Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.), a widely cultivated legume, belongs to the Fabaceae family’s Papilionoideae subfamily. Although Phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) genes have been identified in several plant species, their presence and function in mung bean remain largely unexplored. In this study, we identified seven VrPEBP genes from mung bean and classified them into four clades: FT, MFT, TFL and FT-like. Cis-regulatory element analysis revealed that VrPEBP genes may play a role in light, hormone, and stress responses. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated that VrPEBPs were constitutively expressed in various tissues. However, tissue-specific expression patterns were observed among VrPEBP genes. Under short-day (SD) conditions, VrFT1 and VrMFT1 exhibited significantly higher expression levels than under long-day (LD) conditions at 8 and 4 h, respectively. Conversely, VrTFL2 and VrTFL3 showed significantly higher expression levels under LD conditions compared to SD conditions at 8 and 12 h, respectively. The varied expression patterns of these genes under different photoperiod suggest their potential involvement in the photoperiodic regulation of flowering in mung bean. Additionally, phenotypic analysis of transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing VrFT1 revealed higher expression levels under SD conditions and predicted its role in promoting flowering. These results provide valuable insights into the evolution and function of PEBP genes in mung bean and lay the foundation for further research on their regulatory mechanisms and potential applications in mung bean improvement.

The wheat–soybean double-cropping system enables the continuous production of preceding and succeeding crops within the same growing season, providing an important approach for improving arable land-use efficiency, increasing output per unit area, and optimizing cropping structure. In Liaoning Province, where thermal resources and the frost-free period are relatively limited, this system places high requirements on the growth duration, yield stability, and succession compatibility of the preceding wheat crop with the succeeding soybean crop. To identify spring wheat cultivars suitable for this system, field trials were conducted from 2021 to 2023, using three representative ecological regions of Liaoning Province. Ten widely grown spring wheat cultivars were evaluated for major agronomic traits, grain quality, and disease resistance, and their stability and system adaptability were analyzed using a mixed linear model, GGE biplot analysis, and TOPSIS. The results showed clear differences among cultivars in growth duration, wheat yield, and succeeding soybean yield. Liaochun 33 and Liaochun 18 had relatively short growth durations of 78–84 days and 79–83 days, respectively, and showed favorable performance in wheat yield, succeeding soybean yield, and stability. Combined with grain quality, disease resistance, and TOPSIS-based comprehensive evaluation, Liaochun 33 showed the best overall performance, while Liaochun 18 also exhibited strong system adaptability. Overall, cultivar selection for the wheat–soybean double-cropping system in Liaoning Province should shift from single wheat-yield evaluation to overall system-benefit evaluation. Liaochun 33 and Liaochun 18 can be recommended as preferred spring wheat cultivars for this cropping system.

Trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) is involved in the regulation of plant growth and stress-related responses; however, its potential role in post-drought recovery remains unclear in legume crops. This study evaluated whether foliar application of native T6P could improve growth, yield formation, and physiological recovery in adzuki bean after pre-flowering drought stress. We aimed to propose a model for the production and drought tolerance regulation in adzuki bean. A three-year field experiment was conducted by applying T6P at both the budding stage and the initial pod stage. The plant architecture, yield, photosynthetic characteristics, defensive enzyme activity, sugar metabolism and hormone changes were evaluated. The results indicated that T6P significantly increased root, stem and leaf parameters in adzuki bean it also increased all yield traits except for the main stem branches and sections during post-drought recovery. Indeed, the yield per block of 5μM and 10μM of T6P application during post-drought recovery increased by 20.66% and 31.60% on average compared to the control under well-watered conditions and by 47.68% and 60.20% under drought stress during the three experimental years. Foliar T6P treatment was associated with higher antioxidant enzyme activities and related gene expression, lower ROS accumulation and proline content, and changes in sugar- and hormone-related traits during post-drought recovery. Therefore, foliar application of T6P at the budding and initial pod stages improved growth, yield formation, and post-drought recovery in adzuki bean. The result provide a novel strategy for T6P application for coordinating the high production potential and crop resilience.

Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli (Fop), is a major constraint to global common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production. Thiamine (vitamin B1), an essential coenzyme in plant metabolism, has recently emerged as a potential regulatory factor in plant defense. Here, we performed a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of thiamine biosynthesis-related genes in common bean and elucidated their roles in resistance to Fusarium wilt. Five key thiamine biosynthetic genes were identified and characterized, showing conserved functional domains and evolutionary conservation across species. Expression profiling revealed tissue-specific patterns, with PvTHI1-1 and PvTHIC being highly expressed in reproductive and photosynthetic organs, with their relative expression levels 0.28–0.57 higher than other members in the same tissue, while PvTPK maintained a basal expression level in the roots. Upon Fop infection, resistant genotypes exhibited significantly higher expression of thiamine biosynthetic genes and greater accumulation of endogenous thiamine and its derivatives than susceptible ones. Functional analysis using Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation demonstrated that overexpression of PvTPK enhanced thiamine metabolism and conferred resistance in susceptible genotypes. Similarly, exogenous application of thiamine upregulated biosynthetic genes and improved disease resistance. Together, these results reveal that thiamine biosynthesis is intricately linked to Fusarium wilt resistance and that both genetic and biochemical manipulation of thiamine pathways can enhance disease tolerance. This study provides new insights into thiamine-mediated plant immunity and establishes a foundation for its application in the control of Fusarium wilt in common bean.

Seed coat color is an important quality trait in mung bean (Vigna radiata) and is closely associated with seed appearance, commercial value, and phytochemical composition. To investigate the genetic basis of black seed coat formation, six F₂ populations were derived from reciprocal crosses between the black-seeded accession LZL115 and the green-seeded accession LZL156. Among 755 F₂ plants, 559 produced black-coated seeds and 196 produced green-coated seeds, conforming to a 3:1 segregation ratio (χ² = 0.37, p = 0.54). These results indicated that black seed coat color was dominant and consistent with the control by a single dominant locus, designated VrScL115, in the LZL115 × LZL156 genetic background. Bulked segregant analysis sequencing (BSA-seq) initially mapped VrScL115 to an approximately 2.90 Mb region on chromosome 4. Using newly developed KASP markers and recombinant screening in expanded F₂ populations, the locus was further delimited to a 121.79 kb interval between markers LS_K3333 and LS_K3379. Of the 11 annotated genes within this interval, LOC106758748 was the only gene containing high-confidence coding-sequence variants between the parents. This gene encodes a putative R2R3-MYB transcription factor homologous to MYB90. Comparative sequence analysis identified several allelic variants potentially associated with black seed coat color, and protein structure prediction indicated local structural differences between the parental proteins. LOC106758748 showed consistently higher expression in the developing seed coats of LZL115 than in those of LZL156 at 10, 15, and 20 days after pollination, with expression peaking at 15 days. Haplotype analysis of 246 mung bean accessions showed that the LZL115-associated allele combination at LS_K3352, LS_K3365, LS_K3367, and LS_K3370 was present in 21 of 27 black-seeded accessions (77.8%) and absent from all 219 non-black accessions, corresponding to a specificity of 100% and a false-negative rate of 22.2%. These findings support LOC106758748 as the leading candidate gene for VrScL115; however, direct in vivo functional validation is still required to confirm its causal role in black seed coat formation. The four-marker combination may be useful for identifying germplasm carrying the LZL115-associated allele, although further validation in independent germplasm populations is required.