The growth and development of apricot flower organs are severely impacted by spring frosts. To better understand this process, apricot flowers were exposed to temperatures ranging from 0 °C to −8 °C, including a control at 18 °C, in artificial incubators to mimic diverse low-temperature environments. We aimed to examine their physiological reactions to cold stress, with an emphasis on changes in phenotype, membrane stability, osmotic substance levels, and antioxidant enzyme performance. Results reveal that cold stress induces significant browning and cellular damage, with a sharp increase in browning rate and membrane permeability below −5 °C. Soluble sugars and proteins initially rise as osmoprotectants, but their content decreases at lower temperatures. Proline content consistently increases, suggesting a protective role. Antioxidant enzyme activities, including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), exhibit a complex pattern, with initial increases followed by declines at more severe cold conditions. Correlation and principal component analyses highlight the interplay between these responses, indicating a multifaceted adaptation strategy. The findings contribute to the understanding of apricot cold tolerance and inform breeding efforts for improved crop resilience.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of planting density, irrigation volume, and nitrogen application on the resistance of rapeseed to lodging and yield and to provide technical support for achieving high yield and lodging resistance. We employed an L₉ (3⁴) orthogonal array, different planting densities, irrigation levels, and nitrogen applications to investigate their impact on rapeseed lodging and yield. The results showed the following: (1) Irrigation had the greatest effect on rapeseed lodging. This effect was most pronounced for the combination (A3B3C2), which exhibited the most severe lodging phenomenon (90%). Planting density had the greatest effect on yield, and the optimal combination was A2B2C3, which reached 3744 kg/hm² in 2023 and 3420 kg/hm² in 2024. (2) The agronomic practices increased the content of lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, crude fiber, pectin, and soluble sugar fractions in the stalks by enhancing their flexural, puncture, and stress resistance. This led to the highest yield while reducing the rate of lodging. This emphasizes the importance of agricultural practices for rapeseed lodging and yield, providing critical insights into rapeseed cultivation in the Aksu region of Xinjiang.

Apple is notoriously difficult to propagate by cuttings, which severely restricts the large-scale production of own-rooted dwarfing rootstocks. ‘Y-1’ is a promising apple dwarfing rootstock that has been newly bred in China, but its recalcitrant rooting limits its application as an own-rooted stock. In this study, three-year-old ‘Y-1’ stock plants were subjected to three shading rates (40%, 60% and 80%) for 7, 14 and 21 days before cutting collection, and the rooting performance, endogenous hormone and phenolic profiles, antioxidant enzyme activities, and transcriptomic responses of the shoots and cuttings were systematically investigated. Shading of stock plants significantly promoted adventitious rooting, with the combination of 60% shading for 14 days giving the highest rooting rate (39.74%), compared with 5.13% in the unshaded control at the same stage. During shading, leaf chlorophyll content increased with shading intensity and peaked at day 14; phloem indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and gibberellin (GA₃) contents remained higher than the control, whereas abscisic acid (ABA) and major phenolics (phloridzin, chlorogenic acid, quercitrin and rutin) declined. Transcriptome analysis of the phloem (full light vs. 60% shading at days 7 and 14) identified up to 10,944 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were significantly enriched in plant hormone signal transduction, MAPK signaling and plant–pathogen interaction pathways. Shading up-regulated auxin biosynthesis and transport genes (YUCCA6, ARG7, LAX2/LAX3, PIN2) and SAUR genes (SAUR20/50/72/78) while down-regulating auxin signaling repressors and receptors (IAA3/13/14/16/17/26/29/30, TIR1, AFB2, ARF5/6/17/19, PIN3) and the ABA-responsive factor DPBF3. During subsequent rooting, shaded cuttings exhibited four rooting phases (callus formation, root primordium induction, root emergence and elongation); higher IAA and GA₃ and lower ABA and total phenols, together with earlier peaks of POD, PPO, and IAAO activities, characterized the shaded, easy-to-root cuttings. These results indicate that pre-cutting shading creates a “rooting-competent” physiological and transcriptional state in stock-plant shoots that is inherited by the cuttings, providing a practical protocol for ‘Y-1’ cutting propagation and mechanistic insight into light-mediated regulation of adventitious rooting in apple.