Flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. Chinensis var. utilis Tsen et Lee) is a widely consumed vegetable in southern China with significant economic value. Developing product organs in the flowering Chinese cabbage involves two key processes: bolting and flowering. Nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) is a heterotrimeric transcription factor known for its crucial role in various plant developmental processes. However, there is limited information available on the involvement of this gene family during flowering during Chinese cabbage development. In this study, 49 BcNF-Y genes were identified and characterized along with their physicochemical properties, gene structure, chromosomal location, collinearity, and expression patterns. We also conducted subcellular localization, yeast two-hybrid, and transcriptional activity assays on selected BcNF-Y genes. The findings of this study revealed enhanced expression levels of specific BcNF-Y genes during the stalk development and flowering stages in flowering Chinese cabbage. Notably, BcNF-YA8, BcNF-YB14, BcNF-YB20, and BcNF-YC5 interacted with BcRGA1, a negative regulator of GA signaling, indicating their potential involvement in GA-mediated stalk development. This study provides valuable insights into the role of BcNF-Y genes in flowering Chinese cabbage development and suggests that they are potential candidates for further investigating the key regulators of cabbage bolting and flowering.

The optimization of micropropagation for blueberries is crucial due to the growing blueberry industry and demand for plantlets. This study focused on four stages: explant sterilization, in vitro establishment, in vitro proliferation, and ex vitro rooting, aiming to establish an efficient in vitro propagation system for southern highbush blueberry cultivar ‘ZY09’. The most effective explant sterilization method was a 60 s treatment with 75% ethanol and a 5 min treatment with 4% NaClO. During the establishment of the in vitro culture, the modified woody plant medium was found to be suitable. The replacement of NH₄NO₃ in woody plant medium with (NH₄)₂SO₄ facilitated the proliferation of blueberry microshoots. The optimal combination of plant growth regulators for the in vitro proliferation of blueberry microshoots was indole-3-butyric acid (0.1 mg·L⁻¹), thidiazuron (0.0005 mg·L⁻¹), and zeatin (1 mg·L⁻¹). Perlite was the most suitable substrate for ex vitro rooting. The best ex vitro rooting performance was observed without immersion in growth regulators. Indole-3-butyric acid enhances root formation and suppresses root elongation in blueberries. The findings of this study can be applied to large-scale in vitro propagation of southern highbush blueberry and provide a reference for the genetic transformation of blueberries.

Far-red light exerts an important regulatory influence on plant growth and development. However, the mechanisms underlying far-red light regulation of morphogenesis and photosynthetic characteristics in blueberry plantlets in vitro have remained elusive. Here, physiological and transcriptomic analyses were conducted on blueberry plantlets in vitro supplemented with far-red light. The results indicated that supplementation with low far-red light, such as 6 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and 14 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ far-red (6FR and 14FR) light treatments, significantly increased proliferation-related indicators, including shoot length, shoot number, gibberellin A3, and trans-zeatin riboside content. It was found that 6FR and 14 FR significantly reduced chlorophyll content in blueberry plantlets but enhanced electron transport rates. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) showed the enrichment of iron ion-related genes in modules associated with photosynthesis. Genes such as NAC, ABCG11, GASA1, and Erf74 were significantly enriched within the proliferation-related module. Taken together, we conclude that low far-red light can promote the proliferative capacity of blueberry plantlets in vitro by affecting hormone pathways and the formation of secondary cell walls, concurrently regulating chlorophyll content and iron ion homeostasis to affect photosynthetic capacity.