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Advances in Research for Horticultural Crops Breeding and Genetics: 2nd Edition

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2024) | Viewed by 3383

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Horticultural crops are excellent sources of carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, as well as the major source of most dietary antioxidants. With the growing world population and the effects of climate change, there is a need to enhance the production and also the quality of horticultural products. To meet future ecological and economic demands, conventional breeding methods combine with new biological technologies, such as the high throughput technologies, molecular markers, genetic engineering and genome editing, and phenomics, have been widely applied to lead the improvement of yield, quality, abiotic and biotic stresses in horticultural crops, and accelerate the development of new or improved cultivars.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to report the advances research for horticultural crops breeding and genetics. All original research papers or reviews are encouraged, to highlight innovative research aimed at improving horticultural crops, and to enrich the knowledge of various agronomic traits and functions.

Prof. Dr. Aisheng Xiong
Dr. Mengyao Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • horticultural crops
  • breeding
  • genetics

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 5351 KiB  
Article
High-Throughput Transcriptomic Analysis of Circadian Rhythm of Chlorophyll Metabolism under Different Photoperiods in Tea Plants
by Zhi-Hang Hu, Meng-Zhen Sun, Kai-Xin Yang, Nan Zhang, Chen Chen, Jia-Wen Xiong, Ni Yang, Yi Chen, Hui Liu, Xing-Hui Li, Xuan Chen, Ai-Sheng Xiong and Jing Zhuang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(17), 9270; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25179270 - 27 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1320
Abstract
Tea plants are a perennial crop with significant economic value. Chlorophyll, a key factor in tea leaf color and photosynthetic efficiency, is affected by the photoperiod and usually exhibits diurnal and seasonal variations. In this study, high-throughput transcriptomic analysis was used to study [...] Read more.
Tea plants are a perennial crop with significant economic value. Chlorophyll, a key factor in tea leaf color and photosynthetic efficiency, is affected by the photoperiod and usually exhibits diurnal and seasonal variations. In this study, high-throughput transcriptomic analysis was used to study the chlorophyll metabolism, under different photoperiods, of tea plants. We conducted a time-series sampling under a skeleton photoperiod (6L6D) and continuous light conditions (24 L), measuring the chlorophyll and carotenoid content at a photoperiod interval of 3 h (24 h). Transcriptome sequencing was performed at six time points across two light cycles, followed by bioinformatics analysis to identify and annotate the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in chlorophyll metabolism. The results revealed distinct expression patterns of key genes in the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway. The expression levels of CHLE (magnesium-protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester cyclase gene), CHLP (geranylgeranyl reductase gene), CLH (chlorophyllase gene), and POR (cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase gene), encoding enzymes in chlorophyll synthesis, were increased under continuous light conditions (24 L). At 6L6D, the expression levels of CHLP1.1, POR1.1, and POR1.2 showed an oscillating trend. The expression levels of CHLP1.2 and CLH1.1 showed the same trend, they both decreased under light treatment and increased under dark treatment. Our findings provide potential insights into the molecular basis of how photoperiods regulate chlorophyll metabolism in tea plants. Full article
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17 pages, 22053 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification of the WRKY Gene Family and Functional Characterization of CpWRKY5 in Cucurbita pepo
by Junhong Chen, Fei Tao, Yingyu Xue, Bingliang Xu and Xiaowei Li
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(8), 4177; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25084177 - 10 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1415
Abstract
The WRKY gene family is crucial for regulating plant growth and development. However, the WRKY gene is rarely studied in naked kernel formation in hull-less Cucurbita pepo L. (HLCP), a natural mutant that lacks the seed coat. In this research, 76 WRKY genes [...] Read more.
The WRKY gene family is crucial for regulating plant growth and development. However, the WRKY gene is rarely studied in naked kernel formation in hull-less Cucurbita pepo L. (HLCP), a natural mutant that lacks the seed coat. In this research, 76 WRKY genes were identified through bioinformatics-based methods in C. pepo, and their phylogenetics, conserved motifs, synteny, collinearity, and temporal expression during seed coat development were analyzed. The results showed that 76 CpWRKYs were identified and categorized into three main groups (I−III), with Group II further divided into five subgroups (IIa−IIe). Moreover, 31 segmental duplication events were identified in 49 CpWRKY genes. A synteny analysis revealed that C. pepo shared more collinear regions with cucumber than with melon. Furthermore, quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) results indicated the differential expression of CpWRKYs across different varieties, with notable variations in seed coat development between HLCP and CP being attributed to differences in CpWRKY5 expression. To investigate this further, CpWRKY5-overexpression tobacco plants were generated, resulting in increased lignin content and an upregulation of related genes, as confirmed by qRT-PCR. This study offers valuable insights for future functional investigations of CpWRKY genes and presents novel information for understanding the regulation mechanism of lignin synthesis. Full article
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