Horticultural Plant Journal最新文献

{"title":"The secret language of flowers: unraveling the genetic, transcriptional, and metabolic pathways of floral volatile organic compounds","authors":"Phurisorn Watcharatpong, Zhao Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2026.02.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2026.02.006","url":null,"abstract":"Angiosperms synthesize diverse volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that facilitate ecological interactions and provide valuable resources for human applications. The primary biochemical pathways responsible for floral scent biosynthesis involve terpenes, phenylpropanoids, and fatty acid derivatives. These volatile compounds are regulated through complex multigene networks subject to extensive pre-transcriptional process. Despite decades of research, fundamental questions persist about the evolutionary origins and regulatory mechanisms of these pathways, largely due to methodological limitations and species-specific biases in current studies. Transcriptional regulation of VOC biosynthesis occurs through both direct gene expression and upstream regulatory mechanisms, wherein transcription factors (TFs) modulate volatile compound production by activating or repressing target gene transcription. However, current models of TF-mediated regulation are largely based on a limited number of model species, raising questions about their universal applicability. Recent comparative genomic studies across multiple plant species have identified novel genes that fundamentally reshape our understanding of volatile biosynthetic pathways though, these findings often contradict earlier biochemical models and highlight the inadequacy of single-species approaches. This review evaluates the current state of knowledge, identifies major methodological limitations, and assesses conflicting evidence in the field. We argue that the field's reliance on candidate gene approaches and limited phylogenetic sampling has created significant blind spots in our understanding of VOC evolution and regulation. Substantial knowledge gaps persist regarding regulatory network architecture, candidate gene functionality, and epigenetic control mechanisms, partly due to the field's failure to adopt systems-level approaches and integrate ecological context into molecular studies.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148717105","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":"Systematic identification of GST gene family reveals that MYB10.5b–GST21/51 module contributes to leaf coloration in Prunus mume ‘Meiren’","authors":"Ziwei Li, Juan Meng, Xu Liu, Zimo Li, Runtian Miao, Haoning Wang, Guijia Wang, Tangren Cheng, Qixiang Zhang, Lidan Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2026.03.015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2026.03.015","url":null,"abstract":"Purple–hued foliage is a highly valued ornamental trait in the commercial cultivation of the woody ornamental <ce:italic>Prunus mume</ce:italic> ‘Meiren’. <ce:italic>Glutathione S</ce:italic>–<ce:italic>transferase</ce:italic> (<ce:italic>GST</ce:italic>) genes are known mediators of anthocyanin accumulation, yet their functional roles in ‘Meiren’ leaf coloration remain unexplored. Here, we systematically identified 88 <ce:italic>PmMGST</ce:italic> genes, which were classified into eight distinct subfamilies within a large–scale phylogenetic clustering. Gene family analysis revealed conserved exon–intron structures and motif compositions within phylogenetic clades. Duplication and synteny analyses indicated that the expansion of this family was primarily driven by tandem duplication events on chromosomes 3a/b and 6a/b. Moreover, we identified abundant MYB/Myb–binding sites on the <ce:italic>PmMGST</ce:italic> promoters, suggesting potential regulatory interactions with MYB transcription factors. Expression profiling demonstrated that <ce:italic>PmGST17/21/51</ce:italic> were significantly upregulated across development stages accompanied by varying leaf colors. Functional investigations revealed that the overexpression of <ce:italic>PmGST21/51</ce:italic> induced purple coloration or deepening in transgenic ‘Meiren’, concomitant with increased anthocyanin accumulation, and elevated transcript levels of anthocyanin synthase genes. PmMYB10.5b, the key regulator of purple–leaf trait formation, directly bounded to <ce:italic>PmGST21/51</ce:italic> promoters, establishing a MYB10.5b–GST21/51 regulatory module involved in leaf coloration. Collectively, these results identify PmGST21 and PmGST51 as positive regulators of anthocyanin accumulation and provide foundational insights into the PmGST family in ‘Meiren’. This study offers a novel perspective on anthocyanin regulation in purple-leaved <ce:italic>P. mume</ce:italic> and contributes to the genetic improvement of foliage color in woody ornamentals.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148691597","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":"CaNAC18 directly activates the CaCCS promoter to regulate metabolic flux between carotenoid and volatile pathways in Capsicum annuum","authors":"Qingyun Shan, Zhiquan Wang, Xinyu Wang, Qiaoling Yuan, Jude Liang, Jing Zeng, Wanjuan He, Xuexiao Zou, Cheng Xiong, Feng Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2026.03.016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2026.03.016","url":null,"abstract":"The enhancement of fruit quality in pepper (<ce:italic>Capsicum annuum</ce:italic> L.) is a core objective in modern breeding programs. However, the metabolic pathways and genetic mechanisms underlying two critical classes of quality-related metabolite classes, carotenoids and volatile compounds, remain insufficiently understood. In this study, a <ce:italic>yellow-fruited pepper</ce:italic> (<ce:italic>yfp</ce:italic>) mutant was identified through a natural mutation in the red pepper variety 'Zhangshugang'. LC-MS/MS and HS-SPME/GC-MS analyses revealed alterations in the metabolic fluxes of carotenoids and volatile compounds in <ce:italic>'yfp'</ce:italic> compared to 'Zhangshugang'. The <ce:italic>'yfp'</ce:italic> phenotype was controlled by the <ce:italic>Capsicum annuum capsanthin/capsorubin synthase</ce:italic> (<ce:italic>CaCCS</ce:italic>) gene on chromosome 6, in which a 6.9 kb <ce:italic>Ty1-copia</ce:italic> long terminal repeat-retrotransposon (LTR-RT) was inserted at position +1 109bp in the 5’ coding sequence (CDS). This element contains two identical 1,094 bp LTRs flanked by 5 bp target site duplications (TSD: 5’-CGTAG-3’), initiating with “TG” and terminating with “CA”. Integration of the retrotransposon <ce:italic>CaRE-1</ce:italic> altered the conserved domain and protein conformation of <ce:italic>CaCCS</ce:italic>. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) demonstrated that <ce:italic>CaCCS</ce:italic> regulates carotenoid accumulation and reduces α-ionone and geranylacetone levels. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) showed that <ce:italic>CaCCS</ce:italic> is highly coexpressed with transcription factors from WRKY, NAC, MYB, MADS-MIKC, C2H2, bHLH, and AP2/ERF families, which are associated with carotenoid, fatty acid, amino acid, and terpenoid biosynthesis. Dual-luciferase assay, yeast one-hybrid assays, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) confirmed that <ce:italic>CaNAC18</ce:italic> directly binds the <ce:italic>CaCCS</ce:italic> promoter. Silencing <ce:italic>CaNAC18</ce:italic> increased chlorophyll and carotenoid accumulation, delayed degreening and fruit ripening, and affected α-ionone and geranylacetone biosynthesis. Collectively, this study identifies the <ce:italic>CaNAC18</ce:italic>–<ce:italic>CaCCS</ce:italic> regulatory module as central to carotenoid accumulation and volatile biosynthesis in pepper, providing insights into fruit quality formation and genetic resources for quality-oriented breeding programs.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"327 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148691624","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":"Identification of tolerance to Huanglongbing and canker diseases in polyploid ponkan (Citrus reticulata)","authors":"Lei Gong, Guibing Yang, Jing Xu, Songliang Jiang, Nan Cai, Chenxing Hao, Ziniu Deng, Yunlin Cao, Xianfeng Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2026.05.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2026.05.004","url":null,"abstract":"Ponkan (<ce:italic>Citrus reticulata</ce:italic> Blanco), renowned for its sensory quality and ease of peeling, is a widely cultivated mandarin in China. However, like most commercial citrus cultivars, it is susceptible to citrus canker and Huanglongbing (HLB). Polyploid breeding may be a useful way to identify resistant or tolerant varieties. In this study, we obtained 1 060 seeds from six pollination combinations using ‘Xinnv’ ponkan and its bud mutation ‘Zaomi’ as parents. Among these, 876 seeds were classified as normal and 184 as small. Twenty-four tetraploids and one chimera were identified from progeny populations by flow cytometry. The polyploid frequency varied among combinations, with the highest rate (7.89%) observed in small seeds from open-pollinated ‘Zaomi’, compared to 1.55% to 4.76% in other groups. Morphological and microscopic analyses revealed that tetraploid progeny displayed increased leaf thickness, epidermal cells, and stomatal apparatus, whereas stomatal density was reduced compared with diploid lines. <ce:italic>In vitro</ce:italic> and <ce:italic>in vivo</ce:italic> evaluations for citrus canker tolerance demonstrated that lines #007, #315, and #369 exhibited reduced lesion area, lesion density, and <ce:italic>Xanthomonas citri</ce:italic> subsp. <ce:italic>Citri</ce:italic> content at 7 days post-inoculation relative to the diploid control ‘Zaomi’. Regarding HLB evaluation, tetraploid line #331 exhibited a lower titer of Candidatus <ce:italic>Liberibacter asiaticus</ce:italic> than the diploid control and maintained superior growth at 6 months post-inoculation, evidenced by a 96.3% increase in leaf area and a 48% increase in SPAD value. These novel tetraploid ponkan germplasms possess enhanced disease tolerance and represent valuable resources for future citrus breeding programs.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"60 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148691460","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":"Transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analyses reveal PbWRKY43 regulates the formation of stone cell in ‘Cuiguan’ pear","authors":"Xin Gong, Wen Li, Jiahui Pan, Weikang Rui, Kaijie Qi, Zhihua Xie, Guobin Tu, Xin Yan, Katsuhiro Shiratake, Shaoling Zhang, Shutian Tao","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2026.02.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2026.02.005","url":null,"abstract":"Stone cells can negatively affect the quality of pear fruit, particularly in the core area. Their formation primarily results from cell wall lignification. However, the genes, proteins, and metabolites related to stone cell development have not been comprehensively characterized. To better understand this process, we conducted transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses on different fruit parts during ‘Cuiguan’ fruit development. In this study, we identified 3 479 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 656 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), and 187 differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs) between the stone cell-rich area (SR) and the stone cell-less area (SL) of pear fruit. Comprehensive multi-omics analyses indicated that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway was more active near the fruit core, which promoted the formation of lignin precursor compounds and stones cell through the upregulation of lignin biosynthesis genes and proteins. Furthermore, we isolated <ce:italic>PbWRKY43</ce:italic>, which is the homologous gene of <ce:italic>Arabidopsis AtWRKY43</ce:italic>. Overexpression of <ce:italic>PbWRKY43</ce:italic> in pear fruit, <ce:italic>Arabidopsis</ce:italic>, and tobacco leaves resulted in increasing lignin and stone cell contents, thickening secondary cell walls, and enhancing the expressions of lignin biosynthesis genes. Mechanistically, PbWRKY43 significantly upregulated the expressions of <ce:italic>PbC3H1</ce:italic> and <ce:italic>PbCCoAOMT1</ce:italic> by interacting with W-box elements within their promoter regions. These findings suggest that <ce:italic>PbWRKY43</ce:italic> may serve as a positive regulatory factor in stone cell formation around the pear fruit core. This study provides a foundation for future investigations into stone cell development and multi-omics analyses in fruit trees.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148691638","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":"Temperature stress in tea plants (Camellia sinensis): Disease occurrence and integrated management strategies","authors":"Mengqian Lu, Yuxing Wang, Yanan Chen, Hengze Ren, Wuyun Lv, Xinchao Wang, Yuchun Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2026.05.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2026.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"Tea (<ce:italic>Camellia sinensis</ce:italic>), a highly valued perennial crop, faces severe threats from fungal pathogens that negatively affect both yield and quality. Climate change, manifesting as extreme weather and seasonal shifts, intensifies these disease pressures by altering pathogen dynamics and host resistance. Specifically, temperature fluctuations directly regulate fungal life cycles, including spore germination and growth, while simultaneously reprogramming tea plant immunity through changes in defensive enzymes and specialized metabolites. These dual effects collectively shift infection thresholds, modify epidemic patterns, and redistribute pathogen ranges. Addressing this complexity requires a multidisciplinary approach that integrates molecular biology, ecology, and epidemiology. Moving forward, the development of climate-resilient strategies, such as breeding resistant cultivars, refining adaptive management practices, and improving biologically based disease management strategies, is essential to ensure the sustainable future of global tea production.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148691140","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":"β-Ketoacyl-CoA synthase 5 is essential for the C26 to C28 elongation of very-long-chain fatty acids in cabbage","authors":"Wenxue Cao, Yiwei Liu, Limei Yang, Yangyong Zhang, Mu Zhuang, Honghao Lv, Yong Wang, Jialei Ji","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2026.04.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2026.04.007","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148691141","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":"Integrative analysis of the oil biosynthesis of Hippophae rhamnoides through chromosome-level genome and whole-transcriptome analyses","authors":"Yuhui Hong, Chengjiang Ruan, Yushi Luan, Alexey A. Dmitriev, Hyun Uk Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2026.04.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2026.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"Sea buckthorn (<ce:italic>Hippophae rhamnoides</ce:italic> L.) is a perennial woody oil and horticultural crop from the Elaeagnaceae family with high nutritional and economic value. The novel cultivar ‘Gaoyou No.1' (PVR No. 20190345) exhibits superior seed oil yield and quality. However, the lack of a high-quality reference genome for this cultivar has greatly hindered molecular studies on the accumulation of unsaturated fatty acids (FAs) and triacylglycerols (TAGs) in its seed oil. Here, we report a chromosome-level genome assembly of ‘Gaoyou No.1′, with a final size of 1.27 Gb and a scaffold N50 of 99.72 Mb, alongside 26 429 annotated protein-coding genes. Repetitive sequences accounted for 72.35% of the genome. Comparative genomic analysis dated the divergence of <ce:italic>H. rhamnoides</ce:italic> from <ce:italic>Juglans regia</ce:italic> to approximately 107.5 million years ago. We identified 14 298 structural variations (SVs) in ‘Gaoyou No.1′ compared with a common cultivated sea buckthorn accession. Through whole-transcriptome profiling, 49 and 55 enzymatic genes involved in the FA and TAG biosynthesis pathways were identified, respectively; 21 of these genes harbored SVs, in which the copy number variations of <ce:italic>SAD_0.613</ce:italic> and <ce:italic>LPCAT_ 16.398</ce:italic> enhanced their expression via a gene dosage effect, and further promoted the oil biosynthesis in ‘Gaoyou No.1'. Furthermore, 90 lncRNA–mRNA pairs, 88 miRNA–mRNA pairs, and 42 lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA regulatory modules were predicted. The interactions within 12 key modules, such as lncRNA051245–miRn43–<ce:italic>FAD2</ce:italic> and lncRNA111000–miRn275–<ce:italic>LPAT</ce:italic> were experimentally verified. We propose that these SVs and regulatory modules collectively contribute to the improved seed oil yield and quality of ‘Gaoyou No.1′, providing promising targets for genetic improvement. Our research yields novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying high FA and TAG accumulation in sea buckthorn, while also furnishing valuable genomic resources for evolutionary research in Elaeagnaceae and molecular breeding development.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148691168","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":"MdbZIP45 positively regulates anthocyanin accumulation promoted by 5-aminolevulinic acid in apples","authors":"Zijing Yang, Liuzi Zhang, Mohsin Iqbal, Jianting Zhang, Liangju Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2026.05.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2026.05.002","url":null,"abstract":"5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a recently recognized plant growth regulator that promotes anthocyanin accumulation in apple, yet its underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Therefore, revealing the molecular mechanism of ALA-regulated anthocyanin accumulation has both theoretical and practical significance for improving apple fruit quality. In this study, green mature apple fruits and ‘Orin’ callus were employed as experimental materials. The expression analysis revealed that <ce:italic>MdbZIP45</ce:italic> transcript levels were significantly upregulated by 200 mg L<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−1</ce:sup> ALA within 48 h in apple fruit peels or by 0.25 mg L<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−1</ce:sup> ALA after 14 days in apple callus, showing a positive correlation with anthocyanin accumulation. Analysis of the molecular characterization revealed that <ce:italic>MdbZIP45</ce:italic> encodes a nuclear-localized protein containing a conserved bZIP domain. Functional analyses in apple fruit peels and callus demonstrated that overexpressing (OE-) <ce:italic>MdbZIP45</ce:italic> resulted in up-regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis and transport gene expression as well as anthocyanin accumulation, which was further strengthened by ALA. Conversely, RNA interfering (RNAi-) <ce:italic>MdbZIP45</ce:italic> significantly repressed the gene expression and anthocyanin accumulation, which was attenuated by exogenous ALA. Mechanistic studies revealed that MdbZIP45 can specifically identify and bind to the G-box <ce:italic>cis</ce:italic>-element (CACGTG) harboring in the promoters of anthocyanin biosynthesis and transport genes, including <ce:italic>MdCHS</ce:italic>, <ce:italic>MdUFGT</ce:italic>, and <ce:italic>MdMATE8</ce:italic>, as well as an important transcription factor gene <ce:italic>MdWRKY71</ce:italic>. Luciferase (LUC) reporter assay and glucuronidase (GUS) staining confirmed that MdbZIP45 enhances the transcriptional activity of the downstream target genes. These indicate that MdbZIP45 is crucial in the ALA-induced anthocyanin accumulation as it directly regulates the expression of downstream structural genes as well as transcription factor gene expression, and the latter indirectly promotes anthocyanin biosynthesis in apple. These findings uncover a dual regulatory mechanism that provides novel insights into the molecular framework of ALA-induced anthocyanin accumulation and offers a potential strategy for enhancing fruit external quality.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148691142","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":"Melon fruit development: Advances in sugar metabolism, hormonal regulation, and genetic engineering","authors":"Iftikhar Hussain Shah, Muhammad Azam, Muhammad Khalid Hameed, Wu Jinhui, Xiaotao Ding, Xuyang Li, Asad Rehman, Muhammad Aamir Manzoor, Fiza Liaquat, Yidong Zhang, Qingliang Niu, Liying Chang","doi":"10.1016/j.hpj.2025.12.023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.12.023","url":null,"abstract":"Melon (<ce:italic>Cucumis melo</ce:italic> L.) is an economically important horticultural crop grown globally for its edible fruits, where fruit morphological characteristics directly determine crop productivity and fruit quality. Deciphering the genetic regulators of melon fruits quality, alongside the rapid development of genome-editing technology, has greatly advanced the genetic improvement of melon fruit quality. This review comprehensively provides an overview of the molecular mechanisms governing critical fruit quality attributes including sugar accumulation and phytohormone signaling pathways, as well as the genetic determinants of fruit size, with a focus on key functional enzymes, hormones crosstalk, and regulatory transcription factors. Furthermore, this review explores cutting-edge technological innovations that facilitate targeted melon breeding and trait improvement, such as high-resolution quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, precision CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes (TILLING) platforms, and intelligent information systems for optimized trait selection, all of which contribute to improve fruit quality and prolonged shelf life. The combination of conventional breeding strategies with advanced molecular tools and computational phenotyping systems provides strategic directions for melon cultivar breeding and development. Moreover, this review highlights emerging non-destructive phenotyping technologies that incorporate hyperspectral imaging, machine learning analytics, and 3D hyperspectral morphological modeling as powerful transformative tools for precise, high-throughput fruit maturity phenotyping. Collectively, this review seeks to advance mechanistic insights into melon fruit development and quality regulation, enable efficient and sustainable utilization of melon genetic resources, and establish robust valorization strategies to enhance melon productivity and fruit quality stability under fluctuating environmental scenarios.","PeriodicalId":13178,"journal":{"name":"Horticultural Plant Journal","volume":"60 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148691143","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}