Objectives: Peduncle length (PL) is a critical agronomic trait in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], influencing mechanical harvesting efficiency. Exploration of the PL genetic mechanism and the PL major genes of sorghum can provide a reference for breeding of sorghum suitable for mechanization and PL genetic research of other graminaceous crops. Methods: Here, we conducted genetic analysis, transcriptome analysis, and candidate major gene screening of PL using long-peduncle (KY133B) and short-peduncle (KY123B) parents, as well as their constructed F2 segregated populations. Results: Genetic analysis revealed that PL trait may be controlled by two major genes with additive-dominant effects, showing a heritability of 69.638%. At the early stage of sorghum peduncle elongation, the young panicle of the parents was sampled and performed transcriptome analysis. DEGs 3603 genes were obtained. With the short peduncle parent (F) as the control, 2204 upregulated genes and 1399 downregulated genes were expressed in the long peduncle parent (M). We compared the 1161 genes obtained by BSA-seq from the laboratory in the early stage with the DEGs obtained by RNA-seq, and obtained 148 co-localized genes. Through the high DEGs screening criteria (|Log₂FC(M/F)| ≥ 5, p < 0.0001), we further identified 36 genes with highly significant expression differences between parents. Functional annotation identified four candidate major genes strongly associated with PL: LOC8056900 (MIZU-KUSSEI 1), LOC8065075 (ethylene-responsive transcription factor WIN1), LOC8083493 (GDSL esterase/lipase), and LOC8085367 (auxin-responsive protein IAA21). qPCR validated their expression trends, corroborating RNA-seq results. Conclusions: The comprehensive information presented here provides a reference for understanding the PL mechanism of sorghum and provides some important candidate major genes related to PL. This study laid the foundation for subsequent gene functional verification and mechanism analysis of sorghum peduncle length major genes.

Background: Black bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) has been widely grown in China and is popular in the international market. However, to decrease production costs, growers require cultivars with an upright growth pattern that enables them to be harvested directly. Longyundou 19, which was developed by the Crop Resources Institute of the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences was released in 2020 as an upright, high-yielding black bean cultivar with resistance to anthracnose and common bacterial blight. Methods: Cross breeding is an effective way of improving common bean varieties. Longyundou 19 was developed from the Longyundou 4 (female) × Longyundou 5 (male) hybridization and the subsequent systematic selection for upright, yield, disease resistance, quality and agronomic traits over six generations. Result: The average yield of Longyundou 19 during yield trials from 2016 to 2019 was 1,888.5 kg ha-1, which was 10.3% greater than that of the check cultivar. Disease investigations conducted in fields from 2016 to 2019, indicated Longyundou 19 exhibits some resistance to anthracnose, common bacterial blight and BCMV. This new variety combined the disease resistance and black seed coat of the female parent with the upright growth pattern of the male parent, while retaining the high yield of both parents.