Plant flowering induction is strictly controlled by key regulatory factors of endogenous and environmental signals, which consist of at least 6 closely interlinked but divergent genetic regulation pathways. As an important member of the Phosphatidylethanolamine binding protein (PEBP) family, Flowering Locus T (FT), plays a key role in different pathways. There are two FT genes in hevea, ectopic overexpression in both Arabidopsis thaliana and tobacco can promote early flowering. Quantitative expression analysis of hevea leaves in different months of one year showed that the expression of the two genes was different, and HbFT2 may be a candidate gene. In this study, 35S::HbFT1 and 35S::HbFT2 were transferred into rubber tree by the method of somatic embryo genetic transformation, and 2 and 3 positive embryos were obtained, respectively, and identified as positive by GUS staining. Plants that were directly regenerated by positive embryos or regenerated after secondary somatic embryo propagation were expanded by bud grafting. There were 4 and 7 overexpressing transgenic positive plants of HbFT1 and HbFT2, respectively, but no flowering was seen after 7 years of field planting. The transgenic plants were confirmed as positive plants by both PCR and GUS staining. qRT-PCR analysis of inducing flowering genes of HbFT1 and HbFT2 and inhibiting flowering genes of HbTFL1/CEN showed that the expression of HbFT1 in 35S::HbFT1 positive plants was significantly higher than that of wild-type control, and the expression of HbFT2 gene was relatively low. The expression results of HbFT2 in 35S::HbFT2 positive plants showed that only two were significantly higher than that in the control, and the other 5 plants were not different from the control, and the expression of HbFT1 gene was relatively low. Although the expression of HbFT1 in 35S::HbFT1 positive plants was significantly higher than that in the control, the differences between the progeny obtained from the same positive embryos were also significant, and the expression of HbFT2 in two 35S::HbFT2 positive plants were significant too, which was speculated to be related to the chimerism of embryo transformation. The expression analysis of inhibitory flowering genes showed that the expression of some inhibitory flowering genes was significantly higher than that of FT genes. It was speculated that the early flowering phenotype was not realized because of the high expression of inhibitory flowering genes, and the balanced regulation of FT/TFL1 also existed in hevea.

CCCH-type zinc finger protein plays an important regulatory role in plant growth, development, and response to stress. In this study, a zinc finger protein gene MiZFP11 was isolated from macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia) variety JW and Guire No.1 by RT-PCR, and the structural characteristics and subcellular localization of its encoded protein was analyzed. Expression levels of MiZFP11 in drought and high temperature treatments and the tissues of macadamia were investigated by quantitative real-time PCR. RT-PCR cloning showed that a new gene MiZFP11 from macadamia was highly homologous to CCCH zinc finger protein genes, with GenBank registration number MT332641. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that MiZFP11 belonged to C3H13 subclass zinc finger protein with an LCCL domain at relatively conservative C-terminus. Analysis of protein basic properties indicated that MiZFP11 was an unstable hydrophilic protein without signal peptide and transmembrane segment, which was mainly phosphorylated with serine. Protein structure analysis showed that the secondary and tertiary structures of MiZFP11 were mainly composed of random coil,α-helix and extended strand. Transient expression of tobacco leaves and the confocal microscopy detection indicated that MiZFP11 was localized in the nucleus, which was consistent with the subcellular localization predicted results. qRT-PCR analysis showed that expression of MiZFP11 gene was highest in leaves of macadamia variety JW and Guire No.1, next was in roots, small flowers and small fruits, with the lowest in stems. Under drought stress for 1-36 hours, expression level of MiZFP11 gene in leaves increased with an “up-down-up-down” pattern in JW and an “up-down” pattern in Guire No.1. Under high temperature stress for 1-36 hours, expression level of MiZFP11 in leaves increased with “up-down” patterns in JW and Guire No.1, and expression level in JW was significantly higher than that of Guire No.1. Therefore, MiZFP11 was significantly expressed in different tissues of macadamia, and was significantly up-regulated under drought and high temperature stresses, which speculated that MiZFP11 gene plays an important role in the growth and development of macadamia tissues and the response to drought and high temperature stresses.

Plant bHLH transcription factor is one of the key factor of ethylene and jasmonic acid hormone signal transduction pathway, and plays an important role in the yield formation and latex flow in rubber trees. A bHLH transcription factor was cloned from the leaves of Reyan73397 designed as HbbHLH48 (GenBank: PQ303617), with a total length of 1128 bp encoding 375 amino acids. Its encoded protein has the highest similarity to Arabidopsis AtbHLH48, and belongs to the XVII subgroup. Bioinformatics analysis showed that it contained the bHLH_SF superfamily domain, but did not contain the transmembrane domain and signal peptide. The expression levels in flowers, leaves and latex were higher than those in roots and stems. Mechanical injury treatment down-regulated its expression in tapping trees. Methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, and ethephon treatments initially significantly upregulate their expression and then downregulate it, while the expression pattern with gibberellin treatment is opposite to them. Subcellular localization analysis revealed it to be in the nucleus. It can be seen that HbbHLH48 is a member of the plant bHLH transcription factor family, and its function in Hevea brasiliensis may be involved in the gibberellin process, thereby regulating the flowering process and latex biosynthesis process, laying the foundation for further in-depth research.

Dickeya fangzhongdai is one of the main pathogens causing the devastating disease (soft rot disease) of Orchidaceae. Pathogenic genes play a crucial role in the infection process. Dickeya fangzhongdai Onc5 was isolated from the diseased plant (Oncidium, Gower Ramsey) in Fujian province. Pathogenic gene play an important role in the interaction between pathogens and plants. The purpose of this study was to larify the molecular biological characteristics of D. fangzhongdai Onc5 vfmE gene and analysis its role in the infection process, so as to provide theretical basis for further reveal the pathogenic mechanism of D. fangzhongdai Onc5 vfmE gene in the infection process. Using the D. fangzhongdai Onc5 DNA as template, of vfmE gene was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and its bioinformatics were analyzed. The expression of vfmE gene was analyzed during D. fangzhongdai Onc5 infecting Oncidium by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). The result showed that the ORF sequence of vfmE gene was 564 bp, encoding 187 amino acids with a molecular weight of 21.93 kDa and isoelectric point of 9.01 and a conserved AraC-superfamily domain. The vfmE protein was an unstable hydrophilic protein without signal peptide and transmembrane structure. The secondary structure of protein was mainly composed of α-helix (58.29%) and random coil (40.64%). Sequence similarity analysis revealed that the translated molecules showed high homology with other pathogens in the genus Dickeya (>86%). RT-qPCR analysis showed that vfmE gene was highly expressed continuously throughout the infection process of D. fangzhongdai Onc5, and the highest expression level was at 12 h. vfmE protein plays an important role in the infection of D. fangzhongdai Onc5. Research on the pathogeneisis-related gene vfmE in D. fangzhongdai Onc5 provide a theoretical basis for further research on the vfmE gene function and pathogenic regulation mechanism in Dickeya genus. Furthermore, such studies may be useful for finding new target to control plant soft rot disease.

SOC1 (SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1) is a flowering time regulator in plants. It belongs to the MADS-box transcription factor family and plays a crucial role in the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth in plants. SOC1 is involved in various biological processes, including flower organ development, flowering time control, and response to environmental stimuli and hormone signals. In this study, shading and application of Lorsben were used for flower induction in wax apple, and the number of leaf buds, flowers, and the rate of flowering shoots were recorded after treatment. Additionally, the existing transcriptome data of wax apple in our research group were analyzed to identify the candidate gene SsSOC1 involved in regulating flowering in wax apple. The differential expression of SsSOC1 in different stages and tissues of wax apple under shading and Lorsben treatment was studied using qPCR. The results showed that the expression of the SsSOC1 gene significantly increased in the buds, leaves, leaf tips, and petioles of wax apple treated with shading, with the highest relative expression in the leaf tips. In this study, the SsSOC1 gene from Hei Tang Ba Bi wax apple was successfully cloned, and its promoter analysis, physicochemical properties of the protein, prediction of conserved functional domains, and sequence alignment were performed using bioinformatics methods. The open reading frame of the SsSOC1 gene in wax apple was found to be 654 bp, encoding a protein of 217 amino acids. The theoretical isoelectric point of the protein was 9.37, with a molecular formula of C₁₀₇₆H₁₇₉₄N₃₂₂O₃₃₄S₁₀ and a molecular weight of 24.91 kDa. The protein contained 40 positively charged amino acid residues (Lys+Arg) and 32 negatively charged amino acid residues (Asp+Glu). The protein had a fat coefficient of 80.64, a grand average of hydropathicity (GRAVY) of -0.729, and an instability coefficient of 66.17. The protein structure lacked β-folds and did not belong to secretory or membrane proteins. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that the protein was mainly present in the nucleus and belonged to an unstable hydrophilic basic protein. The SsSOC1 protein in wax apple possessed conserved domains including MADS_MEF2_like and K-Box and belonged to the MADS superfamily and K-Box superfamily. The analysis identified the amino acid positions 3 to 75 and 88 to 171 as the start and end sites of the conserved domains, respectively, conforming to the typical structural features of the MADS protein family and the K-Box family. The evolutionary tree showed the highest homology between the SsSOC1 sequence in wax apple and Syzygium oleosum. By floral dip transformation, the SsSOC1 gene was introduced into Arabidopsis, and it was found that the 35S::SsSOC1 line exhibited an early flowering phenotype and a reduced number of rosette leaves compared to the wild type. This study preliminarily elucidated the important role of the SsSOC1 gene in flowering in wax apple and attempted to reveal the intrinsic regulatory mechanism of shading-induced flowering, providing guidance for wax apple production and theoretical basis for improving out-of-season cultivation techniques.

Drought is one of the most serious abiotic stresses to land plants. Environmental water deficiency triggers an osmotic stress signaling cascade. OSCA1 was described as a hyperosmolarity-gated calcium-permeable channel and its function in osmosensing in plants, homologues of OSCA genes are found throughout eukaryotes. Water is crucial to plant growth and development. As one of the primary horticulture commodities, tomato plays an important role in vegetable research. To enhance the survival and yield of tomatoes in drought conditions, it is essential to thoroughly study the function of SlOSCA genes and their drought-resistant mechanisms. Based on reverse genetics, we selected SlOSCA1.1/1.2/1.6/2.3/3.1 as our target genes through bioinformatics analysis, the slosca mutant of tomato was made by CRISPR/cas9-mediated gene editing directly in AC (Ailsa Craig). To explore the role of tomato SlOSCA protein family members in the response to osmotic stress. Here, we found impaired guard cell osmotic stress signaling and attenuated plant responses to osmotic stress in slosca3.1/1.1 plants, impaired osmotic stress signaling and attenuated plant responses to osmotic stress in slosca1.6/1.2/2.3 plants, the slosca1.6/1.2/2.3 plants showed lower water use efficiency and poorer drought resistance, there is genetic redundancy in OSCA. In this study, slosca mutants were constructed and then the physiological phenotypes of the mutants were investigated, which revealed that multiple genes of the SlOSCA family cooperatively regulate responses to osmotic stress, this study provides a reference for subsequent analysis of the biological functions of OSCA gene family under different stress conditions and different physiological processes.

Endoclita vietnamensis Buchsbaum & Grehan, a newly discovered pest of dried Eucalyptus, is a typical example of native insect adaptation to an alien host. Adult larvae scatter the eggs on the ground below the forest, and the larvae live in the litter layer to the third stage after hatching, and then transfer the damage to the tree. Even in mixed forests, larvae can accurately locate the host, which leads to be assumed that the olfactory system of larvae is conducive to host selection. In addition, the olfactory system also plays an important role in the mating process of adult worms. Here, we studied the transcriptome of the head, chest and abdomen of the 5th instar, 12th instar and antennal antennae of the adult, and investigated the expression profile of olfactory proteins. A total of 66 olfactory proteins were identified,14 of which were newly identified, including three odor-binding proteins (OBPs), four odor receptors (ORs), one taste receptor (GRs), and six ionic receptors (IRs). The expression profiles showed that all OBPs, ORs and GRs were expressed to varying degrees in the three stages, except OR22 and OR25 which were not expressed in the head of the 5th instar larvae. The expression level of EsigOR23 was the highest among all olfactory proteins, and was significantly high in the head of 5th instar larvae. The expression of EsigGOBP9 in adult antennae was significantly higher than that in adults at 5 and 12 ages. This study would provide a molecular basis for further study of the chemical sensation of the E. vietnamensis. EsigOR23 and EsigGOBP9 have unique expression patterns, which may be important proteins affecting host selection in larvae and courtship behavior in adults, respectively, and deserve further exploration.

In order to investigate the genetic diversity of phenotypes and improve the utilization efficiency of different germplasm resources in Phalaenopsis, 76 germplasm resources of Phalaenopsis were investigated on the phenotype diversity by differential analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis and cluster analysis. The ornamental value of big-flower, medium-flower and small-flower cultivars were evaluated comprehensively. The results showed that plant height was the most significant difference among the cultivars, and the flower number per plant was the largest coefficient of variation. Most phenotypes showed significant or extremely significant positive correlation. Flower width and length were the main factors leading to the genetic diversity of phenotypes in Phalaenopsis. The 11 phenotypes were divided into three categories by the R-type cluster analysis, among which flower length and width were clustered firstly when the Euclidean distance was 1.1, indicating the highest degree of correlation between them. 76 germplasm resources could be divided into three categories by Q-type cluster analysis, big flower, medium flower and small flower cultivars. In the comprehensive evaluation of ornamental value, the big flower Baihuahonxin, Huanying and V3, the medium flower Chulian, Huangpao, Jixiang, Memphis, 79, Ama and the small flower Auspicious, Xiaomeihua, Christmas Tree, LL29 and Queen Beer obtained higher scores. The results would provide a reference for the efficient utilization of germplasm resources and parent selection of crossbreeding in Phalaenopsis.

To understand the morphological diversity and degree of variation in lotus fruits from various sources, 81 dried mature lotus fruits were collected from different locations (including 59 wild populations, 15 cultivated populations, and 7 lotus cultivars) for morphometric measurements and systematic clustering analysis. There was substantial morphological variation among 81 accessions of lotus fruits. The longitudinal diameter ranged from 12.03 mm to 19.58 mm, the transverse diameter varied from 7.93 mm to 15.72 mm, the aspect ratio spanned from 1.01 to 1.97, and single grain weight fluctuated from 0.41 mm to 2.26 g. The morphology of lotus fruits from different sources was different. The average longitudinal diameter, transverse diameter, longitudinal/transverse diameter ratio, and grain weight of American lotus fruits was 13.97 mm, 11.98 mm, 1.17 and 1.13 g, respectively. For wild Asian lotus fruits, the values was 16.52 mm, 10.51 mm, 1.58 and 0.98 g, respectively. For the 15 cultivated Asian lotus populations, the average values was 15.81 mm, 11.18 mm, 1.42 and 1.07 g, respectively. For the 7 fruit lotus varieties, the average values was 16.71 mm, 13.20 mm, 1.27 and 1.53 g, respectively. The correlation analysis showed that the single fruit weight of lotus fruit was positively correlated with the longitudinal diameter and transverse diameter (P<0.05), and negatively correlated with the ratio of transverse diameter (P<0.05), but there were differences among different population sources. There was no significant correlation between longitude and latitude and morphological indexes of lotus fruits. The longitude was positively correlated with the ratio of longitudinal diameter and longitudinal diameter (P<0.01), but negatively correlated with transverse diameter and single grain weight (P<0.01). There was a significant positive correlation between latitude and longitudinal diameter (P<0.05), a very significantly positive correlation between latitude and longitudinal diameter ratio (P<0.01), a significantly negative correlation between latitude and transverse diameter (P<0.05), and a negative correlation between latitude and single grain weight (P<0.05). Systematic cluster analysis showed that 59 populations of wild lotus fruits could be divided into 2-5 branches. All lotus fruits of American lotus and the Chiang Mai population of Thai lotus formed the first cluster, and the remaining Asian lotus formed the second cluster. Morphological traits of lotus fruits varied across the different years of collection. The results would provide scientific basis for lotus resource conservation, auxiliary identification, germplasm innovation and lotus fruit production.

Tropical region is rich in plant genetic diversity with great demand for the safe preservation of plant germplasm resources. Cryopreservation [with liquid nitrogen (LN)] is an important method for the long-term preservation of plant germplasm resources. Although cryopreservation protocol often requires optimization for different species, it ensures the use of minimum space and the regular LN supply to facilitate the long-term preservation of genetic resources once established, thereby greatly reducing the labor input and costs in the long run. The cryogenic technique has been studied for more than half a century and has achieved survival and regeneration of plant materials such as seeds, shoot tips and pollen, as well as cell suspension and callus tissue after cryopreservation. To fully introduce the use of cryopreservation to secure valuable tropical plant species and support the development of tropical agricultural sciences, this review first focuses on the shoot tip and dormant shoot segment cryopreservation to review the research history and technological development of plant cryopreservation. The research advances of cryopreservation in tropical plant species were emphasized using shoot tips, seeds (zygotic embryos), pollen, cell suspension, and callus. The importance of genetic stability analysis after cryopreservation was also introduced before highlighting the importance and prospects of applying cryopreservation for long-term preservation of shoot tips, recalcitrant seeds, and embryogenic tissues and cells of tropical crops.