Pinus yunnanensis Franch is a major forest species in southwest China as a source of timber and industrial raw materials. The genetic quality of the species is declining and the differentiation of offspring is strong as affected by environmental change and improper management measures. To assess the phenotypic diversity of natural populations, the evaluation of twelve phenotypic traits in nine populations from its whole distribution was performed. Studies revealed plentiful phenotypic variations within and among populations. The phenotypic variation within the population was 4.03%, and was lower than that among populations (21.04%), indicating that the phenotypic variation among populations was the main source. The mean differentiation coefficient was 91.23%, and the mean coefficient of variation of twelve traits was 28.27%, ranging from 14.18% (length of needles) to 70.11% (height under the branches). No significant correlation between plant height and environmental factors was found. Mean annual temperature, mean temperature of the driest quarter, mean temperature of the wettest quarter, and latitude were significantly correlated to diameter breast height, respectively. Temperature is the most important factor affecting the diameter of breast height. Three principal components that represent plant shape, needle, and lateral branch trait, respectively, were obtained while the cumulative contribution rate reached 74.40%. According to the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) cluster analysis, nine populations were divided into three clusters. However, populations were not clustered strictly according to geographic distance, implying that there is a discontinuity in the variation of phenotypic traits. Compared with other populations, the Lufeng population contains obvious advantages in plant height, diameter breast height, crown diameter, and needle length and width, whereas the Yongren population has the worst performance in plant height, crown diameter, and the number of lateral branches. Moreover, for selecting superior families, both the comprehensive scoring method and principal component analysis were combined. By comparing trait values from 258 families, eleven superior families with an actual gain of each trait ranging from 0.02% to 32.23% were successfully screened out. This study provides a certain reference significance for the breeding of improved varieties and plantation management of P. yunnanensis.

Bamboo possesses various characteristics that make it a promising renewable biomass resource. These include rapid growth, early timber production, strong adaptability, high yield, ease of planting, wide distribution, and ease of processing. With the increasing demand for bamboo resources, rapid propagation, species selection, and breeding have always been the focus of bamboo research. However, the long and unpredictable flowering cycle of bamboo, coupled with the difficulties of obtaining seeds, has made it difficult for mass-scale propagation and the introduction of desirable traits through classical breeding methods, which hinders the genetic improvement of bamboo. Asexual propagation, tissue culture, and genetic transformation present an effective breeding method to hasten the breeding process, improve breeding efficiency, and screen and create superior new varieties, and may significantly enhance the genetic improvement of bamboo and the development of the bamboo industry. This study reviews recent research on the asexual propagation of bamboo, propagation methods, cultivation means, influencing factors, and transgenes. The bamboo species that participated in asexual reproduction were systematically sorted according to the type of explants, the formula of the culture medium, and the results achieved. In addition, the bottlenecks and development trends in each training process were identified. This study provides a reference for the rapid propagation and genetic breeding of bamboo plants.

Temperature and humidity are the key environmental factors affecting the storage life of seeds. To explore the feasibility and factors influencing ultra-dry storage of Pinus kesiya var. langbianensis seeds, the seeds were dehydrated to six different moisture contents (0.92–6.12%) and stored for one year. The effects of moisture content, packaging method, storage temperature, and pre-humidification method on the viability of ultra-dry seeds were systematically investigated using an orthogonal experimental design. The germination energy, relative electrical conductivity (REC), malondialdehyde (MDA), proline (Pro), total soluble sugar content, and fatty acid composition were determined. The results showed that moisture content and pre-humidification had significant effects on seed germination energy and vigor (p < 0.01). The germination energy of ultra-dried seeds was significantly negatively correlated with REC and MDA contents (p < 0.01) and significantly positively correlated with Pro content (p < 0.01). Based on the comprehensive indices, the optimal combination for seed germination energy was: 4.24% moisture content, self-sealing bag packaging, room temperature (25 °C) storage, and 20% polyethylene glycol (PEG) pre-humidification. Under the optimal moisture content (4.24%), the total sugar content of seeds was the lowest, while the fatty acid unsaturation index and oleic acid content were higher than those in the other treatments. Therefore, appropriate ultra-dry treatment can effectively maintain the seed vigor of P. kesiya var. langbianensis, and its protective effect is closely related to reducing membrane lipid peroxidation, accumulating proline, and regulating fatty acid unsaturation. This has important implications for forest seed conservation and germplasm management, particularly for long-term ex situ preservation of tree seeds in gene banks, supporting reforestation and biodiversity restoration efforts.