The TCP protein family is a plant-specific group of transcription factors known to regulate key biological processes, including growth and development, as well as stress responses. Despite their critical roles, the TCP gene family in Bergenia purpurascens remains uncharacterized. This study aims to systematically identify and analyze the BpTCP gene family in B. purpurascens using transcriptome-based bioinformatics approaches, providing new insights into their potential functions in cold adaptation and secondary metabolism.

B. purpurascens exhibits remarkable resilience to abiotic stresses, particularly cold, and contains abundant secondary metabolites. Given the documented roles of TCP genes in stress responses and metabolic regulation in other plants, we hypothesized that BpTCP genes may contribute to these traits. A comprehensive analysis of this gene family could reveal novel mechanisms underlying stress adaptation and metabolite synthesis, supporting future genetic improvement and biotechnological applications.

Through transcriptome-based bioinformatics analysis, we identified 16 BpTCP genes in B. purpurascens, which were phylogenetically classified into two major groups, with all members containing conserved TCP domains and closely related proteins sharing similar motif patterns. Tissue-specific expression profiling revealed distinct spatial expression patterns across different tissues, suggesting functional diversification among family members. Notably, partial genes, including BpTCP10, BpTCP1 and BpTCP12, exhibited significant expression changes under cold stress, implying their potential cold-responsive roles. Furthermore, expression levels of specific BpTCP genes correlated significantly with accumulation of various secondary metabolites, particularly flavonoids and phenolics, suggesting their regulatory involvement in metabolic pathways.

This study provides the first genome-wide characterization of the BpTCP gene family in B. purpurascens, demonstrating its potential roles in growth and development as well as cold stress response, and secondary metabolism. The differential expression of BpTCP genes under stress and their correlation with metabolite levels lay a foundation for future functional studies.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important secondary metabolites in plants, with significant physiological, ecological, economic, and ornamental value. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a classical method for detecting and analyzing plant volatile aromas and is often regarded as the gold standard. However, its sample preparation is laborious and time-consuming, and real-time detection is difficult to achieve, which limits its application in large-scale sample analyses. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a method capable of accurate, real-time, and rapid detection of specific plant VOCs.

Proton transfer reaction-time of flight-mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) enables real-time quantitative analysis of complex VOC mixtures due to its high sensitivity, rapid response, and non-destructive soft ionization mechanism. Nevertheless, its inability to effectively distinguish between volatile isomers and the tendency for compound fragmentation prevent it from fully replacing the powerful qualitative capabilities of GC-MS. Integrating the strengths of both techniques could lead to an efficient and accurate VOC detection system. Using Hedychium plants as an example, this study systematically combines GC-MS and PTR-ToF-MS to establish a technical workflow aiming to identify marker ions that can rapidly predict the emission of specific VOCs, thereby improving the efficiency of aroma compound detection.

Using Hedychium plants as the study subject, this method details a technical framework that integrates GC-MS and PTR-ToF-MS to establish a rapid detection system for specific aromatic compounds. Key steps—including sample collection, parameter optimization, and data acquisition—are outlined. Additionally, a cross-platform data integration method based on partial least squares regression (PLSR) is introduced, along with detailed code execution steps. By constructing a robust and optimized prediction model, the PTR-ToF-MS spectral peak at m/z 155.144 was identified as a stable marker for predicting linalool emissions. This result was validated in two independent aroma datasets, demonstrating the successful application of PTR-ToF-MS for rapid quantification of target aromatic components.

This study addresses the limitations of GC-MS in large-scale sample applications by incorporating PTR- ToF-MS and integrating the advantages of both techniques. Using Hedychium as a model, a rapid detection system for specific aroma compounds was established, with detailed descriptions of the technical workflow and a cross-platform data integration method, including code implementation. A predictive model identified a robust marker for linalool emissions, validated across independent datasets, enabling rapid quantification of target aroma components via PTR-ToF-MS. These findings provide a new strategy for plant VOCs detection, with potential to advance detection technologies and improve efficiency and accuracy. The approach shows broad application prospects in plant physiology and ecology research, quality evaluation of economic crops, and aroma regulation in ornamental plants.

Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) is an important economic crop whose fruits are not only rich in fiber, vitamins, and phenolic metabolites, but also have significant health benefits. Traditional blackberry propagation methods, including seed propagation, layering, cutting, and suckering, have various limitations. For example, seed propagation has a long cycle, a low germination rate, and variable offspring traits. In contrast, tissue culture-based rapid propagation technology offers distinct advantages, such as season-independent operation, a high multiplication coefficient, and preservation of superior maternal traits, making it an effective solution for blackberry plantlet propagation. Therefore, it is necessary to establish an efficient blackberry rapid propagation system, which would lay the foundation for large-scale production of high-quality virus-free plantlets and germplasm innovation.

The establishment of an in vitro regeneration system for blackberry stem segments is based on the theory of plant cell totipotency and hormonal regulatory mechanisms, under which the meristematic cells of stem segments can regenerate into complete plants under suitable culture conditions. To establish a stable regeneration system for blackberry APF-190T, we investigated the effects of sterilization conditions, medium types, and the types and concentrations of plant growth regulators on primary culture, proliferation culture, and rooting culture. Additionally, the influence of different substrates on the growth of tissue-cultured plantlets was further analyzed.

Comparative experiments on disinfection durations revealed that a 7-minute treatment yielded optimal results for blackberry explants, with the lowest contamination rate of 20.00%, a relatively low browning rate of 6.67%, and the highest survival rate of 73.33%. In MS media, these conditions produced the best stem segment growth, with a maximum bud induction rate of 63.33%, characterized by abundant germinated buds reaching an average length of 1.41 cm. For primary culture, the combination of 1.0 mg∙L^–1 6-BA+0.2 mg∙L^–1 NAA was the most effective, achieving a 100% bud induction rate and producing robust seedlings with dark green leaves. Subsequent proliferation culture with a combination of 0.8 mg∙L^–1 6-BA and 0.1 mg∙L^–1 NAA resulted in the highest adventitious bud proliferation coefficient of 12.51 and the tallest average bud height of 3.83 cm, along with vigorous growth. The rooting efficiency peaked in 1/2MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg∙L^–1 NAA, attaining a 97.78% rooting rate with an average of 5.11 thick roots per plant, featuring well-developed lateral roots and abundant fine roots. Finally, transplantation success was maximized when a 2:1 (v/v) peat-vermiculite substrate was used, resulting in a 95.56% survival rate with robust plant growth, expanded leaves, and continuous root development.

For in vitro propagation of blackberry stem explants, the optimal sterilization protocol was achieved using 75% ethanol for 30 s followed by 2% sodium hypochlorite for 7 min. For primary culture, the most suitable medium was MS+1.0 mg∙L^–1 6-BA+0.2 mg∙L^–1 NAA. For shoot proliferation, the best results were obtained with MS+0.8 mg∙L^–1 6-BA+0.1 mg∙L^–1 NAA, promoting optimal shoot multiplication. During the rooting stage, the highest rooting efficiency was observed in the 1/2MS+1.0 mg∙L^–1 NAA group. For ex vitro acclimatization, a peat mixture proved most effective for seedling survival and growth under controlled greenhouse conditions, and this technique can potentially be applied for commercialization of the plant.