Globally, increasing temperatures due to climate change have severely affected natural ecosystems in several regions of the world; however, the impact on the alpine plant may be particularly profound, further raising the risk of extinction for rare and endangered alpine plants. To identify how alpine species have responded to past climate change and to predict the potential geographic distribution of species under future climate change, we investigated the distribution records of A. chensiensis, an endangered alpine plant in the Qinling Mountains listed in the Red List. In this study, the optimized MaxEnt model was used to analyse the key environmental variables related to the distribution of A. chensiensis based on 93 wild distribution records and six environmental variables. The potential distribution areas of A. chensiensis in the last interglacial (LIG), the last glacial maximum (LGM), the current period, and the 2050s and 2070s were simulated. Our results showed that temperature is critical to the distribution of A. chensiensis, with the mean temperature of the coldest quarter being the most important climatic factor affecting the distribution of this species. In addition, ecological niche modeling analysis showed that the A. chensiensis distribution area in the last interglacial experiencing population expansion and, during the last glacial maximum occurring, a population contraction. Under the emission scenarios in the 2050s and 2070s, the suitable distribution area would contract significantly, and the migration routes of the centroids tended to migrate toward the southern high-altitude mountains, suggesting a strong response from the A. chensiensis distribution to climate change. Collectively, the results of this study provide a comprehensive and multidimensional perspective on the geographic distribution pattern and history of population dynamics for the endemic, rare, and endangered species, A. chensiensis, and it underscores the significant impact of geological and climatic changes on the geographic pattern of alpine species populations.

Huang-Qi (Astragali radix) is one of the most widely used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, derived from the dried roots of Astragalus membranaceus or Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus. To date, more than 200 compounds have been reported to be isolated and identified in Huang-Qi. However, information pertaining to Huang-Qi breeding is considerably fragmented, with fundamental gaps in knowledge, creating a bottleneck in effective breeding strategies. This review systematically introduces Huang-Qi germplasm resources, genetic diversity, and genetic breeding, including wild species and cultivars, and summarizes the breeding strategy for cultivars and the results thereof as well as recent progress in the functional characterization of the structural and regulatory genes related to horticultural traits. Perspectives about the resource protection and utilization, breeding, and industrialization of Huang-Qi in the future are also briefly discussed.

Lonicera japonica Thunb has significant edible and medicinal value, possessing heat clearing, detoxification, antibacterial, and blood pressure reduction properties. Currently, its quality is constrained by factors such as climate, environment, flowering period, and germplasm degradation. The strategy of using bioreactors and abiotic inducers to produce bioactive metabolites has not yet been implemented. This study reports, for the first time, the induction of an embryogenic callus from L. japonica anthers, the identification of tissue morphological structures, and the effects of light induction on the callus morphology, metabolite accumulation, and antioxidant activity. The results showed that the MS medium, supplemented with 1.0 mg·L⁻¹ 6-BA, 1.5 mg·L⁻¹ NAA, 1.5 mg·L⁻¹ 2,4-D, and 0.2 mg·L⁻¹ KT, induced 89% embryogenic callus formation. Uniform callus lines were obtained using 2.0 mg·L⁻¹ 6-BA, 0.5 mg·L⁻¹ NAA, and 0.2 mg·L⁻¹ KT in each subcultivation. Embryogenic cells were observed to have closely arranged spherical protruding granules on their surface, along with visible nuclei and numerous starch grains. After 15 days of blue light induction, active metabolites and antioxidant activities peaked. This experimental system not only provides support for germplasm innovation but also indicates that abiotic inducers can be utilized as a means to achieve higher yields of metabolic products.

Drought stress during the Codonopsis pilosula (Campanulaceae) seedling stage significantly affects its growth, quality, and yield. The aim of this study was to identify drought-tolerant cultivars of C. pilosula by using the growth—physiology—yield composite index (GPYCI) and drought-tolerant indices. Nine C. pilosula cultivars were evaluated under normal-watered (black plastic film hole sowing, BF) and water-stressed (spread in the open field, SF) conditions in a design that adopted a two-factor paired experiment with three replications. The emergence rate was significantly influenced by the water treatment, while both the water treatment and the cultivar affected root length, proline content, APX activity, and chlorophyll levels. The G1 cultivar performed better than others in multiple aspects. Yields and their attributes varied among cultivars under different water levels. The average yield was 7350.76 kg/hm² under BF conditions and 4856.32 kg/hm² under SF conditions. Drought stress reduced the total root length, single root fresh weight, and yield by 18.33%, 28.4%, and 33.9%, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed unique physiological response mechanisms to water changes among cultivars. Drought tolerance indices and comprehensive factor analysis indicated varying levels of drought tolerance among cultivars. This study has provided valuable insights into the growth, physiology, and yield response of C. pilosula under drought conditions and laid the foundation for breeding drought-tolerant cultivars.