To explore the regulation mechanism of endogenous phytohormones on rhizome bud germination in Cephalostachyum pingbianense, the contents of IAA, ABA, GA, and CTK in seven above- and under-ground bamboo structure components were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The results showed that a higher content of IAA, GA, and CTK all year was found in above-ground components and dormant rhizome buds. Meanwhile, a higher ABA content in young shoots and a lower ABA content in the culm base and dormant rhizome buds were detected during the peak period of shooting. The amounts of emerging shoots and the grown bamboo culms were positively correlated with the content of IAA and the ratio of IAA/ABA and (IAA + CTK + GA)/ABA, while they were negatively correlated with the ratio of CTK/IAA in dormant rhizome buds. The all-year high contents of IAA (19–31 ng/g) and ABA (114–144 ng/g) in rhizome buds, as well as interactions among four hormones, may be the key physiological mechanisms to maintain rhizome bud germination throughout the year in C. pingbianense. As C. pingbianense is a special bamboo species of multi-season shoot sprouting, the above results may supplement scientific data for a comprehensive understanding of physiological mechanisms within the bamboo subfamily.

The interaction between soil microbes and plants has a significant effect on soil microbial structure and function, as well as plant adaptability. However, the effect of soil micro-organisms on ecological adaption and rapid growth of woody bamboos remains unclear. Here, 16S rRNA and ITS rRNA genes of rhizosphere micro-organisms were sequenced, and the soil properties of three different types of Dendrocalamus sinicus were determined at the dormancy and germination stages of rhizome buds. The result showed that each type of D. sinicus preferred to absorb ammonia nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) rather than nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) and required more NH₄⁺-N at germination or rapid growth period than during the dormancy period. In total, nitrogen fixation capacity of soil bacteria in the straight type was significantly higher than that in the introduced straight type, while the ureolysis capacity had an opposite trend. Saprophytic fungi were the dominant fungal functional taxa in habitat soils of both straight and introduced straight type. Our findings are of great significance in understanding how soil microbes affect growth and adaptation of woody bamboos, but also for soil management of bamboo forests in red soil.

The genus Luculia Sweet contains about five species of small trees or shrubs and is a member of the family Rubiaceae (tribe Cinchoneae). Luculia yunnanensis is an endangered ornamental shrub endemic to southwest China. Only two natural populations of L. yunnanensis exist in the wild according to our field investigation. It can be inferred that L. yunnanensis is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild and an urgent conservation strategy is required. By using a modified biotin-sterptavidin capture method, 24 primer sets were identified in two wild populations. Of these primers, 11 displayed polymorphisms and 13 were monomorphic. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to four, values for observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.833 and from 0.431 to 0.771, with averages of 0.389 and 0.614, respectively. These markers will be useful for further investigation of conservation of resources, selecting parental types in cross-breeding, evolution of this species at the molecular level and related research in Luculia species.