Stone fruits (Prunus spp.) occupy a pivotal position in global fruit production due to their significant nutritional profile and distinctive organoleptic characteristics. Contemporary orchard systems are undergoing transformation through innovative cultivation approaches, notably high-density dwarfing systems, greenhouse cultivation, agri-tech integration, and simplified management. As a crucial agronomic component in modern stone fruit cultivation, rootstock systems confer multi-benefits including enhanced environmental resilience, improved scion productivity, superior fruit quality, controlled vigor, and dwarfing capacity. While the majority of European apple orchards have transitioned to dwarfing rootstock systems, achieving substantial gains in productivity and profitability, stone fruit cultivation lags significantly due to the key gaps in prunus rootstock development, including genetic complexity, extended evaluation cycles, clonal propagation barriers, and limited research programs. Urgent innovation is required to address these challenges in rootstock breeding to meet the demand of sustainable stone fruit production. This review systematically examines strategic breeding objectives and innovative molecular methodologies in prunus rootstock development, with particular emphasis on marker-assisted selection and genomic prediction technologies. We provide a comprehensive synthesis of breeding achievements across major commercial rootstock cultivars, while proposing forward-looking research strategies incorporating CRISPR-based genome editing and multi-omics approaches. The synthesized insights establish a theoretical pathway for advancing rootstock genetic improvement and sustainable orchard management practices in stone fruit cultivation systems.

Improving fruit quality is one of the most critical core tasks in fruit tree breeding. However, the complexity of the constituent factors of fruit quality and their interrelationships, the significant influence of environmental factors on quality, and the diversity of consumer demands, among other factors, make quality breeding a more challenging endeavor than other breeding objectives. Essentially, fruit quality is defined by the delicate balance of sugar, acid, and aromas, which collectively influence the fruit’s flavor, consumer satisfaction, and economic value. While substantial progress has been made in the depiction of the metabolic pathways underlying these traits, the molecular mechanism coordinating carbon partitioning and competition between sugars, acids, and volatiles remains unknown. This review focuses on recent advances in understanding stone fruit metabolism and identifies key gaps in knowledge. We emphasize the need for integrated approaches combining spatial metabolomics, transcriptomics, genetics, and genomics to reveal the regulatory networks underlying metabolomic variation during fruit development and ripening. We also discuss the application of molecular tools, such as marker-assisted selection and metabolite-associated markers, to accelerate the breeding of flavor-balanced stone fruit cultivars. By adapting these advances in breeding practices, we can achieve coordinated improvement and precise regulation of various components of fruit quality, thereby developing elite stone fruit cultivars with improved flavor that meet prevailing consumer demands.

Stone fruits (Prunus spp.) occupy a pivotal position in global fruit production due to their significant nutritional profile and distinctive organoleptic characteristics. Contemporary orchard systems are undergoing transformation through innovative cultivation approaches, notably high-density dwarfing systems, greenhouse cultivation, agri-tech integration, and simplified management. As a crucial agronomic component in modern stone fruit cultivation, rootstock systems confer multi-benefits including enhanced environmental resilience, improved scion productivity, superior fruit quality, controlled vigor and dwarfing capacity. While the majority of european apple orchards have transitioned to dwarfing rootstock systems, achieving substantial gains in productivity and profitability, stone fruits cultivation lag significantly due to the key gaps in prunus rootstock development include genetic complexity, extended evaluation cycles, clonal propagation barriers and limited research programs. Urgent innovation is required to address these challenges in rootstock breeding to meet the demand of sustainable stone fruits production. This review systematically examines strategic breeding objectives and innovative molecular methodologies in Prunus rootstock development, with particular emphasis on marker-assisted selection and genomic prediction technologies. We provide a comprehensive synthesis of breeding achievements across major commercial rootstock cultivars, while proposing forward-looking research strategies incorporating CRISPR-based genome editing and multi-omics approaches. The synthesized insights establish a theoretical pathway for advancing rootstock genetic improvement and sustainable orchard management practices in stone fruit cultivation systems.

Apricot kernels are nutritionally valuable and possess both edible and medicinal properties. However, there is little published data on the differences in kernel nutrition among a large number of cultivars, which has limited the development and utilization of specialty apricot processed products. In this study, 15 nutritional components were measured in kernels of 141 apricot cultivars, followed by comprehensive statistical analyses including genetic diversity, principal component, correlation, and cluster analyses, along with a comprehensive evaluation. The genetic diversity index (H′) for all indicators exceeded 1.0, with fat, protein, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and vitamin E showing H′ > 2.0, indicating nutritional diversity among cultivars. Correlation analysis revealed that fat content was significantly positively correlated with oleic acid, palmitic acid, and total fatty acids (r > 0.7), while oleic acid was negatively correlated with vitamin E and γ-tocopherol. The first five principal components accounted for 75.614% of the total variance, effectively capturing the essential information of the 15 traits. Cluster analysis at a Euclidean distance of 19.5 divided the 141 accessions into five groups, each with distinctive nutritional profiles. Based on the comprehensive evaluation of 15 nutritional components, the apricot cultivar ‘Kuhe Honglian’ achieved the highest score, followed by ‘Machuanling’, ‘Guajiayutianhexiangbai’, ‘Guanlaoyelian’, and ‘Graflthan’. These findings provide a foundation for advancing the apricot kernel processing industry and supporting the breeding of functional kernel-apricot varieties.