To elucidate the morphological diversity and genetic characteristics of the pollen of Polygonatum species, this study utilized a total of 46 samples encompassing six species and one variety of Polygonatum. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to examine the morphological traits of the pollen and to analyze the evolutionary patterns and genetic relationships among Polygonatum species. The results indicate that the pollen grains of the 46 Polygonatum germplasm are uniformly characterized as monads, heteropolar, bilaterally symmetrical, atreme, and possess a mono-sulcus. They were peroblate (P/E-ratio = 0.36–0.42) in shape and medium to large (P = 18.17–27.15 μm, E = 44.11–67.07 μm) in size. And there are four types of exine ornamentation: reticulate, reticulate–perforate, reticulate–rugulate, and reticulate–verrucate. The 46 germplasm resources were classified into four clusters based on the results of a pollen morphology clustering analysis: P. cyrtonema and P. macropodum were grouped into cluster I, P. filipes and P. odoratum into cluster II, P. kingianum and P. kingianum var. grandifolium into cluster III, and P. alternicirrhosum was classified as cluster IV, standing alone. This study tentatively suggests that pollen morphology, particularly pollen size and exine ornamentation, can serve as a valuable reference for the classification, genetic relationship, and evolutionary patterns of the genus Polygonatum.

The red-flowered strawberry is a novel ornamental plant. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity among ornamental strawberry germplasm resources. In this investigation, 17 red-flowered strawberry germplasms and 1 white-flowered strawberry germplasm were analyzed for genetic diversity and genetic relationships using a combination of phenotypic data, inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR), and conserved DNA-derived polymorphism (CDDP) molecular markers. The results indicated that the 18 strawberry germplasms exhibited significant variability and genetic diversity at both phenotypic and molecular levels. The clustering results revealed notable differences between phenotypic clustering and molecular marker clustering, while the ISSR and CDDP markers grouped into broadly similar clusters. We further consolidated the ISSR and CDDP marker data to conduct the cluster analysis and population structure analysis of the 18 strawberry germplasms. The cluster analysis classified these germplasms into four clusters at a genetic similarity coefficient of 0.77. The population structure analysis categorized the germplasms into three groups, with 88.89% exhibiting a Q value ≥ 0.6, and 11.11% demonstrating a Q value < 0.6. This finding suggests that the genetic background of the 18 strawberry germplasms is relatively homogeneous. Notably, ‘Summer Breeze-Rose’ and ‘Summer Breeze-Cherry’ possess relatively complex genetic backgrounds (Q < 0.6). Furthermore, the floral, foliar, and plant traits of both germplasms display significant ornamental value and can serve as vital resources for the development and utilization of ornamental strawberries, as well as for the selection and breeding of new varieties.

In order to comprehensively describe and evaluate Chinese olive seeds, this study examined 33 varieties (strains) of Chinese olive seeds to address the limitations of previous research on quantitative trait variation and grading among Chinese olive seed varieties (strains). The research specifically focused on evaluating the morphological characteristics, seed locule structure, embryo composition, and phenotypic quantitative traits of Chinese olive seeds. The results indicated that Chinese olive seeds consisted of a core, seed coat, and embryo. Typically, the core contained two to four locules, with each locule containing zero to one embryos. Eight distinct structural variations were identified, with the number of locules per seed ranging from two to four and the number of embryos ranging from one to four. The most common structural types were ‘3-locule 1-embryo’ and ‘3-locule 2-embryo’, each occurring in 100% of the varieties (strains) studied. These two structural types also had a high average proportion within each variety (line), accounting for 50.17% and 42.06%, respectively. The average dimensions of a seed were 31.20 mm in length and 10.89 mm in width, with a shape index of 2.89 and weighing 1.55 g. These quantitative traits displayed significant variation, with the coefficient of variation being highest for single seed weight (19.35%) and lowest for seed length (9.39%). Normality tests revealed that seed width, seed length, and single seed weight followed a normal distribution. These traits were categorized into five levels based on specific points, with probabilities of occurrence approximately 10%, 20%, 40%, 20%, and 10%, respectively. The findings of this study are crucial for understanding and utilizing Chinese olive seed traits and provide valuable insights for the establishment of seed trait standards and data normalization.

To obtain stable Chinese olive reference genes, eight genes (RPN2B, PIP1.4, NIFS1, RPS16, At5g12110, HSC-2, ABCG44, LOS1) exhibiting stable expression were identified as candidate reference genes from the transcriptome. The expression stability of these genes was evaluated across 33 Chinese olive fruit samples from different varieties and seven developmental stages. The most stable reference genes were determined through comparisons using ΔCq, geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder. Analysis revealed that RPN2B and NIFS1 were consistently ranked among the most stable genes across the different algorithms and exhibited stable expression. Therefore, they are recommended as suitable reference genes for gene expression studies in Chinese olive fruits across different varieties and developmental stages. The four different methods of reference gene stability analysis were used to identify the most stable reference genes in different varieties and developmental stages of Chinese olive fruits, which can be used as a reference for the selection of reference genes in the subsequent gene expression studies of Chinese olive fruits.