring the breeding mechanism and genetic basis of plant type regulation is conducive to providing theoretical support for the creation of good plant type germplasm resources and accelerating the selection and breeding of new varieties， and laying the foundation for the genetic breeding .

Abstract:The industrial hemp （Cannabis sativa L.） as an important special economic crop， has implemented the development of the whole industrial chain. Its bast fiber is a significant raw material and has been widely used in textiles， papermaking， home furnishings， insulation materials， construction materials， and auto parts and composites. China has stronger academic and applied research experiences in industrial hemp， and the derived textile products are highly competitive in the global market. Due to the increasing yield and quality demand for textile fibers， it is necessary for researchers to breed high-quality， high-yield fiber varieties. The genome-wide association study （GWAS） can reveal the association between phenotype and genotype， thus becoming of interest in gene mining， stacking of multiple elite genes alleles， analyzing the population genetic structure and finally breeding for novel varieties showing high-yield， high-quality， disease resistance， and stress resistance. At present， GWAS is widely used in cotton， rice， corn， wheat and other crops， and increasingly used in industrial hemp and other major hemp fiber crop. Thus， the review summarizes the application of GWAS in industrial hemp and briefly proposes the research focuses that remained yet conducted， in order to provide insights for the application of GWAS technique in industrial hemp.

Abstract:By taking the opportunity of the Third National General Survey and Collection Action of Crop Germplasm Resources， rice landraces were investigated and collected from different counties and cities in Jiangxi province， P. R. China. From 2017 to 2019， 321 rice landraces were collected to identify the morphological characteristics， main agronomic traits， yield and quality traits in the field. Based on the collection sites， they were collected from 11 cities， with enrichments at six cities including Jiujiang， Shangrao， Yichun， Fuzhou， Jian and Ganzhou. These regions have more mountainous and impoverished with traffic inconvenience， in which farmers have the tradition to proceed food with rice landraces. There are two subspecies of Xian and Geng， mainly Xian， which can be divided into early rice， medium rice and late rice based on the maturity. The sticky rice and glutinous rice account for 38.0% and 62.0%. There have 35 red rice and purple black rice germplasm resources. These results showed that rice landraces germplasm resources with good genetic diversity in Jiangxi province， most of which are yellow， no or short awn， suitable panicle， moderate blade and stem angle， lodging resistance， and suitable seed holding. Fifteen elite germplasm resources with feasible head date， large panicle， high seed setting rate and big thousand grain weight， as well as 12 elite glutinous rice and colored rice were selected. Collectively， this study reported a resource of rice landraces which has great potential in breeding of new rice varieties.

Abstract:The yield and seed mineral nutrient quality are essential factors in breeding of rice varieties. Identification of rice germplasm resources with high yield and high quality can provide elite parents or intermediate lines in breeding. This study measured eight yield-related traits （plant height， spike length， grain number per panicle， filled grain number per panicle， thousand kernels weight， grain weight per panicle， seed setting rate and grain density） and six mineral nutrient quality-related traits （zinc， iron， calcium， magnesium， copper and manganese content） in 139 japonica rice germplasm accessions， followed by the correlation analysis and principal component analysis （PCA）. The plant height， spike length， grain number per panicle， filled grain number per panicle and grain weight per panicle were positively correlated （highly significant）， and the content of mineral nutrient was positively correlated with each other in different degrees. The content of Zn and Mg was significantly and negatively correlated with grain weight per panicle. PCA using either eight or six indicators suggested three principal components （PCs）， respectively， with the cumulative contribution rate of 78.432% and 71.697%， respectively. Four yield key indicators and five mineral nutrient quality key indicators were selected based on the loadings of these indicators in CI1-3. Two germplasm accessions with high yield and high content of mineral nutrient， namely， Hungarian No.1 and Mu 10-815， were identified by combining the results of comprehensive evaluation of yield and mineral nutritional quality. The cluster analysis suggested four groups within this collection， including Group-I that contained only two germplasms with very high mineral nutrient content， Group-II that contained 41 germplasms with relatively high Zn content but poor yield traits. Group-III and IV with 69 and 27 germplasms respectively， exhibited superior yield traits. Group-III， however， had relatively low mineral nutrient content， whereas Group-IV had relatively high amounts of Mn and Ca content. Collectively， this study can provide theoretical basis and excellent germplasm for the selection and breeding of new high yield and high quality rice varieties.

Abstract:This study reported the evaluation of the grain quality traits of rice landraces that were collected from "The Third National Action on Crop Germplasm Resources Survey and Collection" in 2017-2021. Out of 165 white and red grain samples， the highest variation coefficient was observed on the chalkiness of sticky rice， of which the coefficient of indica white grain was as high as 148.91%. The transparency was also detected with high variation coefficient， while the coefficient of brownish was below 5.0%. The variation coefficient of the waxy ratio amongst waxy rice was over 70.0%， the whiteness and the amylose content have lower value of the variation coefficient， while that of the three indexes including brownish， alkali elimination value and gel consistency were below 10.0%. In terms of the grain quality indexes that reaching the standard， the qualified ratio of whole grains or their chalkiness of sticky rice were below 50%， while the qualified ratio of other indexes were above 65.0%. For the glutinous rice， the qualified ratio of whole grains and the amylose content were around 50.0%， and that of the other indexes was higher than 65.0%. The cooking and edible quality is an important aspect in evaluating high-quality rice as well. Among all the varieties of sticky rice and glutinous rice， 60.7% and 35.4%， respectively， of which have reached or above the Grade 3 level issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on the three indexes of cooking and edible quality. Compared with the landraces that were collected during the second national survey in Fujian， the amount of landraces with high value of cooking and edible quality has increased significantly within the third survey. Through this study， 10 landraces were identified reaching the high-quality standard issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs， which provide a material basis for the development of high-quality rice varieties in the future. In addition， 15 germplasms with high amylose content have been identified， which can be used as new raw materials for processing purpose specifically. The mid-colored rice were found with relatively rich amount in local landraces， accounting for about 20.0% of the total， they can provide valuable resources for future breeding and production of rice varieties with special function. In the future， works on the evaluation of grain quality for local landraces should be improved， and excellent germplasm resources would provide a material basis as well as promote the breeding of new superior rice varieties.

Abstract:Grain quality deterioration during rice aging storage has caused serious losses to rice production and management. It is of great significance to carry out research on storage tolerance and identify rice varieties with high storability. In this study， 197 semi-waxy japonica varieties， 117 common japonica varieties and 14 waxy japonica varieties were used. The storage tolerance characteristics was analyzed at the artificial high temperature and high humidity condition using the evaluation index of the storage tolerance index （SDI） that defines based reduction percentage of germination rate before and after aging. According to SDI， these genotypes were divided into four groups： group I was the high storability type， 75%≤SDI<100%， including 8 semi-waxy japonica rice and 15 common japonica rice； group II was the relative storability type， 50%≤SDI<75%， including 32 semi-waxy japonica rice， 44 common japonica rice and 1 waxy rice； group III was the less storability type， 25%≤SDI<50%， including 82 semi-waxy japonica rice， 32 common japonica rice and 4 waxy rice； group IV was non-storability type， 0≤SDI<25%， including 75 semi-waxy japonica rice， 26 common japonica rice and 9 waxy rice. The storage tolerance of semi-waxy japonica rice， which was higher than that of the waxy rice， was lower than that of common japonica rice. The analysis of storage tolerance among different growth-development types showed that only the early-maturing medium type in both of semi-waxy and common japonica rice had the lowest storability value. Using the reduction percentage of freshness value （RPFV）， semi-waxy japonica rice showing lower storability than common japonica rice and higher storability than waxy japonica rice was observed. Through the comprehensive evaluation of SDI and RPFV， four semi-waxy japonica rice （BG26， BG69， BG81 and BG164） and nine common japonica rice （Nanjing-qinggu， CG10， CG23， CG25， CG28， CG32， CG38， CG49 and CG71） were obtained with high storability. Collectively， the research provided germplasm materials applicable for the storability improving of rice varieties and exploring the storage tolerance gene resources.

Abstract:In order to improve the utilization efficiency of naked barley germplasm resources in China， 398 accessions of naked barley from different regions were used to analyze the phenotypic diversity at 18 traits， followed by the analysis of coefficient of variation analysis， diversity index analysis， correlation analysis， principal component analysis and cluster analysis. The results revealed abundant variations among phenotypic traits in different resources. The diversity index of the nine quality traits was 0.66 to 2.06， with an average value of 1.42， and the highest value in plant height， kernels per spike and the smallest value in kernel rows. The traits had 4.71% （kernel color） to 61.03% （heading date） of the coefficient of variation， with an average value of 26.59%. The correlation analysis of nine quantitative traits indicated that spikes per plant， spike length， kernels per spike， thousand kernels weight and setting rate could be deployed as the main target traits for high yield naked barley varieties breeding in the future. The results of principal component analysis showed that the cumulative contribution rate of the five principal component factors was 64.297%. Among them， heading date， plant height， row type and thousand kernels weight were the main factors contributing to the phenotypic differences of naked barley. Combined with the membership function analysis， the comprehensive scores （F value） were calculated. Jiangsuyuanmai No. 33， VII-131， Yumimai， Jiangsu yuan mai No. 58， Jianhutuanliulengzi， Daimaoyuanmai， Jiangsuyuanmai No. 65， Jiangsuyuanmai No. 23， Jiangsuyuanmai No. 20 and Jiangsuyuanmai No. 22 had the highest scores. These materials were divided into four groups by systematic clustering analysis and the clustering results were not strongly correlated with geographic location. These results could provide an important reference for the utilization of naked barley accessions and variety breeding.

Abstract:Drought is one of the most prominent factors that negatively affect the yield quantity and stability of wheat production. It is of great significance to select elite drought-resistant germplasm resources and cultivate drought-resistant varieties. In this study， the drought resistance of 180 wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium introgression lines was comprehensively evaluated at seed germination stage and adult plant stage. By measuring morphological indicators such as root length， biomass and yield-related traits， combined with principal component analysis， membership function analysis and correlation analysis， drought resistance at two growth stages was evaluated. The results showed that drought stress at two growth stages could result in significant decrease considering the drought-resistant related indicators. Shoot fresh weight， root fresh weight， shoot height and maximum root length decreased significantly at germination stage， and plant height and yield per plant decreased significantly at adult stage. The distributions of drought resistance coefficients of each indicator at different growth stages were significantly different. No significant correlation between the D value of comprehensive drought resistance evaluation at seed germination stage and adult stage was detected， but the D value at adult stage was significantly correlated with the drought resistance coefficients of yield per plant， the maximum root length and shoot dry weight at germination stage. The drought resistance of 180 derived lines was classified using the D value of comprehensive evaluation of drought resistance based on principal component analysis and membership function analysis. As a result， 24 lines at germination stage and 28 lines at adult stage were identified showing extremely drought resistant. Especially， 11 elite lines showing strong drought resistance at both germination and adult stages were obtained， which can be used as excellent germplasm resources for wheat drought-resistant breeding and genetic research.

Abstract:This study investigated a special tomato inbred line 85-6 with the parthenocarpy and self-incompatibility. Through the observation of flower appearance， pollen viability and ovule development， 85-6 was found with normal flower structure， pollen activity and ovule development， thus ruling out the abortion of pistil or stamen. Based on the fertility variations of self-pollination， and artificially-assisted self-pollination and hybridization experiments at different temperature， 85-6 showed self-incompatibility under normal temperature conditions， and produced seedless fruit after self-pollination， as well as normal hybrid offspring whenever serving as male or female parents. Under temperature stress （daily average temperature <10 ℃ or >35 ℃） at flowering stage， 85-6 became complete pollination and fertilization to obtain seeded fruits， and its offspring seeds showed 29.75% seed germination rate. After emasculation at the bud stage， whenever under normal or lower temperature conditions， t85-6 was able to produce seedless fruit， thus indicating the characteristics of parthenocarpy. Collectively， the material of 85-6， as a newly-identified germplasm showing the parthenocarpy and self-incompatibility， provided a basis for the parthenocarpy and self-incompatibility breeding， and further deciphering the functional mechanisms.

Abstract:To investigate the genetic diversity of volatile compounds in peach fruits， 36 peach varieties were analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry， followed by ANOVA， coefficient of variation， correlation analysis， principal component analysis and partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The results showed that 77 volatile compounds were detected in 36 peach varieties， including terpenoids， aldehydes， esters， lactones， alcohols and ketones. In addition， the coefficient of variation in volatile compounds of 36 peach varieties ranged from 18% to 390%， indicating that the enrichment of volatile organic compounds diversity in different peach varieties. Based on the correlation analysis， 11 and 10 pairwise-traits were found with correlation and significant correlation， respectively， among which several traits including flesh color， variety type， stone adherence to flesh and flesh texture were correlated with aroma substance content. PCA analysis could clarify white-fleshed and yellow-fleshed peaches. Using variable importance in projection （VIP） >1 and P < 0.05 as criteria， nine characteristic volatile substances were identified and distinguishable in yellow-fleshed peaches from white-fleshed peaches， among which theaspirane was found with the highest VIP.

Abstract:The aroma profiles of core grape germplasm resources in the Turpan region were evaluated to provide reliable data for the improvement of the breeding efficiency of different aromatic grape varieties. In this study， the terpenoid profiles and the genetic loci controlling these components were analyzed in 27 grape varieties. The fruit aromatic phenotypes were analyzed and compared among the different varieties to identify aromatic types most suitable for breeding. These varieties were classified based on four flavors， namely， strawberry， no aroma， rose， and mixed aroma. Twenty-six terpenoids were detected in these varieties. While these terpenoids were found in all aromatic categories， there were significant differences in the compounds and concentrations between the different categories. The rose-flavored varieties showed higher terpenoid concentrations than the varieties with strawberry or no aroma. The significant differences were also observed among the different rose-flavored varieties.The content of nericanol， citronel and rose ether was higher than the average content of the other three fragrant varieties. The main terpenoids identified in the rose-flavored varieties were linalol， geraniol， nerolol， citronellol. At the major terpene regulatory genetic loci， three genotypes including the dominant homozygous T/T， heterozygous G/T， and recessive G/G were detected in the 27 grape varieties. Sunshine Rose and Zaokangbao were T/T； coreless white， Red Earth， Jufeng， white banana， coreless white heart， and SP1153 were G/G； other varieties were G/T. The findings suggested that Sunshine Rose and Zaokangbao were ideal breeding materials for the rose aroma. Zaoshou Musk， fragrant Concubine， noble Concubine rose， Italy， oasis gem， and seedless Cuibao varieties had strong or relatively strong rose aroma and carried the heterozygous G/T genotype， and these varieties could be used for breeding via by self-crossing or cross-breeding.

Abstract:This study analyzed the quality chemical composition characteristics and genetic diversity of Camellia yungkiangensis， a special tea germplasm resource in Guizhou， in order to provide scientific basis for its development and utilization and the cultivation of new special tea varieties. 121 Camellia yungkiangensis germplasms collected from Moon Mountain， Qiandongnan Prefecture， Guizhou Province， China， were subjected to analyze 21 main quality chemical components， such as water extracts， tea polyphenols， free amino acids. Their quality characteristics and genetic diversity were evaluated by genetic diversity analysis， principal component analysis， cluster analysis， correlation analysis， and the elite resources were identified. The variation coefficient of 21 quality chemical components in 121 resources was 5.70-119.69， with an average of 32.84%， and the genetic diversity index was 1.47-2.08， with an average of 1.95. Based on the correlation analysis results of 21 quality chemical component indexes， there were 42 pairs of traits with extremely significant positive correlation， 14 pairs with significant positive correlation， 10 pairs with extremely significant negative correlation， and 10 pairs with significant negative correlation. The principal component analysis showed that the characteristic values of the first seven principal components were over 1， with the cumulative contribution rate of 76.84%. The comprehensive score of the quality chemical components of each individual plant resource on each principal component was obtained by the factor score coefficient matrix， and 12 individual plant resources with high comprehensive score of the quality chemical components were selected. Cluster analysis showed that 121 Camellia yungkiangensis germplasm resources could be divided into 6 groups at the Euclidean distance of 18.0. The 121 Camellia yungkiangensis germplasm resources were identified with high tea polyphenols （≥20.0%）， low caffeine （≤1.5%） and high theobromine （≥2.5%）， of which 72 were high tea polyphenols （≥20.0%） and high water extracts （≥45%）. These Camellia yungkiangensis germplasm resources， which showed high tea polyphenols， low caffeine and high theobromine， represent rich genetic diversity and have the potential to cultivate new varieties of specific tea plants.

Abstract:The wheat grain hardness is an important index affecting the commodity classification， milling technology and flour final processing use. Molecular marker-assisted （MAS） technique can effectively improve the breeding efficiency for grain hardness in wheat. In order to explore and develop more molecular markers that are closely linked to the grain hardness of wheat， the recombinant inbred lines （RILs） population was constructed by crossing the hard wheat Yangmai 158 with soft wheat Xifeng， and genotyped by wheat 55K SNP array technique. The genetic linkage map is 2784.9 cM in length with 3830 non-consegregation SNP markers. Based on the kernel hardness phenotype in the 4-year experiment， the QTL affecting wheat grain hardness were mapped in the chromosome. A total of 12 repeatable QTL were identified on chromosomes 1A， 1B， 1D， 2A （2）， 3A， 4D， 5A， 5D， 6B， 6D and 7A， and each single QTL could explain 3.2%-15.2% of grain hardness variation. Among them， eleven QTL were derived from the soft wheat Xifeng， and one QTL from the hard wheat Yangmai 158. Seven QTL showed stable performance and were detected simultaneously in the 4-year experiment， and five QTL were newly identified. The newly discovered QTL， especially QTL on chromosome 5D， could account for up to 15.2% of the phenotypic variation. SNP markers closely linked to these QTL will provide help for marker-assisted selection in soft wheat in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Abstract:In order to understand the molecular mechanism of tartary buckwheat against bacterial blight， we isolated the transcription factor gene FtEIN3 in Chuanqiao 1， a representative variety of tartary buckwheat.The FtEIN3 contains the CDS sequence length of 1623 bp， encoding 540 amino acids. The secondary structure of FtEIN3 protein was composed of α-helix （33.52%）， extended chain （6.67%）， β-fold （2.41%） and irregular coil （57.41%）. Phylogenetic tree indicated that FtEIN3 protein was closely related to GhEIN3 and DzEIN3 protein. Five different EIN3 sequence haplotypes were detected in 108 tartary buckwheat germplasm， and out of them Hap3 was an elite haplotype. qRT-PCR revealed that the expression of FtEIN3 gene in tartary buckwheat was induced by Rhizoctonia solani. The FtEIN3 gene in tartary buckwheat was localized in the nucleus under confocal laser microscopy. To further verify the function of FtEIN3 gene， FtEIN3 transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana were constructed and their resistance to blip disease was analyzed. The results showed that overexpression of FtEIN3 gene significantly improved the resistance of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana to bacterial blight compared with the wild type. These results proved that FtEIN3 gene was involved in the defense process of tartary buckwheat against bacterial blight， and laid a foundation for further research on the molecular mechanism of FtEIN3 regulation of tartary buckwheat resistance to blight.

Abstract:The transcriptome analysis of tartary buckwheat identified a flavonol synthase gene FtFLS1. In order to further understand its structure， function and diversity in tartary buckwheat genome， we identified 104 members of FLS gene family with 10 subgroups， in which FtFLS1 was found in DF8 subgroup. Promoter analysis revealed two MeJA response elements at the upstream of 1500 bp sequence. We analyzed the expression of FtFLS1 in different organs and its response to MeJA treatments. The transcriptional level of FtFLS1 in stems and leaves was comparable but higher in roots. Expression of FtFLS1 also increased significantly with the treatment of MeJA. We subsequently cloned the CDS sequence of FtFLS1， and then generated FtFLS1 over-expressed hairy root lines of tartary buckwheat and detected their flavonoid content. Over-expression transformants over accumulated the downstream products of FLS， which including kaempferol， quercetin and rutin， while the contents of dihydrokaempferol and dihydroquercetin， the substrates of brass synthetase， decreased significantly. Furthermore， we analyzed the diversity of FtFLS1 gene in different populations of tartary buckwheat， and found that Northern landraces， Southwestern landraces and Himalayan wild accessions present obvious differentiation. The results are helpful for understanding the FtFLS1-mediated synthesis of flavonoids and the domestication process of buckwheat.

Abstract:The species diversity of Calanthe R. Br. is rich. However， under the influence of global warming， extreme high temperature weather frequently occurs， which exacerbates the harm of abiotic stress on the survival and reproduction of Calanthe. In this study， six species of Calanthe were analyzed for heat tolerance via applying means of high-temperature semi-lethal physiological experiments. Calanthe argenteostriata C. Z. Tang & S. J. Cheng and C. tricarinata Lindl.， which were identified to be heat tolerant or sensitive， respectively， were used for transcriptome sequencing and identification of differentially-expressed genes （DEGs） under heat stress treatment conditions. In addition， their transcriptional profiles at different temperatures were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR technology. The research results were included： （1） The heat tolerance of six species of Calanthe is ranked from weak to strong： C. tricarinata Lindl.， C. graciliflora Hayata， C. triplicata（Willem.）Ames， C. herbacea Lindl.， C. sinica Z. H. Tsi， C. argenteostriata C. Z. Tang & S. J. Cheng. （2） Gene families responsible to heat stress were identified， including HSP， HSF， LEA， XTH， TIL. （3） In C. tricarinata Lindl.， the up-regulated expression threshold of DEGs was 30 ℃， and the temperature over 30℃ might cause heat damage. In C. argenteostriata C. Z. Tang & S. J. Cheng， nine DEGs were highly expressed at 40 ℃， possibly resulting in an improvement of tolerance to heat stress. This study explored the response of Calanthe to heat stress at the molecular level， provided important clues for identifying key genes of heat tolerance and cultivating garden heat tolerant plants， which might provide reference in modern garden breeding.

Abstract:Wild adzuki bean are important gene resources for genetic improvement of cultivars， however， pod shattering and hard seededness are classical characters of wild genotypes， and are disadvantage traits in breeding. In the present study， we used a recombination inbred line （RIL） population， developed from a cross between a cultivar and a wild genotype（Vigna angularis var. nipponensis）， to identify QTL loci related with pod shattering and hard seededness using SSR markers. The results showed that the ratio of pod shattering （PS）， the number of pod curling （NPC） and the ratio of hard seededness （HSN） were not fitful for normal distribution， but had continuous variation. Eleven linkage groups were constructed using 111 SSR markers with a total length of 3813.5 cM and 34.35 cM for intervals. A total of 19 QTLs were detected for PS and NPC in 2021 and 13 were detected in 2022. Two QTLs were repeatedly detected to be related with the NPC and 3 were with PS. There were 4 QTLs that related with the hard seededness and the one on LG11 were also repeatedly detected with PS in 2021 and 2022， and NPC in 2022. The present results provided insights for fine mapping of these domesticate-related traits and investigating the functional mechanisms.

Abstract:Soybean is an important legume crop in the world， and serves as the main donor of protein and oil for human diet and animal feeding. The protein and oil content are genetically controlled by multiple genes， and are largely environment-dependent. It is of great significance to explore high protein and oil loci in targeted breeding of new soybean varieties. In this study， a genetic segregation population including 880 families was generated by Heinong 84 （high yield and quality） crossed with Jinghe 4 （high protein content）， and subjected for the protein and oil content quantification. The genotyping was conducted using ZDX1 SNP array and SSR molecular markers， combine. Two protein QTL and two oil QTL were identified through the complete interval mapping method （ICIM-ADD） using QTL IciMapping 4.2. qPro_11_1 and qOil_11_1 were co-localized in an interval of 126.27 kb between the molecular markers SSR_11_1087 and SSR_11_1090， showing the genetic contribution rate of 4.05% and 3.23% respectively， as well as five annotation genes in the region. qPro_14_1 and qOil_14_1 were co-localized between the molecular markers SSR_14_0421 and SSR_14_0429， with the interval size of 246.09 kb with 15 annotation genes， showing the genetic contribution rate of 4.67% and 7.13% respectively. Collectively， this study identified the QTL loci on protein content and oil content， thus laying a foundation for the marker-assisted selection breeding and gene map-based cloning of soybean with high protein and high oil content.

Abstract:Quercus mongolica Fisch is a native species at the temperate zone of East Asia， and is highly valuable considering its application and economic potential. Trihelix transcription factors are related to plant light response， growth and development， and abiotic stress. In order to study the performance of Trihelix transcription factors in Quercus mongolica under different shading and water stress， 34 QmTHs （designated QmTH01 to QmTH34） were identified from the genome of Quercus mongolica by bioinformatics analysis. By clustering analysis with 29 Trihelix transcription factors identified in Arabidopsis thaliana， the Trihelix transcription factors can be divided into five subgroups including GT-1， GT-2， GT-γ， SH4 and SIP1. QmTHs were found on 10 chromosomes of Quercus mongolica， encoding for the putative proteins ranged from 189 to 897 aa， with isoelectric points ranging from 4.58 to 9.78. A total of 14 different cis-acting elements were identified in the promoters of QmTHs， in which the elements related to methyl jasmonate response， abscisic acid response and light response were often found. According to gene expression analysis under different shading and water stress， the transcripts of QmTH01， QmTH14， QmTH22， QmTH24 and QmTH33 were relatively high under high light intensity， and significantly down-regulated with the decrease of light intensity， indicating that these five genes were involved in the growth physiology of Quercus mongolica under high light response. The expressions of QmTH06， QmTH17 and QmTH24 were significantly up-regulated under watering treatments （April， May， June， July and August； once per month）， indicating that these genes possibly mediated the response of Quercus mongolica to water stress.

Abstract:Wild populations are important germplasm resources， and studying their genetic diversity and variation pattern of local wild and cultivated populations can facilitate their scientific protection and sustainable utilization. This study is based on the natural and cultivated distribution area of Chinese chestnut in Beijing， collecting leaves from a total of 93 germplasm of 5 cultivated populations and 1 wild population， and collecting leaves from a total of 16 germplasm of 1 population （as an outgroup） in Yichang （YC）， Hubei. Sixteen pairs of microsatellite primers （SSR） were used to analyze the genetic diversity and genetic structure. The wild C. mollissima populations in Beijing was found with relatively high genetic diversity， and the genetic diversity of the wild Hongluosi population （HLS） was significantly higher than that of other populations. There was significant genetic differentiation between populations of C. mollissima （Fst = 0.232）， with low frequency of gene flow （Nm = 0.547）. AMOVA analysis showed that the intra-population genetic variation （57.70 %） was greater than that among populations （42.30%）. The genetic structure analysis showed that YC chestnut population was significantly different from Beijing chestnut populations. The HLS wild population was independent of Banliyuan population （BLY， an ancient tree population） and the other cultivated populations that were clustered into a group， indicating that cultivated chestnuts might come from the ancient tree population in Beijing. A coincidence was observed as well based on the UPGMA clustering， PCoA and PCA analysis. Treemix analysis showed that the chestnut populations in Beijing were likely from the YC population in southern China， indicating an evolutionary path for chestnut to migrate from central China to Beijing. The population history results indicate that the Beijing populations differentiated from the YC populations approximately 83，000 years ago， while the differentiation of local wild and cultivated species in Beijing occurred approximately 32，000 years ago. Our results support the hypothesis of chestnut migrating northward from central China. The domestication of cultivated species reduced the genetic diversity of chestnut germplasm resources in Beijing. The wild populations and cultivated ancient trees retain high genetic diversity， which should be protected preferentially.

Abstract:Camellia oleifera Abel.， which shows self-incompatibility （SI） and low natural fruit setting rate， has seriously affected its yield production and the following development in industry. To uncover the function of Peroxidase （POD） in self-incompatibility， four POD genes CoPOD1/2/3/4 were cloned from C. oleifera by reverse transcription cloning technology. The length of gene coding regions were 1086， 1011， 1020 and 1218 bp， encoding 361， 336， 339 and 405 amino acids non-transmembrane proteins with signaling peptides， respectively. Although lower sequence similarity among the CoPOD1/2/3/4 proteins is observed， they all contain peroxidase active sites and heme ligand sequences near peroxidase. The phylogenetic analysis revealed closely sequence homology of CoPOD1/2/3/4 to those of Camellia sinensis （L.） O. Ktze. Real-time fluorescence quantitative results showed that PODs were significantly up-regulated， followed by decreased expression within 24-48 h after self-pollination. The transcripts of CoPOD1/3/4 were higher than cross-pollinated in pistills at 36 h after self-pollination. The POD activity in the pistil of self-pollination was higher than that of cross-pollinated within 24-72 h， showing the highest expression peak at 36 h. The POD activity in the pistil of the cross-pollinated was in dynamic balance at early stage， with significantly up-regulated after 72 h. We speculate that the POD genes might be involved in the programmed pollen tube death of C. oleifera after self-pollination， thus participating in the self-incompatibility reaction. Collectively， this paper provides reference for further research on self-incompatibility mechanism in C. oleifera.

Abstract:As a new mutagen， lithium （⁷Li） ion beam plays an increasingly important role in crop mutation breeding. In this study， the characteristics of wheat DNA damage induced by ⁷Li ion beam irradiation treatment were explored by comet assay， and the transcriptional re-programming was preliminarily analyzed by transcriptome analysis. The wheat seedlings showed lower growth inhibition of wheat seedlings caused by ⁷Li ion beam irradiation， but seedlings leaf vein chlorosis to cracking， if compared with those treated by the conventional mutagenic gamma ray （γ）. Based on GO and KEGG functional analysis of differentially expressed genes （DEGs） induced by irradiation， DEGs induced by ⁷Li ion beam irradiation were mainly enriched in cell wall synthesis and metabolism and glycerolipid metabolic pathways， while DEGs induced by γ ray irradiation were mainly enriched in photosynthetic metabolic pathways. That suggested that cell wall synthesis and metabolism and glycerolipid metabolic pathways are likely modulated by ⁷Li ion beam irradiation， while photosynthetic metabolic pathways are likely modified by γ ray irradiation. Gained from the results of transcription factor analysis of two radiation-induced DEGs， several transcription factor families， such as MYB， WRKY， bHLH and NAC， might specifically respond to ⁷Li ion beam irradiation. The results of this study implied that ⁷Li ion beam irradiation specifically modify the transcriptional re-programming of Whirly family transcription factors to regulate DNA damage repair， while the conventional γ ray irradiation likely induced the E2F / DP family transcription factors to regulate DNA damage repair.

Abstract:Uvaria kweichowensis is a native plant species in China， and the wild populations are relatively small with narrowed geographic distribution. In order to systematically understand its quantity， distribution status and utilization in Guangxi province， we carried out the investigation and collection of Uvaria kweichowensis germplasm resources in nine counties through field visits and questionnaire surveys， and a total of 95 Uvaria kweichowensis samples were collected from 2016 to 2022. The survey results show that Uvaria kweichowensis is a perennial vine with mature leaf leathery， being mainly distributed in the karst rocky mountain area with the attitude of 650 to 1100 meters in nine counties such as Longan County and Tiane County in Guangxi. The number of germplasm resources in wild populations were scarce， and individuals often grew individually without protection. The local people have the traditional habit to collect the leaves of Uvaria kweichowensis for diseases treatment and tea drinking. In addition， we deployed the seed sowing or branch cottage， in order to collect and select the elite germplasm resources. The results showed that low survival rate of Uvaria kweichowensis， the germination rate of seeds from different sources was 25.7 % -34.4 %， and the survival rate of cuttings was 4.4%-14.4%. Collectively， this study discussed the main factors harmful to this species and the solution for protection of Uvaria kweichowensis， which might provide the reference for the protection， excavation and innovative utilization of the germplasm resources of Uvaria kweichowensis in Guangxi province， China.

Abstract:The main nutrient components of rhizome were determined and evaluated in 20 seleng wormwood germplasm resources preserved in National Germplasm Wuhan Aquatic Vegetable Resource Garden. The dry matter， protein， soluble sugar and crude fiber contents were 17.90%， 3.28%， 10.14% and 1.09%， respectively. Based on the stem color， the contents of dry matter， protein， and soluble sugar were classified （red > green > white）. The protein content of green if compared to white seleng wormwood was equal， and the crude fiber content was further classified （white > red > green）. According to the blade shape， the contents of dry matter， protein and soluble sugar of wormwood rhizome were higher in broken leaf-seleng wormwood in comparison to willow-leaf-seleng wormwood， while the crude fiber content was observed opposite in both types. However， for each of nutrient components， no significant difference was observed between each of two types. The nutritional quality of red seleng wormwood and broken leaf-seleng wormwood was relatively better. The highest value on the contents of dry matter， soluble sugar and crude fibre was detected in Lishilouhao， and the highest protein content was found in Shayanglouhao. The partial correlation between dry matter content and protein content and that between dry matter content and soluble sugar content were significantly positive. The partial correlation between protein and soluble sugar was significantly negative.