Horticultural Plant Journal最新文献

{"title":"LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL is a core component of far-red light-induced flowering in chrysanthemum","authors":"Yixin Yuan, Zhiling Wang, Rui Dong, Zhaoyu Gu, Yanjie Xu, junping Gao, Dan Li, Xin Zhao, Bo Hong","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.010","url":null,"abstract":"Flowering is one of the critical biological traits that reflects the reproductive capacity of plants. Chrysanthemums are economically valuable horticultural crops, with the majority being short-day varieties that bloom in autumn, although long-day (LD) varieties have also evolved. Far-red (FR) light has been shown to promote flowering in chrysanthemums, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we identify <ce:italic>CmLHY</ce:italic>, a core component of the circadian clock oscillator, as a key regulator that responds to FR light signals to induce flowering under LD conditions in chrysanthemum. Transcriptome sequencing of <ce:italic>CmLHY</ce:italic>-RNAi and WT plants identified <ce:italic>CmLATE</ce:italic> as a downstream target gene of CmLHY. Yeast one-hybrid, electrophoretic mobility shift assay and dual-luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that CmLHY directly binds to the promoter of <ce:italic>CmLATE</ce:italic> and activates its expression, thereby upregulating the downstream flowering integrator <ce:italic>CmFTL3</ce:italic> to regulate chrysanthemum flowering.In summary, our findings reveal the molecular mechanism by which the CmLHY-CmLATE module in circadian clock responds to FR light, regulating flowering under LD conditions in chrysanthemums. This study provides new insights into the molecular network of plants integrating external light signals to regulate flowering.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144664893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bioremediation potential of SPSB2 in alleviating NaCl, cadmium, and nickel stress in tomato plants for environmental sustainability","authors":"Muhammad Aizaz, Ibrahim Khan, Lubna, Saqib Bilal, Ahmed AL-Harrasi, In-Jung Lee, Sajjad Asaf","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.011","url":null,"abstract":"Salinity and heavy metals (HMs) pollution pose significant challenges to global agriculture, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. HMs mobility increases in saline soil, worsening soil pollution and adversely impacting plant growth, agricultural productivity and essential soil microbial communities. In the current study, we exposed tomato (<ce:italic>Solanum lycopersicum</ce:italic>) plants to individuals and combined stress conditions of 200 mmol L<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−1</ce:sup> NaCl, 2 mmol L<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−1</ce:sup> Cd, and 2 mmol L<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−1</ce:sup> Ni to evaluate their impact on plant growth. Although many bacterial and fungal species have been reported to mitigate these stresses, our objective is to determine whether the selected bacterial strain, <ce:italic>Nitratireductor aquimarinus</ce:italic> SPSB2, can effectively alleviate the combined stress of salt and HMs. Our findings demonstrate that SPSB2, with its remarkable potential, establishes a symbiotic relationship with tomato plants and significantly influences plant growth, morphology, antioxidant systems, and gene expression patterns, particularly under stress conditions. Results revealed that salinity and HMs stresses, particularly in combination, significantly reduced plant growth parameters, including shoot and root lengths, biomass, and leaf area. However, SPSB2 inoculation mitigated these effects, enhancing shoot length and weight by 13.34 % and 7.01 % and root length and weight by 6.2 % and 10.43 %, respectively, under NaCl stress compared to their non-stressed counterparts as an example. SPSB2 also improved water relations, reduced water loss, maintained stomatal size, and alleviated electrolyte leakage. Moreover, SPSB2 inoculation enhanced photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll-a by up to 8.37 % and carotenoids by 104.75 %), total protein content (by up to 3.72 %), and modulated enzymatic antioxidants, as well as non-enzymatic antioxidants under the triple stress condition of NaCl + Cd + Ni stress. Additionally, SPSB2 inoculation promoted the accumulation of soluble sugars (37.84 %) and starch (41.53 %), while reducing ion accumulation and translocation and preserving cellular morphology. Notably, SPSB2 inoculation resulted in the downregulation of key stress-responsive genes, such as <ce:italic>Solyc04g079730</ce:italic>, <ce:italic>Solyc02g085730</ce:italic> and <ce:italic>Solyc11g071600</ce:italic>, under stress conditions, indicating a potential regulatory role of SPSB2 in alleviating stress. These findings underscore the promising role of SPSB2 in promoting tomato plant growth, reducing salt and HMs toxicity, and pave the way for further research into the mechanisms underlying plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria-mediated stress alleviation in sustainable agriculture.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144664831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolomic-Transcriptomic analysis unravels flavonoids accumulation mechanism in ‘Tainong 1’ mango pulp under enhanced UV-B radiation","authors":"Ling Wei, Jiabing Jiao, Shaopu Shi, Yijia Gao, Chenyu Jiang, Yu Wang, Hassam Tahir, Muhammad Sajjad, Kaibing Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.009","url":null,"abstract":"Mango (<ce:italic>Mangifera indica</ce:italic> L.) is one of the main economic crops in Hainan, China, prized for its distinctive flavor and high nutritional value. It is also rich in health-promoting antioxidants such as vitamin C and flavonoids. Enhanced ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation, a growing global environmental concern, alters plant antioxidant systems, with increased flavonoid accumulation as a common adaptive response. However, its effects on mango fruit remain largely unexplored. To investigate the antioxidant responses of mango to enhanced UV-B radiation and identify key responsive flavonoid compounds and regulatory genes, we exposed ‘Tainong 1’ mango fruits growing under natural light to 96 kJ · m<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-2</ce:sup> · d<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-1</ce:sup> of UV-B radiation to simulate high UV-B conditions. Treated fruits were smaller in size and had a pulp of a more intense yellow colour. Further, malondialdehyde content in treated fruits was higher during the phase of rapid fruit enlargement. Additionally, treated fruits showed increased sugar-acid ratios, total phenol, total flavonoid, carotenoid, and ascorbic acid contents. Furthermore, they showed significantly enhanced antioxidant activity, as measured by the FRAP, ABTS, and DPPH assays. Extensive targeted metabolomic-analysis identified flavonoids as the largest category of compounds differentially expressed in treated and control groups. Quantitative metabolomics of flavonoids identified Hyperoside, Quercimeritrin, and (-)-Catechin gallate as the key flavonoid metabolites responsive to UV-B treatment. Transcriptome analysis revealed an enrichment of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, with most associated differentially expressed genes showing upregulation. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analysis confirmed that the expression of the genes <ce:italic>MiCHS7</ce:italic>, <ce:italic>MiCHI1</ce:italic>, <ce:italic>MiCHI2</ce:italic>, <ce:italic>MiFLS</ce:italic>, <ce:italic>MiF3H2</ce:italic>, and <ce:italic>MiF3H3</ce:italic> correlated with changes in key flavonoid metabolites. Indeed, correlation analysis indicated that <ce:italic>MiCHS7</ce:italic>, <ce:italic>MiCHI1</ce:italic>, <ce:italic>MiFLS</ce:italic>, and <ce:italic>MiF3H3</ce:italic> are potential key genes involved in flavonoid accumulation under UV-B treatment. Thus, our study provides a theoretical basis for breeding for new resilient varieties and developing UV-B-resistant mango cultivation techniques.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"658 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144613351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of adding residual humic acid biodegradable film on agronomic performance of potted tomato under greenhouse conditions","authors":"Ying Han, Li Xu, Pengfei Huang, Lu Lu, Mintao Sun, Chaoxing He, Jun Wang, Yune Cao, Yansu Li, Yan Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2025.05.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"Biodegradable plastic film provides a new way to solve “white pollution”. However, there is an urgent need to solve the problems of residual plastic film and tail vegetable pollution after planting. Currently, the continuous degradation of polyethylene plastic film and biodegradable plastic film after returning to the field and their impact on soil environment and vegetable crop growth need further research. This study is expected to provide some theoretical support through residual membrane addition experiments. We uniformly buried PBAT/PLA humic acid biodegradable film (BIO1), PBAT/PLA-lignin biodegradable film (BIO2), and polyethylene film (PE) at 200 kg film residue per ha in potted soil. After burial 120 d, the crystallinity of BIO1 and BIO2 residue decreased by 7.37 % and 3.91 % respectively, compared to that of PE. Additionally, the water contact angle of BIO1 and BIO2 film was lower, and the weight loss rate significantly increased. Microplastics (polyethylene) abundance in the PE treatment substrate was 166.67 ± 169.96 n kg<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−1</ce:sup> after 150 days of burial, and microplastics (PBAT/PLA) were not found in BIO1 and BIO2 treatments in this study. Residual film reduced the percentage of 2-1 mm and &gt;2 mm water-stable agglomerates and increased the percentage of &lt;0.25 mm water-stable agglomerates, ledto soil compaction and water upward migration; reduced urease and sucrase activities in substrate, further reduced root vigor and increased leaf proline content, eventually reduced tomato yield. However, compared with PE, BIO1 have lower substrate volumetric weight, higher aeration porosity, alleviated soil compaction, stronger substrate enzyme activity and root activity, residues significantly increased soil Ascomycota relative abundance and decreased Zoopagomycota relative abundance; reduced leaf proline content, significantly increased tomato yield, and improved tomato quality by significantly increasing lycopene content by 12.80 %. Overall, 200 kg ha<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−1</ce:sup> of residual humic acid biodegradable plastic film can improve tomato quality, reduce “white pollution”, and reduce microplastic residues caused by residual film in a solar greenhouse.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144613362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the canopy light environment, photosynthesis, and fruit comprehensive performance of greenhouse tomato under different mechanized planting layouts","authors":"Xiaolong Ma, Jiayue Chang, Xinru Chai, Yan Liu, Jianming Li","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2025.03.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.03.010","url":null,"abstract":"Plant layout is critical for the formation of canopy microenvironment, and fruit yield and quality. Plant-layout designs that meet the requirements of photosynthetically efficient and mechanizable greenhouse cultivation are urgently needed. Here, we report our findings from a two-year trial using tomatoes grown in a plastic film greenhouse at high planting density (HPD, 4.55 plants · m<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−2</ce:sup>) or low planting density (LPD, 3.13 plants · m<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−2</ce:sup>). Each density comprised south-north (SN) and east-west (EW) row orientations, with three plant layouts (S1–S3 or E1-E3, S and E represent SN and EW row orientations, respectively) in each orientation: 90 cm + 35 cm + 35 cm, 90 cm + 60 cm + 30 cm, and 90 cm + 90 cm + 25 cm for HPD; and 120 cm + 40 cm + 40 cm, 120 cm + 60 cm + 36 cm, and 120 cm + 120 cm + 27 cm for LPD. Analysis included canopy accumulated light absorption (ACL), photosynthesis (ACP), and light uniformity (UC<ce:inf loc=\"post\">LP</ce:inf>) conducted using a three-dimensional canopy photosynthesis model, along with individual fruit indices, and a comprehensive evaluation using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Plants grown under S2 and E2 exhibited respective dominance in both planting densities compared to those grown under any other treatment. Particularly, S2 showed higher ACL and single fruit weight, whereas E2 showed superior UC<ce:inf loc=\"post\">LP</ce:inf>, comprehensive fruit quality, and fruit uniformity. Therefore, E2 was identified as an optimal plant configuration for both HPD and LPD based on overall fruit performance as evaluated using the TOPSIS method. Correlation analysis indicated that the light environment of the lower canopy layer under HPD and that of the middle canopy layer under LPD showed the strongest correlations with the main fruit indices. Overall, the optimal plant layout identified herein provides valuable decision support for horticultural production under mechanized planting conditions. The correlations between canopy light and fruit indices define quantitative breeding and management targets for optimizing fruit performance through adjustments in plant structure.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"205 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144613340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Telomere-to-Telomere Genome of Selaginella moellendorffii Provides Insights into Genome Evolution and Biflavone Biosynthesis","authors":"Hui Xiong, Cong Yin, Ding Tang, Xiran Xiong, Xinqiao Liu, Zhengwen Wang, Xiaolei Yu, Zhinan Mei, Juan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.007","url":null,"abstract":"<ce:italic>Selaginella moellendorffii</ce:italic> Hieron., a lycophyte of significant medicinal and evolutionary importance, is recognized as one of the earliest vascular plants. However, the absence of a high-quality reference genome has hindered the comprehensive exploration of its unique phylogenetic position and therapeutic potential, thereby limiting our understanding of its genomic structure and metabolic capabilities. In this study, we present the first chromosome-level, telomere-to-telomere (T2T) genome assembly of <ce:italic>S. moellendorffii</ce:italic>, constructed utilizing PacBio HiFi, Oxford Nanopore (ONT), and Hi-C technologies. The assembled genome, spanning 112.83 Mb across 10 chromosomes with a contig N50 of 11.11 Mb, exhibited exceptional completeness (BUSCO score: 95.7 %) and accuracy (QV = 48.11). Comparative genomic analysis identified 3 515 gene families unique to <ce:italic>S. moellendorffii</ce:italic>, with significant enrichment in secondary metabolism pathways, including those related to flavonoid biosynthesis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that <ce:italic>S. moellendorffii</ce:italic> diverged from <ce:italic>Isoetes</ce:italic> approximately 339.6 million years ago (MYA), representing a key evolutionary transition in early vascular plants. By integrating tissue-specific transcriptome and metabolome analyses, we uncovered the molecular basis of biflavone biosynthesis, identifying key enzymes and regulatory networks that govern the production of these bioactive compounds. We observed a correlation between the tissue-specific accumulation patterns of six major biflavones, including amentoflavone and ginkgetin, and the expression of their biosynthetic genes. This high-quality genome assembly, coupled with multi-omics analyses, offers unprecedented insights into the evolution of early vascular plants and elucidates the molecular mechanisms behind their specialized metabolism.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144613299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gibberellins and their interplay with other hormones in the regulation of fruit ripening","authors":"Tu Feng, Wenbo Leng, Yingdie Yang, Hong Zhao, Zixin Zhang, Mingchun Liu, Gaofeng Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"Gibberellins (GAs) are a class of tetracyclic diterpenoid phytohormones involved in a wide range of plant growth and developmental processes, including seed germination, stem elongation, flower and fruit development. Fruit ripening is a complex process mediated by a regulatory network consists of plant hormones, key transcription factors and epigenetics. Ethylene plays a key role in climacteric fruit ripening, but the involvement of other phytohormones in ripening process remains largely unexplored. Recently, there are increasing evidence showed that GA also play an important role in fruit ripening and related quality regulation. Here, we summarize the recent advances in GA biosynthesis, signaling transduction and their involvement in fruit ripening. Moreover, we discuss the role of GAs in regulating ripening-related traits including softening, color, and flavor formation, as well as their interactions with other hormones in controlling fruit ripening. By integrating insights into GA-mediated control of cell wall integrity, pigment metabolism, and hormonal crosstalk, this review highlights the potential of manipulating GA pathways to optimize fruit quality and postharvest shelf life.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144565938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanisms and management strategies for rain-cracking in greenhouse and open-air cherry","authors":"Shuo Yang, Zilong Huang, Fuming Yang, Yujie Chi, Yuan Chi","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"Rain-induced cracking remains a persistent challenge in cherry (<ce:italic>Prunus avium</ce:italic>) cultivation, affecting both greenhouse and open-air grown varieties. This review explores and contrasts the underlying mechanisms of rain-cracking in these two cultivation environments, emphasizing key differences in water transport pathways. While rain-cracking in open-air cherries is predominantly driven by xylem water transport, greenhouse cherries are primarily affected by water absorption through the fruit epidermis. Additional distinctions include environmental influences such as calcium leaching from the pericarp and temperature drops caused by wind in open-air cherry, as well as the challenges associated with overthinning in greenhouse cultivation. To mitigate rain-cracking, this review summarizes various orchard management strategies, including crop load regulation, mineral sprays, bio-stimulants, growth regulators, anti-transpirants, edible coatings, and the air-blast sprayer integrated with field-sensing technology. Each approach is evaluated in terms of environmental suitability, efficacy, technical feasibility, and research advancements at both domestic and international levels. Furthermore, key assessment methodologies, including cracking index (CI), T50/WU50, and cracking ratio (CR), are analyzed and compared to establish a standardized framework for evaluating rain-cracking susceptibility. By providing a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge, this review offers guidance for cherry orchard management and lays the foundation for future research on effective rain-cracking mitigation strategies across diverse cultivation conditions.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144565962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Salt stress response pathway and regulatory mechanism of the Malus domestica G protein-coupled receptor MdGPCR","authors":"Ziquan Feng, Lin Zhao, Tong Li, Xinyi Li, Shuo Ma, Huaina Gao, Ruxue Sha, Ge Tian, Xinxiang Xu, Yue Xing, Mengxue Lyu, Jingquan Liu, Shunfeng Ge, Zhanling Zhu, Yuanyuan Li, Han Jiang, Yuanmao Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2025.03.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.03.009","url":null,"abstract":"China accounts for about half of the world's apple area and production, and is a pillar industry that promotes farmers' income growth and rural revitalization. In recent years, with the dramatic change of the global climate, most apple (<ce:italic>Malus domestica</ce:italic>) producing areas in China have suffered salt damage. Soil salinization, especially secondary salinization, is common in apple producing areas in the North China Plain around the Bohai Sea. These phenomena indicate that the ability of apple industry to prevent and resist soil salinization still needs to be improved. In this article, we identified a novel salt sensitive gene <ce:italic>MdGPCR</ce:italic> in apple. We conducted salt stress experiments on apple callus and leaves using <ce:italic>MdGPCR</ce:italic>. The results showed that after salt stress, overexpression of <ce:italic>MdGPCR</ce:italic> in transgenic apple would accumulate a large amount of reactive oxygen species, leading to an imbalance of redox levels in their bodies. At the same time, MdGPCR interacts with MdSOS3 and promotes its degradation, further reducing its salt stress resistance.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"48 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144565963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MdCAX5 plays a critical role in calcium homeostasis and bitter pit development in apple","authors":"Jia Liu, Yingwei Qi, Weijie Yin, Xiwen Li, Caixia Wang, Xiaolin Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2025.03.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.03.008","url":null,"abstract":"Bitter Pit (BP) is a prevalent physiological disorder in apple that significantly reduces fruit quality and market value. While numerous studies have investigated the mechanisms underlying BP occurrence, the molecular processes, particularly the role of the Ca<ce:sup loc=\"post\">2+</ce:sup>/H<ce:sup loc=\"post\">+</ce:sup> exchanger (CAX), remain unclear. This study aims to elucidate the function of the <ce:italic>MdCAX5</ce:italic> gene in relation to BP development. To achieve this, we utilized transient transformation in apple, as well as stable transformation in <ce:italic>Arabidopsis</ce:italic> and tomato, to measure the mineral content in transgenic plants, thereby validating the function of <ce:italic>MdCAX5</ce:italic>. The overexpression of the <ce:italic>MdCAX5</ce:italic> gene significantly reduced calcium (Ca) content in plants and disrupted the mineral element balance within the plant. Analysis of the <ce:italic>MdCAX5</ce:italic> gene promoter revealed that Ca<ce:sup loc=\"post\">2+</ce:sup> can enhance promoter activity, indicating that the <ce:italic>MdCAX5</ce:italic> gene can effectively respond to Ca signaling. Transcriptomic analysis of tomato plants stably overexpressing the <ce:italic>MdCAX5</ce:italic> gene revealed significant alterations in the expression of genes involved in Ca signal transduction and transport, which in turn impacted the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and metabolic pathways within the plants. These changes resulted in a reduction in Ca content, imbalanced Ca distribution, increased hydrolase activity, and disrupted cellular structures, including compromised organelles, cellular membranes, and membrane components. These disruptions culminated in the manifestation of Ca deficiency symptoms in the plants. This study provides theoretical insights into the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of apple BP disease.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144515924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}