EjGASA6 promotes flowering and root elongation by enhancing gibberellin biosynthesis

The Gibberellic Acid-stimulated Arabidopsis(GASA)gene family is involved in the regulation of gene expression and plant growth,development,and stress responses.To investigate the function of loquat GASA genes in the growth and developmental regulation of plants,a loquat EjGASA6 gene homologous to Arabidopsis AtGASA6 was cloned.EjGASA6 expression was induced by gibberellin,and ectopic transgenic plants containing this gene exhibited earlier bloom and longer primary roots since these phenotypic characteristics are related to higher gibberellin content.Transcriptome analysis and qRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of GA3ox1 and GA20ox1,which encode key enzymes in gibberellin biosynthesis,were significantly increased.Furthermore,we confirmed that EjGASA6 could promote the expression of GA20ox1 via the luciferase reporter system.Overall,our results suggest that EjGASA6 promotes blooming and main-root elongation by positively regulating gibberellin biosynthesis.These findings broaden our understanding of the role of GASAs in plant development and growth,and lay the groundwork for future research into the functions of EjGASA6 in regulating loquat growth and development.

Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for Normalization of RT-qPCR Analysis in Developing or Abiotic-Stressed Tissues of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

Loquat(Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)is a subtropical evergreen fruit tree that produces fruits with abundant nutrients and medicinal components.Confirming suitable reference genes for a set of loquat samples before qRT-PCR experiments is essential for the accurate quantification of gene expression.In this study,eight candidate reference genes were selected from our previously published RNA-seq data,and primers for each candidate reference gene were designed and evaluated.The Cq values of the candidate reference genes were calculated by RT-qPCR in 31 different loquat samples,including 12 subgroups of developing or abiotic-stressed tissues.Different combinations of stable reference genes were screened according to a comprehensive rank,which was synthesized from the results of four algorithms,including the geNorm,NormFinder,BestKeeper andΔCt methods.The screened reference genes were verified by normalizing EjLGA1 in each subgroup.The obtained suitable combinations of reference genes for accurate normalization were GAPDH,EF1αand ACT for floral development;GAPDH,UBCE and ACT for fruit setting;EF1α,GAPDH and eIF2B for fruit ripening;ACT,EF1αand UBCE for leaves under heat stress;eIF2B,UBCE and EF1αfor leaves under freezing stress;EF1α,TUA and UBCE for leaves under salt stress;ACT,EF1αand eIF2B for immature pulp under freezing stress;ACT,UBCE and eIF2B for immature seeds under freezing stress;EF1α,eIF2B and UBCE for both immature pulp and seeds under freezing stress;UBCE,TUB and TUA for red-fleshed fruits under cold-storage stress;eIF2B,RPS3 and TUB for white-fleshed fruits under coldstorage stress;and eIF2B,UBCE and RPS3 for both red-and white-fleshed fruits under cold-storage stress.This study obtained different combinations of stable reference genes for accurate normalization in twelve subgroups of developing or abiotic-stressed tissues in loquat.To our knowledge,this is the first report to obtain stable reference genes for normalizing gene expression of abiotic-stressed tissues in E.japonica.The use of the three most stable reference genes could increase the reliability of future quantification experiments.

苏州吴中区金庭镇“一村一品”青种枇杷观光果园规划设计(英文)

The planning and design of Qingzhong Loquat Sightseeing Park in Jinting Township, Wuzhong District, Suzhou City was taken for an example, industrial development, advantages and disadvantages of the study area were analyzed. Design concepts and techniques of"One Brand for One Village"for Qingzhong Loquat Sightseeing Park were introduced from the perspectives of project orientation, planning concepts, functional division, scenic spot design, infrastructure planning and so on. Six ancient relics and three grotesque trees were introduced to expound the planning scheme of typical landscapes. Finally, the architectural control planning from the perspectives of height and style was stressed. The planning scheme broke common restraints of other similar parks, such as poor infrastructure and disordered garden constructions, proposed the planning concept of"building a modern eco-agricultural sightseeing fruit park mainly for production but also integrating functions of tourism, ecological picking, recreation and entertainment", providing a basis for building "One Brand for One Village" and realizing the high-efficiency scale-development of agriculture.

Endogenous phytohormones and the expression of flowering genes synergistically induce flowering in loquat

Flowering is an important process for the reproduction of higher plants.Up to this point,the studies on flowering have mostly focused on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana,and the flowering mechanism of fruit trees remains mostly unknown.The diversity of the flowering time of loquat(Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)makes it an ideal material to study the regulation of flowering.In this study,we first observed the inflorescence bud differentiation in two varieties of loquat that had different blooming times(cv.Dawuxing(E.japonica),that blooms in the fall and cv.Chunhua(E.japonica×Eriobotrya bengalensis Hook.f.)that blooms in the spring)and found that the starting time of inflorescence bud differentiation and the speed of inflorescence development were responsible for the difference in blooming times.The determination of endogenous phytohormones by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)indicated that abscisic acid(ABA),zeatin(ZT),and gibberellin(GA3)promoted flowering in loquat,while indole-3-acetic acid(IAA)was mainly involved in inflorescence bud differentiation in Chunhua.A transcription level analysis illustrated that multiple flowering-related genes could respond to different signals,integrate to the TFL1,AP1 and FT genes,and then synergistically regulate flowering in loquat.Thus,this study provides a new insight into flowering regulation mechanisms in loquat.

Monilinia fructicola on loquat:An old pathogen invading a new host

Monilinia fructicola has been widely reported as the causal agent of brown rot disease on many Rosaceae family fruits worldwide.It has been reported on stone fruits,e.g.,peach,plum,cherry,apricot and mume;as well as pome fruits,e.g.,apple,pear and hawthorn.Loquat is a member of the Eriobotrya genus in subfamily Maloideae along with apple,pear and hawthorn.So far,loquat has not been reported as the host of any Monilia species.In June 2019,brown rot symptoms were observed on loquat fruits in an orchard in Wuhan,Hubei Province,China.Thirty single spore isolates were obtained and identified as M.fructicola based on morphological characteristics and molecular analysis.This is the first report of loquat brown rot disease caused by Monilia species in the world.Furthermore,upon artificial inoculation,all three Monilia species from peach in China,i.e.,M.fructicola,M.mumecola and M.yunnanensis,could cause typical brown rot disease on loquat fruits.At the same time,M.fructicola isolates from loquat showed virulence similar to those isolates from peach when the pathogenicity test was conducted on peach fruits.These results suggested that loquat could be infected by other Monilia species and that isolates from loquat also have potential to damage other Rosaceae family fruits in practice.

Occurrence, Prevention and Control of Cryphalus eriobotryae, a New Devastating Pest of Loquat

A devastating trunk beetle has been found in Baisha loquat in Dongshan Town, Wuzhong District, Suzhou City in recent years. It is iden-tified as a new insect species, Cryphalus eriobotryae, belonging to Scolytinae, Curculionidae, Coleoptera. So far, loquat is known as the unique host of C. eriobotryae, and trees of 20-30 years old or 3-4 years old are all attacked by the insect. Holes drilled by adults with the diameter of about0.8 mm and sores(ate by adults) with the diameter of 1 mm are found on bark and trunk of damaged trees. Three-dimensional channels in 3-4 layers are formed in cortex, which are filled with insect dung. The phloem turns black-brown in late stage, and loses transport function, resulting in plant death and a great impact on loquat production and industrial development. During the occurrence period of C. eriobotryae from April to November,the damaged trunks and branches should be sprayed with 48% chlorpyrifos EC or 5% imidacloprid EC 100 times dilution once every 10 d for con-tinuous 2-3 times, and various states of the insect could be killed. If the phloem is damaged in the early and middle stages and does not turn black and brown completely, the plant could grow new cortex to realize recovery.

The variation of NAD^+-SDH gene in mutant white-fleshed loquat

supported by the Key Laboratory Program of the Ministry of Agriculture of China （2013JCYJ-004） and its supplementary items （2015JSCX-036, 2015LWJJ-010）;the Program of Modern Agriculture Technology Innovation and Demonstration of Provincial Finance Department, China （2014CXSF-015）

Polyphenol Oxidase Inactivation by Microwave Oven and Its Effect on Phenolic Profile of Loquat (<i>Eriobotrya japonica</i>) Fruit

The objective of this research was investigated the effect of polyphenol oxidase microwave treatment on phenolic composition, antioxidant activity and microstructure of loquat fruit. Phenolic profile of methanolic extracts prepared from fresh, and microwave-treated samples were analyzed. Antioxidant activity was also evaluated by 2,2’-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS?+) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH+) methods. In addition, polyphenol oxidase inactivation was carried out using a response surface methodology to establish the optimal conditions of treatment. The phenolic content of fresh mesocarp was 311 ± 0.60 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100g dry weight (DW) and that of microwave-treated mesocarp was 1230 ± 0.36 mg GAE/100g DW. Total phenolic content of water/ methanol extract significantly increases after microwave treatment rather than methanolic extract of fresh loquat. Five glycoside phenolics were identified by HPLC-DAD-MS as 3-caffeoylquinic acid, 3-p-coumaroylquinic acid, 5-caffeoylquinic acid and quercetin-3-O-sambubioside. Methanolic extract of microwave-treated mesocarp showed higher antioxidant activity than that of fresh mesocarp. Thus, polyphenol oxidase inactivation by microwave energy preserved the integrity of phenolic compounds as well as antioxidant activity in mesocarp extracts prepared from loquat fruit. It was also noted that phenolics were more abundant in the microwaved samples than in the fresh samples.

Effects of Neodymium on Nitrogen Metabolism of Plantlet Loquat in Vitro

The effect of NdCl_3 on the rooting and nitrogen metabolism of loquat in vitro was studied when NdCl_3 was added to the rooted medium. The results show that 0.4 μmol·L^(-1) NdCl_3 in the rooted medium can obviously increase the rooting rate, length of root and fresh weight of roots, and enhance the activities of nitrate reductase, glutamine synthetase, glutamate dehydrogenase in the root system and in the leaves. The transformation of NO_3^- to NH_4^+ in root system and leaves are promoted and the nitrogen metabolism is accelerated with 0.4 μmol·L^(-1) NdCl_3 treatment.

Polysaccharide from Loquat Leaves to Prepare Hierarchical Porous Carbon as a Matrix for Active Sulfur

Fossil fuel exhaustion and overdevelopment usually lead to a recession,which is worsened by the environmental pollution.So it is of high priority to develop high-efficiency energy storage device.Here,agreen and environment-friendly strategy is devised to fabricate carbon materials from biomass.By water extraction and alcohol precipitation,polysaccharide is extracted from loquat leaves.After calcining under high temperature,hierarchical porous carbon materials(HPCM)are obtained,possessing a variety of macropores,mesopores and micropores.Such ample and hierarchical pores enable the electrolyte infiltration and the buffering of the volume expansion of sulfur in repeated electrochemical reactions.The structure stability of the entire electrode can thus be well maintained.When evaluated as the scaffold for sulfur,the electrochemical performance of carbon/sulfur composite was tested.Even after 500 cycles,the reversible capacity is retained as high as 485.4 mA·h/g at the current density of 1.6 A/g.It also offers a notable rate capability,attaining the discharge capacity of 700.7 mA·h/g at 2 C.All the electrochemical performance results prove the feasibility of the proposed strategy.

Fingerprinting Patterns of SSR Markers Constructed for 33 Loquat[Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb. ) Lindl. ]Germplasms

[ Objective ] This study aimed to explore the ways of using SSR technology to construct the fingerprinting maps of the loquat. [ Method ] Fingerprinting patterns of the SSR markers for 33 loquat varieties in national loquat germplasm resource garden were constructed by specifically amplifying palymorphism from 7 pairs of primers screened from 51 pairs of primers of the relatives Mains and Pyrus. [ Result ] The results showed that the uses of 7 primers, namely, Hi01d05F, Hil2iO4F, CH02B10F, Hi03a03, Hi03e04, Hi04a05 and Hi02c07 could distinguish 33 loquat germplasms from one another completely. [ Conclusion] This study provides an essential criterion for classification and identification of the loquat resources.

Sorbitol induces flower bud formation via the MADS-box transcription factor EjCAL in loquat

Sorbitol is an important signaling molecule in fruit trees. Here, we observed that sorbitol increased during flower bud differentiation(FBD) in loquat(Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.). Transcriptomic analysis suggested that bud formation was associated with the expression of the MADS-box transcription factor(TF) family gene, EjCAL. RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that EjCAL was enriched in flower primordia but hardly detected in the shoot apical meristem. Heterologous expression of EjCAL in Nicotiana benthamiana plants resulted in early FBD. Yeast-one-hybrid analysis identified the ERF12 TF as a binding partner of the EjCAL promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR confirmed that EjERF12 binds to the EjCAL promoter, and β-glucuronidase activity assays indicated that EjERF12 regulates EjCAL expression.Spraying loquat trees with sorbitol promoted flower bud formation and was associated with increased expression of EjERF12 and EjCAL. Furthermore, we identified EjUF3GaT1 as a target gene of EjCAL and its expression was activated by EjCAL. Function characterization via overexpression and RNAi reveals that EjUF3GaT1 is a biosynthetic gene of flavonoid hyperoside. The concentration of the flavonoid hyperoside mirrored that of sorbitol during FBD and exogenous hyperoside treatment also promoted loquat bud formation. We identified a mechanism whereby EjCAL might regulate hyperoside biosynthesis and confirmed the involvement of EjCAL in flower bud formation in planta. Together,these results provide insight into bud formation in loquat and may be used in efforts to increase yield.

Detection of skin defects on loquat using hyperspectral imaging combining both band radio and improved three-phase level set segmentation method

Background and objectives Skin defects are one of the primary problems that occur in post-harvest grading and processing of loquats.Skin defects lead to the loquat being easily destroyed during transportation and storage,which causes the risk of other loquats being infected,affecting the selling price.Materials and Methods In this paper,a method combining band radio image with an improved three-phase level set segmentation algorithm(ITPLSSM)is proposed to achieve high accuracy,rapid,and non-destructive detection of skin defects of loquats.Principal component analysis(PCA)was used to find the characteristic wavelength and PC images to distinguish four types of skin defects.The best band ratio image based on characteristic wavelength was determined.Results The band ratio image(Q782/944)based on PC2 image is the best segmented image.Based on pseudo-color image enhancement,morphological processing,and local clustering criteria,the band ratio image(Q782/944)has better contrast between defective and normal areas in loquat.Finally,the ITPLSSM was used to segment the processing band ratio image(Q782/944),with an accuracy of 95.28%.Conclusions The proposed ITPLSSM method is effective in distinguishing four types of skin defects.Meanwhile,it also effectively segments images with intensity inhomogeneities.

Characterization of Carotenoid Accumulation and Carotenogenic Gene Expression During Fruit Development in Yellow and White Loquat Fruit

Accumulation of carotenoids in peel and pulp of the yellow-fleshe loquat ‘Zaozhong 6'(ZZ6) and the white-fleshe loquat ‘Baiyu'(BY) were tracked during different fruit development stages, and the expression of 15 carotenogenic genes were analyzed. During loquat fruit ripening the fresh weight content of β-carotene in peel and pulp of ZZ6 increased gradually and peaked at the fully ripe stage, reaching 68.53 μg·g^(-1)FW in the peel and 11.92 μg·g^(-1)FW in the pulp. In BY, the content of β-carotene in the peel increased and peaked at the fully ripe stage, reaching38.89 μg·g^(-1)FW, while it decreased in the pulp from the original 0.47 μg·g~(^(-1))FW and reduced to 0.29 μg·g~(^(-1))FW. The content of β-cryptoxanthin in the peel and pulp of ZZ6 and BY both increased steadily, and peaked at the fully ripe stage; however, the content of lutein decreased in the peel of ZZ6 and increased in the pulp, but in BY, it dropped and then rose in the peel. There was no significan change of β-cryptoxanthin in the pulp of BY. After the breaker stage, the m RNA levels of phytoene synthase(PSY) and chromoplast-specifi lycopene β-cyclase(CYCB) were higher in the peel, while CYCB and β-carotene hydroxylase(BCH) m RNAs were higher in the fles of ZZ6, compared with BY. The results showed that the expression level of PSY, CYCB, and BCH appeared to cooperatively regulate the accumulation of carotenoids.

Assessing the response of indigenous loquat cultivar Mardan to phytohormones for in vitro shoot proliferation and rooting

In vitro cultures of loquat cultivar Mardan were established using shoot apices after treating with NaOCl (5%,7%,10%,12%,14% (v/v)) for 12 min and HgCl2 (0.01%,0.05%,0.10%,0.20%,0.25% (w/v)) for 2 min.A maximum survival rate of 70% was recorded after surface sterilization with 10% NaOCl.Caulogenic response was assessed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with assorted combinations of the cytokinins,benzylaminopurine (BAP),kinetin,and N6-(2-isopentyl)adenine (2iP).Treatment of BAP 1.5 mg/L combined with 2iP 9.0 mg/L and kinetin 1.5 mg/L was found to be optimum for shoot morphogenesis in terms of the number and subsequent growth of shoots,while the highest shoot length was yielded by the combination of BAP 0.5 mg/L,kinetin 0.5 mg/L,and 2iP 3 mg/L.Higher levels of cytokinins induced callogenesis,vitrification and stunted growth to some extent.For rhizogenesis,uniform sized micro-shoots were excised and transferred to half-strength MS medium containing auxins.The best rooting expression was observed with naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) 1 mg/L combined with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) 2 mg/L and paclobutrazol (PBZ) 1 mg/L.