Abstract:To evaluate the tolerance of different maize materials to salt stress during the germination period and to explore the salt talerance of hybrid maize materials from different hybridization patterns during the germination stage. This study used a 160 mmol/L NaCl solution to treat 152 maize inbred lines and 303 hybrid varieties under salt stress. Distilled water culture was used as the control， and salt tolerance during germination was identified using a paper bed culture method in a culture dish. The results showed that salt stress treatment significantly reduced the germination potential， germination rate， and germination index of maize materials. Trait correlation analysis revealed a highly significant positive correlation between different traits. Using the salt tolerance rate during the germination period and combining with the clustering analysis results， the inbred and hybrid materials were divided into five salt tolerance levels： Level I （high tolerance， 4 inbred lines， 17 hybrids）， Level II （tolerance， 19 inbred lines， 58 hybrids）， Level III （moderate tolerance， 47 inbred lines， 120 hybrids）， Level IV （sensitive， 33 inbred lines， 71 hybrids）， and Level V （high sensitivity， 49 inbred lines， 37 hybrids）. Based on the analysis of identity-by-descent （IBD） segments， 146 inbred line materials were divided into 8 groups. The salt tolerance of different groups of inbred line materials was as follows： European maternal group>Complex group>Inbred line 330 group>PB group>Lancaster group>Tangsipingtou group>PA group>Reid group. The hybrid materials are divided into 23 hybridization patterns based on the different parent material groups， among which European maternal group×PB group is the optimal heterosis pattern for salt stress tolerance during germination. This study identified the salt tolerance of inbred lines and hybrid materials， and selected 4 high salt tolerant inbred line materials and 17 high salt tolerant hybrid materials.

Abstract:Broomcorn millet （Panicum miliaceum L.） is a diverse and ancient crop with rich germplasm resources. The use of fluorescent SSR markers enables the digital management and classification of these resources， facilitating their rational and efficient utilization. In this study， 258 broomcorn millet accessions from Inner Mongolia， China， were used to develop 12 fluorescent SSR markers， based on 85 pairs of conventional SSR markers previously developed by our research group， through multiple rounds of amplification， selection， optimization and modification （adding fluorescent labels to the 5-end of the primers）. MapChart 2.32 was used to plot the chromosome location of these markers， ID Analysis 4.0 to assess the discriminating power of the markers， PowerMarker 3.25 and PopGen 1.32 for genetic diversity analysis， MEGA 11.0.10 for constructing the cluster diagram， and NTSYSpc2.11a for principal component analysis. A DNA molecular ID was created for the genotypes using a QR code generator. Genetic diversity analysis showed that there were 123 alleles in 258 materials amplified by 7 pairs of markers， with an average of 17.5714 alleles per marker. The mean values of effective alleles ， Shannon diversity index， Observed heterozygosity， expected heterozygosity ， Neis gene diversity index and Polymorphism information content were 7.4622， 2.2270， 0.8021， 0.8372， 0.8353， and 0.8994. The results of capillary electrophoresis were encoded in a specific way， and only 7 pairs of fluorescent labels （RYW6， RYW8， RYW37， RYW40， RYW67， RYW124 and RYW125） were used to generate 258 strings and two-dimensional code DNA molecular identity cards of Inner Mongolia millet resources. This approach provided a molecular detection tool and theoretical basis for the classification management and rapid identification of the germplasm resources of Inner Mongolia broomcorn millet germplasm resources.

Abstract:Monilinia fructicola is the predominant species causing peach brown rot in China， and developing resistant varieties is crucial through screening resistant resources against this disease. In 2022-2023， peach fruits with a maturity index of 8.0-8.5 were collected from National Peach Germplasm Resources Garden （Zhengzhou， China） for artificial inoculation and screening. In total，150 accessions were evaluated by uninjured inoculation， and 37 accessions by injured inoculation. The percentage growth of infected fruits per day （PGIF） and lesion diameter growth rate （LDGR） were used to evaluate brown rot resistance. A 9-grade resistance evaluation system was established based on the average value of PGIF and LDGR with 0.5 standard deviation， respectively. The resistance of different germplasm， flesh texture， fruit types， and origin were compared， and the correlation between resistance indexes and other fruit characters was analyzed. PGIF by non-destructive inoculation was 7.68%， and the CV value was 69.69%. In its resistance evaluation system，grade 1 included 11 accessions resistant to fruit brown rot， grade 2 included 34 accessions， grade 3 included 28 accessions， grade 4 included 21 accessions， grade 5 included 20 accessions， grade 6 included 14 accessions， grade 7 included 16 accessions， grade 8 included 4 accessions， and grade 9 included only 2 accessions. The LDGR was 0.82 cm/d， and the CV value was 31.69%. In its resistance evaluation system，grade 1 contains 1 accession with strong resistance， grade 2 contains 3 accessions， grade 3 contains 5 accessions， grade 4 contains 5 accessions， grade 5 contains 7 accessions， grade 6 contains 8 accessions， grade 7 contains 5 accessions， grade 8 contains 2 accessions， and grade 9 contains only 1 accession. It was found that landraces exhibit relatively strong resistance to brown rot. The LDGR was negatively correlated with fruit acidity， and the PGIF was negatively correlated with fruit hardness. Collectively， 11 accessions resistant to fungal invasion and 1 accession resistant to fungal expansion were identified using non-destructive and destructive inoculation methods， respectively.

Abstract:Nymphaea is an important aquatic ornamental plant that plays an important role in aquatic ecological restoration， landscaping， horticultural health and other areas. The research progress on the classification and characteristics of Nymphaea by morphology， cytology， palynology and molecular markers was reviewed， and the phylogeny and phylogenetic relationships of Nymphaea were analyzed from different perspectives. The current situation of genomics and gene family function analysis and identification of Nymphaea， as well as the research progress of physiology， biochemistry and resistance of Nymphaea were reviewed， which provided the basis for the systematic study of reproductive growth and stress response mechanism of Nymphaea. At the same time， the research contents of embryonic development， reproductive process and breeding of Nymphaea were reviewed. And in the future， the research of Nympheae should continue to deepen， the genetic transformation system should be established， and the breeding， whole genome sequencing of Nympheae should be strengthened， in order to provide important theoretical basis for the breeding and propagation of new varieties of Nymphaea and the preservation and utilization of germplasm resources of Nymphaea by using molecular biology technology.

Abstract:Blueberries are renowned worldwide for their unique nutritional and health benefits. However， as cultivation periods extend， blueberry varieties in different countries and regions are facing challenges such as stress susceptibility， poor adaptability， and mismatched chilling requirements. These issues partly stem from excessive inbreeding， leading to limited genetic diversity and inbreeding depression， which restrict the production of high-quality fresh blueberries and the expansion of cultivation areas. Consequently， countries have initiated hybrid breeding programs based on their local climates and market demands. Nevertheless， current blueberry breeding methods remain confined to traditional hybridization techniques， which are time-consumption， resource-intensive， and lack the application of modern biotechnological breeding approaches. This article aims to introduce the countries involved in blueberry breeding and their varietal development processes， while summarizing and analyzing the breeding trends of six major types of blueberries. It also discusses the modern biotechnological approaches applied in current global blueberry breeding and outlines future breeding goals. It is hoped that these insights will provide a theoretical basis for blueberry breeding efforts in our country.

Abstract:As one of China’s ten most iconic flowers， Rhododendron is renowned for its ornamental value and cultural significance. The genus exhibits remarkable species diversity， extensive natural hybridization， and advanced horticultural development in selected varieties. However， persistent inconsistencies in varietal nomenclature have impeded international germplasm exchange. SSR markers have emerged as powerful tools for addressing these challenges， offering critical advantages in germplasm identification， genetic diversity assessment， and marker-assisted breeding. This review summarizes two decades of research progress on SSR marker applications in Rhododendron species. Approximately 509 SSR markers have been developed to date via diverse methodologies， including bioinformatics databases mining and next-generation sequencing. These markers showed cross-species transferability rate of 50% to 100% among closely related species. In terms of species conservation， SSR markers have facilitated the conservation strategy formulation， mating system analysis， and gene flow monitoring， providing empirical support for preserving genetic diversity. SSR markers are also used for authenticity identification of hybrid progeny， as well as trait-marker association studies targeting key horticultural traits such as leaf chlorosis and floral pigmentation. Finally， this review proposes future prospects of SSR markers， including development of SSR markers for endangered Rhododendron species， marker-assisted breeding for important traits， and establishment of DNA fingerprinting databases to standardize variety identification， expecting to provide references for assessment， conservation， and breeding of Rhododendron species.

Abstract:In response to the increasing endangerment of wild adzuki bean and its wild relatives in Liaoning province， a rescue-oriented collection effort was conducted across 36 districts （counties） in 14 cities within the province. The collected resources were evaluated for bruchid resistance. The results revealed that Vigna angularis var. nipponensis are primarily distributed in the central and eastern regions of Liaoning， especially along the eastern coastal areas， while Vigna radiata var. sublobata and Vigna minima are mainly found in the western regions. A total of 262 germplasm accessions of wild adzuki bean and its wild relatives were collected. The study highlights the severe endangerment of these species in Liaoning province， with urbanization and human activities identified as the primary drivers of this threat. Significant differences were observed between wild and cultivated adzuki bean in growth habits， stem characteristics， pod color， and seed color. Additionally， the evaluation of bruchid resistance identified two highly resistant and one resistant germplasm accessions. This is the first time that bruchid-resistant adzuki bean resources have been identified both domestically and internationally. These findings provide a critical foundation for the conservation and utilization of rare and endangered wild adzuki bean resources and its wild relatives in China and offer valuable germplasm for breeding bruchid-resistant adzuki bean cultivars.

Abstract:In order to provide reference for the protect， development and utilization of Vaccinium bracteatum resources， a total of 70 germplasm resources from 5 geographical populations were genotyped by GBS （Genotyping-by-Sequencing） technique to develop SNP markers. Using the developed markers， we investigated the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of V. bracteatum. The result shows a total of 9752 highly consistent and effective SNP markers were obtained through sequencing data analysis. 5 geographical populations of V. bracteatum all have high levels of genetic diversity， with an average effective number of alleles （Ne） of 1.523， expected heterozygosity （He） of 0.219， and observed heterozygosity （Ho） of 0.231. Among the 5 populations， the Liyang population had the highest genetic diversity. Analysis of variance for molecular variation（AMOVA） revealed that 64.45% of the total genetic variation resided among individuals. The fixation index （Fst） showed a high degree of genetic differentiation among the 5 geographical populations， with the highest Fst values（0.406） observed between the Liyang and Shangyou populations. Based on the results of NJ Phylogenetic tree， V. bracteatum resources clustered into three branches， which did not show obvious correspondence between geographical location and genetic relationships. The STRUCTURE analysis clustered the V. bracteatum resources into three subgroups， the results of principal component analysis was consistent with it， and different geographical populations are distributed in each subgroup， indicating the existence of high gene exchange in V. bracteatum resources. This study provides reference for selection and breeding of V. bracteatum and germplasm conservation.

Abstract:Brassica oleracea vegetables, a group of leafy crops encompassing cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, brussels sprout, and kale, face persistent challenges in production and breeding, including premature bolting and asynchronous flowering between two parents. Improving bolting resistance by molecular design breeding strategies holds significant promise. However, the genetic complexity underlying flowering regulation in B. oleracea is compounded by the diverse flowering mechanisms across subspecies and fragmented knowledge of associated regulatory genes. This review concludes optimal environmental conditions for flowering of B. oleracea vegetables and summarizes genes and variants for flowering pathways which are mainly involved in gibberellin pathway, vernalization, and photoperiodic responses on the basis of five main flower regulation pathways in higher plants. The prospect of the follow-up research on the regulation of bolting and flowering of cabbage vegetables is also suggested. A conceptual gene interaction network that integrates key regulators of bolting and flowering of B. oleracea vegetables is proposed, providing a valuable reference for improving bolting resistance of B. oleracea vegetables.

Abstract:In order to explore the response of flower organ traits and lint percentage to high temperature， and to evaluation the breeding materials of Gossypium barbadense L. with high temperature tolerance， this study evaluated 5 traits （4 flower organ traits and lint percentage） of 534 Gossypium barbadense L. resources in Awati County in 2022， and then selected 36 materials with extreme traits.Statistical analysis showed that the variation coefficient of 534 Gossypium barbadense L. resources ranged from 8.57% to 26.56%.Correlation analysis revealed that style length was extremely significant positively correlated with the other 4 traits.In 2023， we conducted an enhanced temperature shed heat stress test on 36 previously selected Gossypium barbadense L. resources with extreme traits in Awati County and measured the performance of 23 phenotypic traits.The results showed that the 36 extreme resources showed different degrees of variation in agronomic traits and 14 traits showed obvious difference compared with the control.Principal component analysis identified 6 principal components， which accounted for 85.34% .Cluster analysis divides the resources into four categories： heat resistant， medium heat resistant， thermosensitive and highly thermosensitive.Correlation analysis confirmed the positive correlation between the effective boll number， the effective branch number and the heat resistance （comprehensive evaluation value）. Multiple regression analysis further showed that the goodness of fit between flower organ traits， lint percentage and pollen activity and comprehensive evaluation value was not high.This study provided important theoretical basis and germplasm resources for Gossypium barbadense L. breeding for high temperature tolerance.