Frontiers in Plant SciencePub Date : 2025-09-25eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1659802
Nikoletta Jaksa-Czotter, Emese Demián, Réka Sáray, Katalin Salánki, Éva Várallyay
{"title":"Comparative functional analyses of the movement and coat proteins of grapevine Pinot gris virus, encoded by symptomatic and asymptomatic variants.","authors":"Nikoletta Jaksa-Czotter, Emese Demián, Réka Sáray, Katalin Salánki, Éva Várallyay","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1659802","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1659802","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Using small RNA high-throughput sequencing (HTS), we previously demonstrated the widespread distribution of grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV) in Hungarian vineyards. This trichovirus has been associated with a disease known as grapevine leaf mottling and deformation (GLMD). However, since GPGV has been detected in both symptomatic and asymptomatic plants, its exact role in GLMD disease is not well-characterised. Studies addressing this question suggested that differences in the GPGV susceptibility of the grapevine cultivars and the presence of variants of the virus could affect symptom development. Being able to suppress various steps of the RNA interference-based defence reactions, the viral suppressor of RNAi (VSR), encoded by the ORF3 of GPGV, can also alter the symptom development. In the present study, we compared the VSR activity of the ORF3-encoded coat protein of symptomatic and asymptomatic GPGV variants and found that both possess VSR activity. Testing the VSR activity of the ORF2-encoded movement proteins from the two variants, using a GFP-based transient gene expression assay, we found that the GPGV-MP has weak systemic VSR activity. Moreover, we found that the transient expression of the MP variants induced necrosis in the infiltrated leaves, which was stronger in the case of the symptomatic variant. To functionally characterise the crucial sequence elements of MP responsible for this difference in the necrosis between symptomatic and asymptomatic variants, the necrosis-inducing activity of GPGV-MP encoded by different natural and recombinant variants was tested. Differences in the GPGV-MP necrosis-inducing activity suggested that, besides the previously described C/T polymorphism, different phosphorylation patterns of the GPGV-MP may contribute to symptom development.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1659802"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12507868/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145279894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in Plant SciencePub Date : 2025-09-25eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1672119
Xiaowei Zhang, Tianyu Dong, Dan Chen, Haowei Sun, Anchuan Xu, Chunqiong Wang, Dan Li, Jieyun Cai, Lingduo Bu, Ke Zhang, Haitao Chen
{"title":"Unraveling flavor formation mechanism of cigar smoke through volatile compounds in cigar smoke and potential precursors in cigar tobacco.","authors":"Xiaowei Zhang, Tianyu Dong, Dan Chen, Haowei Sun, Anchuan Xu, Chunqiong Wang, Dan Li, Jieyun Cai, Lingduo Bu, Ke Zhang, Haitao Chen","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1672119","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1672119","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The flavor of cigar smoke directly influences the consumer's willingness to purchase. However, the analysis of cigar smoke was lack. In this research, a total of 235 volatile compounds were identified by GC×GC-TOFMS in cigar smoke from Yuxi, Dehong and Pu'er regions of Yunnan, including 72 alkenes, 47 aromatic hydrocarbons, 42 heterocyclics, 28 ketones, 8 alcohols, 4 aldehydes, 3 esters, 13 phenols, 5 acetonitrile and 13 others. ROAV analysis indicated that <i>o</i>-cresol, guaiacol, 2,6-dimethyl-phenol, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxystyrene, <i>(E,E)</i>-2,4-hexadienal, butylbenzene, naphthalene, nicotine and D-limonene might be the key flavor compounds. By OPLS-DA, 2-methyl-pyridine, 2,4-dimethylfuran, 2-carene, 13-heptadecyn-1-ol, 1-ethyl-2-methyl-benzene, 2,3,5,8-tetramethyl-1,5,9-decatrien, 1-ethyl-4-methyl-benzene, <i>β</i>-elemene, methyl isobutyl ketone and 3-methylcyclopentanone were found to be the differential volatiles distinguishing samples from different areas. Eventually, 5 groups of potential flavor precursors were summarized and identified (cembranoid, phenylalanine, chlorophyll, carotenoid and reducing sugar). This research has provided theoretical guidance for the improvement of flavor quality of cigar smoke in Yunnan.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1672119"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12509428/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145279941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in Plant SciencePub Date : 2025-09-25eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1661440
Patrick Obia Ongom, Christian Ademola Fatokun, Ousmane Boukar
{"title":"Discovery and development of single-nucleotide polymorphism markers for resistance to <i>Striga gesnerioides</i> in cowpea (<i>Vigna unguiculata</i>).","authors":"Patrick Obia Ongom, Christian Ademola Fatokun, Ousmane Boukar","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1661440","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1661440","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The parasitic weed [<i>Striga gesnerioides</i> (Willd.) Vatke] is a principal biotic constraint to cowpea [<i>Vigna unguiculata</i> (L.) Walp.] production in West and Central Africa, causing severe yield reductions. Multiple races of <i>S. gesnerioides</i> exist across the cowpea-growing areas of the sub-region. Past efforts identified some resistant sources and race-specific genes underpinning Striga resistance, but deployment of associated markers in breeding is limited. Here, we utilized a 51K cowpea iSelect single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to decipher genomic regions underlying Striga resistance and explore marker conversion and validation for easy deployment.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The study used two-year phenotypic data on a minicore panel of 368 cowpea genotypes screened at two sites in Northern Nigeria. SNPs performances were verified and validated using two independent sets of 60 and 20 diverse genotypes respectively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The minicore displayed apparent differences in response to the <i>S. gesnerioides</i> attack. A genome-wide scan uncovered a primary gene effect signal on chromosome Vu11 and minor regions on chromosomes Vu02, Vu03, Vu07, Vu09 and Vu10. The major effect region on Vu11 harbored a coil-coil nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (CC-NBS-LRR) protein, encoded by the <i>RSG3-301</i> gene, previously implicated in race-specific resistance to <i>S. gesnerioides</i> in cowpea. The associated SNPs were successfully converted into Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) assays and validated using 20 independent diverse cowpea genotypes. Five KASP markers, snpVU00075, snpVU00076, snpVU00077, snpVU00078, and snpVU00079, depicted consistent and significant associations with the phenotype in the validation set.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The markers provide valuable tools for efficient marker-assisted selection (MAS) in breeding programs focused on developing Striga-resistant cowpea varieties.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1661440"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12507908/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145280012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in Plant SciencePub Date : 2025-09-25eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1669918
Julia van Bockstaele-Fuentes, Narimane Mati-Baouche, Josselin Lupette, Nesrine Gargouch, Elodie Rivet, Patrice Lerouge, Muriel Bardor
{"title":"An overview of protein <i>N</i>-glycosylation diversity in microalgae.","authors":"Julia van Bockstaele-Fuentes, Narimane Mati-Baouche, Josselin Lupette, Nesrine Gargouch, Elodie Rivet, Patrice Lerouge, Muriel Bardor","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1669918","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1669918","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microalgae are unicellular photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms that arose from distinct endosymbiotic events yielding a wide phylogenetic diversity. In contrast, a single lineage of green algae charophytes gives rise to all land plants. A large number of <i>N</i>-glycan structures were already characterized but the study of glycans <i>N</i>-linked to proteins in these unicellular organisms only recently begun and concerns a limited number of species. These structures differ to a large extent from known structures and exhibit various glycan decorations not reported so far in land plants. However, many pieces of the puzzle are still missing for a full understanding of the protein <i>N</i>-glycosylation biosynthesis in microalgae despite the structural elucidation of lipid-linked oligosaccharide precursors and the biochemical characterization of some Golgi glycosyltransferases. In the present review, we will give an overview of the recently published data on protein <i>N</i>-glycosylation in microalgae which enable to draw an updated picture of this sophisticated cellular process leading to a huge diversity of <i>N</i>-glycan structures. In this work, we will also highlight the arabinosylation and xylosylation of <i>N</i>-glycans in plants and microalgae.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1669918"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12507850/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145279692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in Plant SciencePub Date : 2025-09-25eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1620276
Juliet Kemigisa, Ivan Kabiita Arinaitwe, Jerome Kubiriba, Arthur K Tugume, Robooni Tumuhimbise
{"title":"Analysis of selected diploid banana genotypes for resistance to weevil damage and pollen quantity as key elements of banana breeding.","authors":"Juliet Kemigisa, Ivan Kabiita Arinaitwe, Jerome Kubiriba, Arthur K Tugume, Robooni Tumuhimbise","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1620276","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1620276","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Banana weevils (<i>Cosmopolites sordidus</i>) cause significant reductions in banana productivity in Uganda. Their distribution extends countrywide, with higher concentrations in the central region due to favorable environmental conditions. Integrated weevil management practices incorporate resistance into susceptible genotypes through breeding, which utilizes pollen from resistant diploid bananas. Field and pot screening experiments were conducted in central Uganda (Kawanda) to assess the response of nine outsourced diploid banana genotypes from the International Musa Transit Centre (ITC) to weevil damage. Pollen quantity of the bananas was also evaluated. The percentage of weevil damage on the peripheral and cross sections of the corms was recorded. Pollen quantity was scored on a scale of 0 to 4, with 0 representing no pollen and 4 the highest pollen production. Results showed that the genotypes Saing hil, Pisang gigi buaya, Pisang rotan, Pisang tunjuk, Morong princessa, Morong datu, and Gabah gabah were resistant to weevil damage compared to the susceptible genotypes Nakitembe and Kibuzi (EAHB). Saing hil and SH-3142 exhibited higher pollen quantities of 3.4 and 3.0, respectively, which were closest to the value of 4 observed in 'Calcutta 4', the most male-fertile wild diploid. Saing hil combined high resistance to weevil damage with high pollen quantity and is therefore recommended for use in conventional banana breeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1620276"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12507737/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145279823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in Plant SciencePub Date : 2025-09-25eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1594329
Muhammad Ehsan Rana, Vazeerudeen Abdul Hameed, Ian Kiew Yi Eng, Hrudaya Kumar Tripathy, Saurav Mallik
{"title":"Harnessing artificial intelligence for sustainable rice leaf disease classification.","authors":"Muhammad Ehsan Rana, Vazeerudeen Abdul Hameed, Ian Kiew Yi Eng, Hrudaya Kumar Tripathy, Saurav Mallik","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1594329","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1594329","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Agriculture underpins global food security by providing food, raw materials, and livelihoods, contributing 4% to global GDP and up to 25% in rural areas. Rice, a staple for more than half of the world's population, is nutritionally vital but highly vulnerable to diseases such as Hispa, leaf blast, and brown spots, which significantly reduce yield and quality. Achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 requires innovative approaches to mitigate these threats. Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly computer vision and machine learning, offers promising tools for early disease detection.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study developed a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based model for rice leaf disease detection and classification. A publicly available dataset containing 3,355 labeled images across four categories-Brown Spot, Leaf Blast, Hispa, and Healthy leaves-was used to train and evaluate the model. To improve classification accuracy, the CNN was enhanced with spatial and channel attention mechanisms, enabling it to focus on the most discriminative image regions. The system was designed for modular deployment, allowing lightweight, real-time implementation on edge devices.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The enhanced CNN achieved high accuracy and robust performance metrics across all disease categories. Attention mechanisms significantly improved precision in identifying subtle disease patterns. The lightweight design ensured efficient operation on edge devices, demonstrating feasibility for real-world agricultural applications.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusion: </strong>The proposed AI-driven system provides reliable and scalable rice leaf disease detection, supporting timely intervention to reduce yield loss. By strengthening rice production and promoting sustainable practices, the model contributes to SDG 2 by advancing global food security. This research highlights AI's transformative role in agriculture, fostering mechanization, ecological stability, and resilience in food systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1594329"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12509427/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145279947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in Plant SciencePub Date : 2025-09-25eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1679102
Haijian Yang, Hao Chen, Wu Wang, Shuang Li, Min Wang, Lin Hong, Lei Yang, Wei Hu
{"title":"UV radiation promotes anthocyanins biosynthesis in the fruit peel of blood oranges (<i>Citrus sinensis</i>).","authors":"Haijian Yang, Hao Chen, Wu Wang, Shuang Li, Min Wang, Lin Hong, Lei Yang, Wei Hu","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1679102","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1679102","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The commercial value of blood oranges (<i>Citrus sinensis</i>) is closely linked to the intensity of red pigmentation in the peel and flesh, driven by the accumulation of anthocyanins. While light is a crucial environmental factor for anthocyanin synthesis, the specific effects of different light spectra, particularly ultraviolet (UV) radiation, on peel pigmentation have not been fully elucidated.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, the effects of light spectra on anthocyanin biosynthesis in blood orange peel were systematically studied through three treatments of visible light (VL), UV and complete shading (CK). These treatments were combined with transcriptome, anthocyanin targeted metabolome and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA).</p><p><strong>Results and discussion: </strong>After 40 days, UV-treated fruit exhibited significantly higher anthocyanin content and color index (CI) than other treatments, with a significantly positive correlation between the two. Metabolomics identified four key anthocyanins, including cyanidin-3-o-glucoside and its 2 derivatives, as the primary contributors to pericarp coloration, with their levels significantly increased under UV exposure. WGCNA screened three core gene modules closely associated with anthocyanin metabolism, and further identified three glycosyltransferase genes (ugt79b1, bz1 and GT1) as hub genes involved in anthocyanin accumulation. This study demonstrates that UV light enhanced anthocyanin synthesis in blood orange peel by activating downstream glycosylation pathways, providing both a theoretical basis and technical approach for improving commercially market value of blood orange through light regulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1679102"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12507625/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145280041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparative analysis of the NLR gene family in the genomes of garden asparagus (<i>Asparagus officinalis</i>) and its wild relatives.","authors":"Li-Ping Sun, Wen-Zhuo Zhai, Rui-Yan Song, Hao-Han Ning, Shu-Fen Li, Wu-Jun Gao","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1681919","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1681919","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Garden asparagus (<i>Asparagus officinalis</i>), a prominent horticultural crop recognized as the \"king of vegetables\" in the international market, is usually threatened by severe disease challenges that hinder its sustainable cultivation. Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) are key components of plant immune systems, yet their specific role and evolutionary patterns in <i>A. officinalis</i> and its related species remain poorly characterized. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of NLR gene distribution patterns, structural features, phylogenetic characterization, and evolutionary dynamics across <i>A. officinalis</i> and two phylogenetically related species, <i>Asparagus kiusianus</i> and <i>Asparagus setaceus</i>, and conducted expression studies after <i>Phomopsis asparagi</i> infection in <i>A. officinalis</i>. Our findings demonstrate that NLR genes in all three species display chromosomal clustering patterns. Phylogenetic reconstruction and N-terminal domain classification categorized these NLRs into three distinct subfamilies, with their promoters containing numerous cis-elements responsive to defense signals and phytohormones. Comparative genomic analysis revealed a marked contraction of the NLR genes from the wild species to the domesticated <i>A. officinalis</i>, with gene counts of 63, 47, and 27 NLR genes identified in <i>A. setaceus</i>, <i>A. kiusianus</i>, and <i>A. officinalis</i>, respectively. Orthologous gene analysis identified 16 conserved NLR gene pairs between <i>A. setaceus</i> and <i>A. officinalis</i>, which are likely the NLR genes preserved during the domestication process of <i>A. officinalis</i>. Pathogen inoculation assays revealed distinct phenotypic responses: <i>A. officinalis</i> was susceptible, while <i>A. setaceus</i> remained asymptomatic. Notably, the majority of preserved NLR genes in <i>A. officinalis</i> demonstrated either unchanged or downregulated expression following fungal challenge, indicating a potential functional impairment in disease resistance mechanisms. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the increased disease susceptibility of domesticated <i>A. officinalis</i> is driven by both the contraction of NLR gene repertoire and the functional reduced or inconsistent induction of retained NLR genes-potentially a consequence of artificial selection favoring yield and quality. This study provides important insights into the evolutionary dynamics of NLR genes within the <i>Asparagus</i> genus and may contribute to future efforts aimed at disease-resistant breeding in <i>A. officinalis</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1681919"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12507765/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145279871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in Plant SciencePub Date : 2025-09-25eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1651174
Changhyeon Kim, Chieri Kubota
{"title":"Data-driven leaf pruning based on weekly light integral: importance of dynamic defoliation strategy.","authors":"Changhyeon Kim, Chieri Kubota","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1651174","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1651174","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>High-wire tomato production requires labor-intensive tasks such as clipping, suckering, and leaf pruning. Leaf pruning is essential for managing a balance between vegetative and reproductive growth of plants. Commercial practices involve maintaining a certain number of leaves or no leaves below harvesting trusses. However, an optimum timing of leaf pruning for saving labor demand and improving crop performance is not well characterized.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Here, we introduce a data-driven leaf pruning method, in which lower leaves were removed when weekly light integral (WLI) below canopy fell below a pre-determined WLI based on the lowest leaf's light compensation point (LCP). The number of leaves to prune at a time was three and a minimum pruning interval was one week. Additionally, we evaluated two ranges of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR): PAR (400 - 700 nm) and ePAR (400 - 750 nm) for monitoring WLI below the canopy. We compared the new leaf-pruning method based on WLI PAR (in Experiments 1 and 2) and WLI ePAR (only in Experiment 2) to the conventional leaf-pruning method, in which leaves below harvesting trusses were removed followed by harvesting (Control). For the evaluation, indeterminate tomato cultivar 'Maxxiany' was grown in a Venlo-style greenhouse (482 m<sup>2</sup> and 7-m gutter height) at a density of 3 plants m<sup>-2</sup>.</p><p><strong>Results and discussion: </strong>Regardless of PAR range, the WLI-based pruning methods resulted in 35 - 42% fewer pruning events. The fewer pruning events were associated with the supplemental lighting use, leaving significantly more leaves per plant in the WLI-based pruning method than in Control. No significant differences were observed in the weekly increase in stem length, the stem diameter, and the cumulative yields between WLI-based pruning method and Control. However, WLI-based pruning method increased the total soluble solid contents of the harvested fruit. These findings suggest that: 1) Leaf pruning strategies should be adjusted based on light availability within the crop canopy, which is influenced by solar radiation and supplemental lighting, and 2) Monitoring WLI below canopy to determine leaf pruning timing is an effective method in lowering labor cost without reducing yield and fruit quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1651174"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12509216/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145279859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}