Bamboo, as one of the most important non-timber forest products and fastest-growing plants in the world, represents the only major lineage of grasses that is native to forests. Recent success on the first high-quality draft genome sequence of moso bamboo ( Phyllostachys edulis ) provides new insights on bamboo genetics and evolution. To further extend our understanding on bamboo genome and facilitate future studies on the basis of previous achievements, here we have developed BambooGDB, a bamboo genome database with functional annotation and analysis platform. The de novo sequencing data, together with the full-length complementary DNA and RNA-seq data of moso bamboo composed the main contents of this database. Based on these sequence data, a comprehensively functional annotation for bamboo genome was made. Besides, an analytical platform composed of comparative genomic analysis, protein–protein interactions network, pathway analysis and visualization of genomic data was also constructed. As discovery tools to understand and identify biological mechanisms of bamboo, the platform can be used as a systematic framework for helping and designing experiments for further validation. Moreover, diverse and powerful search tools and a convenient browser were incorporated to facilitate the navigation of these data. As far as we know, this is the first genome database for bamboo. Through integrating high-throughput sequencing data, a full functional annotation and several analysis modules, BambooGDB aims to provide worldwide researchers with a central genomic resource and an extensible analysis platform for bamboo genome. BambooGDB is freely available at http://www.bamboogdb.org/ . Database URL : http://www.bamboogdb.org

Plants are vital to human space exploration, providing oxygen, food, and psychological benefits to astronauts while contributing to water regeneration through recycling of organic wastes. However, microgravity or reduced gravity in space presents a significant environmental challenge to plant growth. Understanding plant biology in both gravity and microgravity conditions is therefore critical for advancing space exploration. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in understanding how gravity affects plants and its implications for the future of space agriculture, although a more comprehensive review is still needed. This review offers an overview of technological platforms to simulate and study effects of microgravity, detailing their historical background and key characteristics. It also summarizes recent advances in understanding plant gravitropism, including critical steps, such as gravity sensing, signal transduction, and curvature response. The impacts of microgravity on plants are examined at the phenotypic, cellular, and molecular levels. Studies on plant biology in microgravity have significantly expanded our knowledge, laying the foundation for the future of space agriculture and exploration. Additionally, we discuss agricultural systems designed for space, focusing on Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS), the selection and breeding of plants suited for space, and their potential applications. Finally, we highlight the challenges and future research directions in plant biology and space agricultural systems.

Bamboo musical instruments, such as bamboo flute and Ching-hu (Beijing opera fiddle), can generate a crisp and melodious sound closely related to the delicate multiscale pore structure of bamboo. Bamboo is a natural hydrophilic material, and its acoustic vibration characteristics are highly sensitive to changeable environmental humidity levels. Herein, we investigated the acoustic vibration characteristics of bamboo under three conditions: constant relative humidity (status I), changeable relative humidity (status II), and subjected to water extraction (status III). Three typical parameters were selected as evaluation indicators of bamboo acoustic vibration characteristics, namely, specific dynamic elastic modulus ($E^{\prime }$/$\mathsf{\rho }$), loss tangent (tan$\delta$), and acoustical converting efficiency (ACE). The outer bamboos (OB) had higher $E^{\prime }$/$\mathsf{\rho }$ and ACE but lower equilibrium moisture content (EMC) and tan$\delta$ than the inner bamboos (IB). Under status I, bamboo showed the maximum $E^{\prime }$/$\mathsf{\rho }$ and ACE and the minimum tan$\delta$ at 35% RH (relative humidity) and about 6% MC. Compared with the bamboo under status II, the bamboo under status I retained higher $E^{\prime }$/$\mathsf{\rho }$ and ACE and lower tan$\delta$. However, the bamboo under status (III) reached the maximum $E^{\prime }$/$\mathsf{\rho }$ and ACE and the minimum tan$\delta$. The bamboo musical instrument is made of bamboo with proper removal of water-soluble extractives and high fiber volume fraction and stored in a stable relative humidity environment of 35%, which has suitable acoustic vibration characteristics.

As a woody plant, peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) has a long growth cycle and inefficient traditional breeding techniques. There is an urgent need in peony molecular breeding to establish an efficient and stable in vitro regeneration and genetic transformation system, in order to overcome the recalcitrant characteristics of peony regeneration and shorten the breeding cycle. The development of plant somatic embryos is an important way to establish an efficient and stable in vitro regeneration and genetic transformation system. Plant-specific WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) family transcription factors play important roles in plant development, from embryogenesis to lateral organ development. Therefore, in this research, four PoWOX genes of “Fengdan” (Paeonia ostii) were cloned from the peony genome and transcriptome data of preliminary peony somatic embryos. The sequence characteristics and evolutionary relationships of the PoWOX genes were analyzed. It was demonstrated that the four PoWOX genes, named PoWOX1, PoWOX4, PoWOX11, and PoWOX13, belonged to three branches of the WOX gene family. Their expression patterns were analyzed at different stages of development and in different tissues of peony seedlings. The expression localization of the PoWOX genes was determined to be the nucleus via subcellular localization assay. Finally, the interaction protein of the PoWOX genes was identified via yeast two-hybrid assay combined with bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay. It was shown that PoWOX1 and PoWOX13 proteins could form homodimers by themselves, and PoWOX11 interacted with PoWOX1 and PoWOX13 to form heterodimers. Peony stem cell activity may be regulated from PoWOX1 and PoWOX13 by forming dimers and moving to peony stem cells through plasmodesmata. Additionally, PoWOX11–PoWOX1 and PoWOX11–PoWOX13 may play important regulatory functions in promoting the proliferation of stem cells and maintaining the homeostasis of stem cells in the SAM of peony stems. Exploring the critical genes and regulatory factors in the development of the peony somatic embryo is beneficial not only to understand the molecular and regulatory mechanisms of peony somatic embryo development but also to achieve directed breeding and improvements in efficiency through genetic engineering breeding technology to accelerate the fundamental process of molecular breeding in peony.