Biochar is regarded as a soil improvement material possessing superior physical and chemical properties that can effectively enhance plant growth. However, there exists a paucity of research examining the efficacy of biochar in supplanting traditional materials and its subsequent impact on the growth of Ardisia crenata, which is currently domesticated as fruit ornamentals. In this study, the mechanism of biochar’s effect on Ardisia crenata was analyzed by controlled experiments. For 180 days, their growth and development were meticulously assessed under different treatments through the measurement of various indices. Compared with the references, the addition of biochar led to an average increase in soil nutrient content, including a 14.1% rise in total nitrogen, a 564.1% increase in total phosphorus, and a 63.2% boost in total potassium. Furthermore, it improved the physical and chemical properties of the soil by reducing soil bulk density by 6.2%, increasing total porosity by 6.33%, and enhancing pore water by 7.35%, while decreasing aeration porosity by 1.11%. The growth and development of Ardisia crenata were better when the appending ratio of biochar was in the range of 30% to 50%, with the root parameters, such as root length, root surface area, and root volume, 48.90%, 62.00%, and 24.04% higher to reference. At the same time, the biomass accumulation of roots in the best group with adding biochar also increased significantly (55.80%). The addition of biochar resulted in a significant improvement in the content of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b (1.947 mg g⁻¹) and the net photosynthetic rate (5.6003 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹). This study’s findings underpinned the addition of biochar in soil improvement and plant response. Therefore, biochar can favor the cultivation and industrial application of Ardisia crenata in the future, leading to an efficient and environmentally friendly industrial development.

Auxin Response Factors (ARFs) mediate auxin signaling and govern diverse biological processes. However, a comprehensive analysis of the ARF gene family and identification of their key regulatory functions have not been conducted in Melastoma dodecandrum, leading to a weak understanding of further use and development for this functional shrub. In this study, we successfully identified a total of 27 members of the ARF gene family in M. dodecandrum and classified them into Class I–III. Class II–III showed more significant gene duplication than Class I, especially for MedARF16s. According to the prediction of cis-regulatory elements, the AP2/ERF, BHLH, and bZIP transcription factor families may serve as regulatory factors controlling the transcriptional pre-initiation expression of MedARF. Analysis of miRNA editing sites reveals that miR160 may play a regulatory role in the post-transcriptional expression of MeARF. Expression profiles revealed that more than half of the MedARFs exhibited high expression levels in the stem compared to other organs. While there are some specific genes expressed only in flowers, it is noteworthy that MedARF16s, MedARF7A, and MedARF9B, which are highly expressed in stems, also demonstrate high expressions in other organs of M. dodecandrum. Further hormone treatment experiments revealed that these MedARFs were sensitive to auxin changes, with MedARF6C and MedARF7A showing significant and rapid changes in expression upon increasing exogenous auxin. In brief, our findings suggest a crucial role in regulating plant growth and development in M. dodecandrum by responding to changes in auxin. These results can provide a theoretical basis for future molecular breeding in Myrtaceae.

Chinese Cymbidium are prized for their ornamental beauty, ecological significance, and economic value. However, genomic resources crucial for breeding studies within this genus remain scarce, which has hindered the identification of key genes controlling economically important traits and posed challenges for conservation efforts. We performed a comprehensive identification of whole-genome simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers using the restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) on C. goeringii and C. faberi. A total of 49,640 SSR loci were identified across both species, with an average density of 12.7 SSRs/Mb. Among these, 17,637 SSRs were common to both C. goeringii and C. faber, while 17,676 and 14,329 SSRs were uniquely identified in C. goeringii and C. faberi, respectively. Additionally, we identified 405,416 SNPs and 26,870 InDels, with average densities of 105.2/Mb and 6.5/Mb. Furthermore, we validated two SSRs (located at Chr01:78857480-78860461 and Chr01:93382182-93384869) and developed an efficient method for identifying hybrids among the progeny resulting from crosses between C. goeringii and C. faberi. We also validated two SNP markers that showed a close association with the petal and lip length using Sanger sequencing. Our findings revealed that the Chr01_99657375 SNP achieved 73% predictive accuracy for identifying long-petal/lip phenotypes. The results are expected to greatly benefit marker-assisted breeding efforts in Cymbidium orchids and lay a solid foundation for the molecular breeding process of improving flower shape traits in orchid plants.

Cymbidium ensifolium, a prominent orchid species, is both highly valued for its ornamental qualities and commercially cultivated. However, the species has a considerable challenge in its breeding efforts due to the lengthy period of 7–8 years required for it to transition from seed germination to flowering. BBXs are multifunctional proteins that modulate the actions of critical regulators including HY5 and COP1 in response to blue light, ultimately impacting photomorphogenic processes. In this study, BBX proteins, known for their essential roles in regulating developmental processes under various light conditions, were chosen as the main subject of investigation. The outcome reveals the presence of 19 BBX genes in their genome. The genes are classified into four separate clades and dispersed among 12 out of the 20 chromosomes. Located in the nuclear, physicochemical properties of proteins, analysis of the promoter region reveals the existence of almost 800 cis-acting elements, highlighting the complex regulatory mechanisms that control the expression of the CeBBXs in various organs, as well as their response to light and hormone inputs. Moreover, the examination of differential expression under blue light therapy reveals their involvement in photomorphogenic reactions. The expression of CeBBXs exhibits substantial alterations as the duration of exposure to blue light increases. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the roles that BBX genes serve in C. ensifolium, providing a basis for future studies on the functions and regulatory mechanisms of BBX members in the context of floral initiation and development within this species.

Numerous members of the WOX gene family play pivotal roles during the processes of growth and development in many plants, as has been demonstrated. Cymbidium goeringii, Cymbidium ensifolium, and Cymbidium sinense are ornamental plants with a fascinating floral morphology that are economically important in China. However, there is limited knowledge about the members of the WOX gene family and their functions in these three Cymbidium species. Hence, the WOX genes in three Cymbidium species were identified on the ground of the genomes data of C. goeringii, C. ensifolium, and C. sinense in this study. These identified WOX genes were further studied for their physicochemical properties, evolutionary relationship, gene structure, protein structure, and cis-acting elements of promoters, as well as the expression pattern of the WOX genes in different tissues of C. goeringii. The findings revealed that eight WOX genes in C. goeringii, twelve WOX genes in C. ensifolium, and nine WOX genes were identified. These WOX genes were further subdivided into WUS, ancient, and intermediate clades. The length of the coding region ranged from 149 to 335 aa, and it was predicted that all WOX genes would be located on the cell nucleus. The promoter cis-acting elements primarily comprised stress response, phytohormone response, plant growth and development, and transcription factor elements. Furthermore, both the transcriptomic data and RT-qPCR analysis showed that most WOX genes may be involved in multiple developmental stages of C. goeringii. To sum up, these results may serve as a theoretical foundation for further study of the function analysis of WOX genes in orchids.