Flowering Trees Research Articles

Nutritional Diagnosis of the Mineral Elements in Tainong Mango Leaves during Flowering in Karst Areas

The balance of the mineral nutrition in mango leaves during the flowering period affects the flowering of mango trees and fruit production. Because the soil in karst areas has a slow and unbalanced supply rate of nutrients, mango orchards in a karst area generally have a low yield. There are few studies on the fertilization of mango orchards in karst areas, especially on the diagnosis of leaf mineral nutrition. In this study, mango orchards in the typical karst areas of Guangxi province, one of the main mango-producing areas in China, were selected from the low-yielding and medium-yielding mango orchards. Surface soil samples and leaf samples from mango orchards in full bloom were collected to test for macronutrients and micronutrients. The Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) graphical method, the DRIS method, the Modified DRIS (M-DRIS), and the Deviation from Optimum Percentage (DOP) index diagnostic methods were applied to the leaves. The results showed that the DRIS graphical analysis yielded appropriate ratios of N, P, K, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Cu with the corresponding three elements, Ca, Zn, and B, which can be used as reference diagnostic criteria. Based on the values of the DRIS diagnostic criteria for high-yielding orchards, the critical ranges of the suitable values of the mineral nutrients in the Tainong mango leaves during flowering were determined as N (14.87–17.27 g/kg), P (0.69–0.89 g/kg), K (4.45–6.90 g/kg), Ca (9.51–16.55 g/kg), Mg (1.44–2.20 g/kg), S (0.75–1.06 g/kg), Fe (0.10–0.13 g/kg), Mn (0.61–1.02 g/kg), Cu (5.41–8.89 mg/kg), Zn (7.91–18.95 mg/kg), and B (8.38–16.23 mg/kg). The results of the DRIS, M-DRIS, and DOP index methods were analyzed to determine the order of the fertilizer requirements for the low-yielding orchards: Mg > Fe > S > Zn > B > Cu > K > N > P > Mn > Ca, and for the medium-yielding orchards: Mg > Fe > B > Zn > S > Cu > N > Mn > K > P > Ca. The soil and leaf correlation analysis showed that the soil exchangeable Ca and effective Fe were significantly negatively correlated. Leaf Ca and Fe elements had a mutually antagonistic effect, leaf Mn-rich contents inhibited the uptake of the Mg and Fe elements, and low-yielding orchards had an excess of Mn and a deficiency of Mg. We found that there is lack of the Mg and Fe, a low content of the S and B, and an excess of the Ca and Mn in the mango orchards of the Baise karst area. We suggested that the DRIS graphical method is suitable for the diagnosis of three nutrient elements, and either the DRIS or M-DRIS index method can be chosen. The present research can be used for the precise fertilization of mango orchards in karst areas to improve the yield and quality of local mango orchards.

Phenology, growth, and yield of almond cultivars under organic and conventional management in southwestern Spain

Aim of study: To advance implementation of sustainable agriculture from organic production system on almond crop by means of the assessment of physiological and agronomical responses of commercial almond cultivars. Area of study: Irrigated almond in the Guadalquivir River Valley. Material and methods: Physiological and agronomic aspects of almond such as defoliation, phenology, tree growth, N and P leaf reserves, susceptibility to aphids and fruit yield were assessed on five almond cultivars under organic and conventional production management during four consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2021. Main results: A lower flower density, tree growth, and almond production, an earlier and more intense defoliation degree, and a higher susceptibility to aphids were observed in the organic plot compared to the conventional orchard. 'Lauranne' was the cultivar that showed the best productivity under organic and conventional management. 'Marcona' showed the higher flower density and medium vigor, although was the most susceptible cultivar to aphids and the less productive cultivar under both managements. Research highlights: Cultivation of irrigated almond still presents numerous difficulties, especially the control of pests and diseases due to the use of environmentally friendly pesticides which are less effective than chemicals. These pathogenic factors and others such as nutrition especially affect the yield of the crop, although the differences with the conventional system are reduced over time. Despite these difficulties, the high added value of organic almonds together with the increasing demands by consumers of healthy environmental practices and food safety are a stimulus to continue and develop research on sustainable agriculture.

A Comparative Study on Nest Architecture And Lifecycle of Two Small Carpenter Bees <i>Ceratina Smaragdula</i> (F.) and <i>Ceratina Hieroglyphica</i> Smith

Small carpenter bees Ceratina smaragdula (F.) and C. hieroglyphica Smith (Xylocopinae: Apidae) are the major pollinators of many agricultural and horticultural crops. Nesting sites of these native bee pollinators were located at dried twigs of peacock flower tree Caesalpinia pulcherrima, and a total of 199 nests were collected from 2019-2021. Both species constructed linear nests at soft pithy region of stems with a maximum of 12 cm depth and individual cells ranged 6 to 10 mm in length which were separated with partitions of 2 to 4 mm. There were no significant differences in height of the nests constructed from ground level. The younger cells were near to the entrance, whereas the mature cells were arranged towards the innermost side. The nests of bees consisted of egg, larva, pupa and adult stages; and C. smaragdula took 15.51± 0.19 days while C. hieroglyphica took 15.93± 0.27 days for completion of larval period. Total pupal period of C. smaragdula ranged from 20.71± 0.26 days whereas C. hieroglyphica ranged from 18.56± 0.16 days. Total lifecycle for C. smaragdula and C. hieroglyphica took 49.15± 0.40 and 43.19± 0.58 days under laboratory conditions.

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Mulberry Leaf Flavonoids In Vitro and In Vivo.

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) is a flowering tree traditionally used in Chinese herbal medicine. Mulberry leaf flavonoids (MLFs) have been reported to exert important anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The purpose of this study was to select the MLF with the best anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities from MLFs eluted by different ethanol concentrations (30%, 50%, and 75%) and explore its pharmacological properties. Three types of MLFs inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. All MLFs boosted the antioxidative capacity by decreasing the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals and improving the metal ion chelating activity and reducing power. The results revealed that the MLFs eluted by 30% ethanol exhibited the best anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities. A nontargeted metabolomic analysis was used to analyze 24 types of differential flavonoids between the MLFs. Quercetin, kaempferol, and their derivatives in 30%MLF were more abundant than the other two MLFs. Furthermore, we evaluated the pharmacological activities of 30%MLF in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) mice. The 30%MLF could alleviate the clinical symptoms, reduce the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, and inhibit the activation of the inflammatory pathway in DSS-induced colitis mice. This study will provide valuable information for the development of MLFs eluted by 30% ethanol as a functional food.

Identification of MdMED family, key role of MdMED81, and salicylic acid at the right time of year triggers MdMED81 to induce flowering in Malus domestica

Mediator is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of many genes in different functional pathways, enhancing growth, development and other biological processes. Its role in flowering in Malus × domestica, however, is still unknown. Due to the long life cycle and low rate of genetic transformation in M. domestica, flowering induction is still a very serious problem, leading to lower production. Here we report the identification of 83 mediator genes in M. domestica, their gene structure, protein characteristics, locations on each chromosome, systematic phylogenetic structural analysis, distribution of the chromosome, synteny of MdMED genes, and cis-elements prediction at the promoter region of MdMED genes. On the basis of phylogenetic relationships, the members of the MdMED gene family were divided into six subgroups. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis of the MdMED subgroup-D genes displayed that most genes showed strong preferential expression in the buds and were significantly upregulated during the flower induction period. Transcriptional levels of MdMED subgroup-D genes respond to salicylic acid treatment. To determine MdMED81′s functions, we obtained MdMED81-overexpressed (OE) Arabidopsis thaliana lines that showed significantly earlier flowering compared with wild-type. Furthermore, we developed a high R2 value correlation between MdMED81 and day hours that is presented in equation form to detect MdMED81 in flowering time regulation and control in M. domestica. We also presented an annual model of MdMED81 in the control of flowering time and concluded that salicylic acid application at the right time of the year triggers MdMED81 to induce flowering in M. domestica. This data provides a new theoretical reference for the management of apple tree flowering and also provides an essential basis for future analysis of the regulation and functions of the MdMED gene family.

Effects of Water-deficit Stress and Gibberellic Acid on Floral Gene Expression and Floral Determinacy in ‘Washington’ Navel Orange

Effects of water-deficit stress and foliar-applied gibberellic acid (GA3) on ‘Washington’ navel orange (Citrus sinensis) floral gene expression and inflorescence number were quantified. Trees subjected to 8 weeks of water-deficit stress [average stem water potential (SWP) −2.86 MPa] followed by 3 weeks of re-irrigation (SWP recovered to > −1.00 MPa) produced more inflorescences in week 11 than trees well-irrigated (SWP > −1.00 MPa) for the full 11 weeks (P < 0.001). After 8 weeks of water-deficit stress, bud expression of flowering locus t (FT), suppressor of overexpression of constans1 (SOC1), leafy (LFY), apetala1 (AP1), apetala2 (AP2), sepallata1 (SEP1), pistillata (PI), and agamous (AG) increased during the re-irrigation period (weeks 9 and 10), but only AP1, AP2, SEP1, PI, and AG expression increased to levels significantly greater than that of well-irrigated trees. Foliar-applied GA3 (50 mg·L−1) in weeks 2 through 8 of the water-deficit stress treatment did not reduce bud FT, SOC1, or LFY expression, but prevented the upregulation AP1, AP2, SEP1, PI, and AG expression that occurred during re-irrigation in water-deficit stressed trees not treated with GA3. Applications of GA3 to water-deficit stressed trees reduced inflorescence number 95% compared with stressed trees without GA3. Thus, GA3 inhibited citrus (Citrus sp.) floral development in response to water-deficit stress through downregulating AP1 and AP2 expression, which likely led to the failed activation of the downstream floral organ identity genes. The results reported herein suggest that bud determinacy and subsequent floral development in response to water-deficit stress in ‘Washington’ navel orange are controlled by AP1 and AP2 transcript levels, which regulate downstream floral organ identity gene activity and the effect of GA3 on citrus flower formation. The water-deficit stress floral-induction pathway provides an alternative to low-temperature induction that increases the potential for successful flowering in citrus trees grown in areas experiencing warmer, drier winters due to global climate change.

Evaluation of Walnut Tree Flowering and Frost Occurrence Probability During 1961-2012

Strength and direction of the potential effect of climate change on walnuts is regionally specific (Gauthier and Jacobs, 2011) as climate change will probably affect the spatial distribution of the walnut. This paper evaluated the long-term phenological series (1961-2012) of the beginning of flowering, end of flowering and duration of flowering in walnut tree (Juglans regia) at two phenological stations located in different geographical locations of the Czech Republic but in the same climatic conditions (warm region). Phenological stages were analyzed in relation to growing degree days and to spring frosts occurrence. Onset of the beginning and end of flowering occurred earlier at VelkÊ Pavlovice station (-2.1 and -1.3 days), and conversely occurred later at Doksany station (+1.8 and +1.0). Period of flowering shortened at Doksany station (-0.8 day) and prolonged at VelkÊ Pavlovice station (+1.2 day). The occurrence of days with minimum air temperature < 0 °C during walnut tree flowering was more frequent at Doksany station (in total, 29 days) with absolute minimum value -5.5 °C. At VelkÊ Pavlovice station 5 days with minimum air temperature below 0 °C were found during examined period with absolute minimum value -3.8 °C. The negative trend in number of frost days occurrence during flowering period was found at both stations. Pearson correlation coefficient between phenophase onset (and flowering period) and sums of growing degree days was stronger at VelkÊ Pavlovice station, and the highest value was between period of flowering and temperature sums (0.782). The results confirmed our hypothesis of changes in phenophase onsets and duration of flowering including spring frosts occurrence according to west-east gradient (maritime climate-continental climate).

"돌봄의 관점에서 바라본 건강장애 자녀에 대한 부모의 인식 연구: 메타포 분석을 중심으로"

본 연구는 ‘돌봄의 관점에서 바라본 건강장애 자녀’에 대한 메타포 분석방법을 통하여 ‘건강장애를 지닌 자녀’에 대한 부모의 인식을 알아보고, 건강장애 자녀의 돌봄에 대한 의미 있는 기초자료로 사용하고자 하였다. 이를 위하여 원격교육기관을 통하여 건강장애 학생 부모에게 개방적 설문지를 구성하여 발송하였으며, 83명의 응답자 중 결손된 답변이나 무응답, 메타포가 아닌 답변은 제외하고 의미 있게 답변을 한 71명의 응답 내용을 메타포 분석 자료로 선정하였다. 본 연구에서는 ‘돌봄의 관점에서 바라본 건강장애 자녀’에 대해 부모가 인식하고 있는 메타포의 의미를 읽고 숙고하고 기록하고 범주화하고 주제를 선정하는 단계를 여러 번 반복하여 작업하였다. 최종적으로 6개의 의미로 범주화 되었으며, 이에 따른 주된 연구 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 방향의 전환(Change of direction), 둘째, 애지중지한 내 아이(My dear child), 셋째, 나의 보석(My Jewelry), 넷째, 온실 속 꽃나무(Flower tree in greenhouse), 다섯째, 질병의 구속(Restraint of disease), 여섯째, 너는 나(我)(You are me)의 주제로 범주화하여 볼 수 있었다. 본 연구를 통해 건강장애 자녀를 돌보는 부모의 여러 가지 인식을 알 수 있었으며, 이를 기초하여 건강장애 자녀를 돌보는 부모에 대한 지지와 지원에 대해 논의와 제언을 하였다.

Phytochemistry, Bioactivities and Traditional Uses of Michelia × alba.

Michelia × alba (M. alba) is a flowering tree best known for its essential oil, which has long been used as a fragrance ingredient for perfume and cosmetics. In addition, the plant has been used in traditional medicine in Asia and dates back hundreds of years. To date, there is a limited number of publications on the bioactivities of M. alba, which focused on its tyrosinase inhibition, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. Nevertheless, M. alba may have additional unexplored bioactivities associated with its bioactive compounds such as linalool (72.8% in flower oil and 80.1% in leaf oil), α-terpineol (6.04% flower oil), phenylethyl alcohol (2.58% flower oil), β-pinene (2.39% flower oil), and geraniol (1.23% flower oil). Notably, these compounds have previously been reported to exhibit therapeutic activities such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, anti-depression, anti-ulcer, anti-hypertriglyceridemia, and anti-hypertensive activities. In this review paper, we examine and discuss the scientific evidence on the phytochemistry, bioactivities, and traditional uses of M. alba. Here, we report a total of 168 M. alba biological compounds and highlight the therapeutic potential of its key bioactive compounds. This review may provide insights into the therapeutic potential of M. alba and its biologically active components for the prevention and treatment of diseases and management of human health and wellness.

Transition from Surface Fire to Crown Fire and Effects of Crown Height, Moisture Content and Tree Flower

Transition from Surface Fire to Crown Fire and Effects of Crown Height, Moisture Content and Tree Flower

Culinary uses of Mexican edible flowers: Recipe analysis

Mexican edible flowers are generally not consumed raw, but little attention has been paid to the ways in which traditional Mexican cuisine treats the different flower species in terms of dish types in which they appear, cooking methods and times, ingredient pairings, and other variables. The aim of the present work was to study the cooking process of four commonly consumed species of Mexican edible flowers, using traditional recipe collections and on-line recipes as a data source. In particular, the Mexican edible flowers considered in this work were squash blossoms (Cucurbita spp.), yucca flowers (Yucca spp.), coral tree flowers (Erythrina spp.), and agave flowers (Agave spp.). A total of 372 edible flower recipes were analysed for cooking variables and preferred ingredient patterns, using a variety of methods including crosstabs with chi-square tests, ingredient frequencies and word clouds, and hierarchical cluster analysis. Squash blossoms recipes showed differences with the other Mexican edible flower recipes and these results are discussed in terms of French cuisine influence on Mexican gastronomy during the 19th century. Importantly, the cluster analysis also revealed several prototypical ways of endemic edible flower consumption in Mexico. These flowers are typically either combined with maize in stews and tamales, or combined with eggs and dairy products.

Human influence increases the likelihood of extremely early cherry tree flowering in Kyoto

The full flowering of Kyoto’s cherry trees in 2021 was observed on the 26th of March, the earliest date recorded in over 1200 years. An early shift of the flowering season is consistent with Kyoto’s warming climate and could have serious repercussions for the local economy. It is therefore crucial to assess how human activity impacts flowering dates and alters the likelihood of extremely early flowering. To make this assessment, our study combines a risk-based attribution methodology with a phenological model that estimates full flowering dates from daily temperature data. We employ 14 state-of-the-art climate models that provide ensembles of simulations with and without the effect of anthropogenic forcings, and, using the simulated temperatures at Kyoto, we obtain representations of the cherry flowering season under different climatic conditions. An observationally-based correction is also applied to the simulated temperatures to introduce the effect of urban warming. We find a significant anthropogenic shift in the mean flowering season of over a week, about half of which is due to urban warming. By the end of the century and under medium emissions, the early shift is estimated to further increase by almost a week. Extremely early flowering dates, as in 2021, would be rare without human influence, but are now estimated to be 15 times more likely, and are expected to occur at least once a century. Such events are projected to occur every few years by 2100 when they would no longer be considered extreme.

The duration and severity of the allergenic pollen season in Istanbul, and the role of meteorological factors

Information on the allergenic pollen season provides insight on the state of the environment of a region and facilitates allergy symptom management. We present a retrospective analysis of the duration and severity of the allergenic pollen season and the role of meteorological factors in Istanbul, Turkey. Aerobiological sampling from January 2013 to June 2016, pollen identification and counting followed current standard methodology. Pollen seasons were defined according to 95% of the Annual Pollen Integral (APIn) and the season start date was compared with the first day of 5 day consecutive non-zero records. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were created to study the effect of meteorological factors on flowering. The main pollen contributors were taxa of temperate and Mediterranean climates, and neophytic Ambrosia. Cupressaceae, Poaceae, Pinaceae, Quercus and Ambrosia had the greatest relative abundance. The pollen season defined on 95% of the APIn was adequate for our location with total APIns around 10.000 pollen*day*m−3. Woody taxa had generally shorter seasons than herbaceous taxa. In trees, we see precipitation as the main limiting factor for assimilate production prior to anthesis. A severe tree pollen season in 2016 suggests intense synchronous flowering across taxa and populations triggered by favourable water supply in the preceding year. GAM models can explain the effect of weather on pollen concentrations during anthesis. Under the climatic conditions over the study period, temperature had a negative effect on spring flowering trees, and a positive one on summer flowering weeds. Humidity, atmospheric pressure and precipitation had a negative effect on weeds. Our findings contribute to environmental and allergological knowledge in southern Europe and Turkey with relevancy in the assessment of impacts of climate change and the management of allergic disease.

Li Tongxuan’s View of Potalaka and His Understanding of Sanskrit: The Translation “Little White Flowering Tree Mountain” and Its Influence

Li Tongxuan’s View of Potalaka and His Understanding of Sanskrit: The Translation “Little White Flowering Tree Mountain” and Its Influence

Study of Various Floral Types on Different Plants of Garcinia indica (Thouars) Choisy and Correlation of Its Functionality in Sexual Reproduction

ABSTRACT Genus Garcinia shows high diversity of sexual systems; most of them are dioecious in nature. The other reported sexual systems of Garcinia include gynodioecious, androdioecious, monoecious, and andromonoecious. Garcinia indica (Thouars) Choisy was reported as facultative apomictic polygamodioecious species. There is a large diversity in floral types. Hence, a detailed study of various floral types found on different types of plants of G. indica and to correlate its functionality with sexual reproduction was undertaken. The study at Kokum Plot, BSSKVV, Dapoli, revealed that the male plants could be categorized into four types – androecious, functional males, andromonoecious, and hermaphrodites. The female plants displayed large variation in number and viability of stamens/staminodes. Each category showed significant difference in phenology, floral morphology and pollen types. In December, the percentage of staminate flowers (79.13 ± 2.93%) in androecious trees was significantly higher than functional males (58.61 ± 8.60%) or andromonoecious trees (56.36 ± 2.77%) (p ≤ .01). As female plants started flowering, all male morphotypes bore significantly higher numbers of staminate flowers and carpellate flowers were significantly reduced. Pollen viability was highest in androecious flowers at 90.11 ± 1.10% and lowest at 64.70 ± 2.09% in hermaphrodite trees. Earlier studies reported female flowers bore well-developed female gametophyte, but the embryo development was not observed. Thus, the fruit formation might be apomictic, but in present embryological investigation; more than 60% of female and andromonoecious flowers, a well-developed embryo was formed between 8 and 24 h after anthesis. Thus, the embryo formation might be sexual or apomictic. Floral types favoring sexual reproduction are essential for conservation of highly endemic species.

Relationship Between Regional Community Vulnerability and Climate Change

“thawing of permafrost, later freezing and earlier breaking-up of ice in rivers and lakes, pole-ward and attitudinal shifts in the range of variety of plants and flowers, earlier flowering of trees, the emergence of insects and egg-laying of birds…” (MacMichael, 2003, pg. 270). This is the present scenario with the proliferating changes across the world. The current paper presents the adaptive and mitigative measures to address these impact of climate change on the regions.

Pharmacognostic And Phytochemical Evaluation Of Cordia Obliqua Willd Fruits

Cordia (family Boraginaceae) is a genus of deciduous flowering trees or shrubs comprising more than 300 species distributed widely in the tropical regions. The aim of this research was to provide scientific information on phramacognostical nature and presence of various phytochemicals in the fruits of Cordia obliqua. The present study helped to evaluate anatomical, histochemical, physico chemical analysis and chemical tests of various extracts of Cordia obliqua willd fruits. Common names of plants are “Naruvili, Ali and Namaviri (Tamil), Lassura Viri, Cheruvari (Kerala). China-nakeru (Andhra and Telangana)”. It is considered as one of the most important medicinal plants and various plant parts like leaves, fruits, bark and seed were found to possess abundant ethno medicinal value. Most frequently they are used to treat many ailments such as respiratory disorders, stomach pain, wound, inflammation, myalgia, cough, dysentery and diarrhoea. The fruits are widely used for the treatment of spleen and hepatic disorders. The anatomical and histochemical characteristics of the fruits of Cordia obliqua have been studied which helped in authentication and diagnose the various anatomical characters like presence of epidermis, mucilage, xylem and phloem fibers and calcium oxalate crystals. Proximate analyses of fruits were performed which included moisture content, extractive values and ash values helped to identify the purity and solubility of fruits in different solvents which was revealed by extractive values. Chemical tests helped to know the various phytoconstituents present in the fruits of Cordia obliqua when tested with various chemical reagents. Phytochemical tests revealed the presence of steroids, glycosides, alkaloids, tannins, phenolic and flavonoid compounds and carbohydrates.

Classification of urban tree species using multi-features derived from four-season RedEdge-MX data

In the remote sensing discrimination of tree species, the use of multi-temporal images may considerably improve the accuracy of recognising tree species. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of the RedEdge-MX sensor, which was used to capture images during the key node period of tree growth, for driving the identification of tree species. The spectral band, texture and digital surface model (DSM) features of these data and their combinations were used as data sets, and 32 tree species were classified using maximum likelihood classification and random forest. The results demonstrated that the image imaging period considerably influenced the recognition of tree species. The recognition accuracy of tree flowering and leafing period data was the highest (52.98%, 86.66% and 86.90% based on spectral, texture and spectral + texture + DSM features, respectively), whereas that of the leafy period data was the lowest (34.32%, 82.39% and 82.81%). The classification accuracy significantly improved (72.76%, 91.51% and 92.16%) when multi-temporal data were combined. Moreover, the texture extraction window significantly affected the classification accuracy. The accuracy was low (70.47%, four seasons) when the minimum window was used, and this rate increased to 91.52% when the appropriate window was used but declined when an excessively large window was used. Furthermore, the classification accuracy obtained using texture features was higher than that of the spectral bands and DSMs were used. Their combination optimised the accuracy of tree species classification (92.16%). These results show that the capture of key node images in tree growth, the selection of appropriate texture extraction windows, and the use of multiple types of features can drive the effective recognition of urban greening tree species.

Identification of Chilling Accumulation-Associated Genes for Litchi Flowering by Transcriptome-Based Genome-Wide Association Studies.

Litchi is an important Sapindaceae fruit tree. Flowering in litchi is triggered by low temperatures in autumn and winter. It can be divided into early-, medium-, and late-flowering phenotypes according to the time for floral induction. Early-flowering varieties need low chilling accumulation level for floral induction, whereas the late-flowering varieties require high chilling accumulation level. In the present study, RNA-Seq of 87 accessions was performed and transcriptome-based genome-wide association studies (GWAS) was used to identify candidate genes involved in chilling accumulation underlying the time for floral induction. A total of 98,155 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites were obtained. A total of 1,411 significantly associated SNPs and 1,115 associated genes (AGs) were identified, of which 31 were flowering-related, 23 were hormone synthesis-related, and 27 were hormone signal transduction-related. Association analysis between the gene expression of the AGs and the flowering phenotypic data was carried out, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in a temperature-controlled experiment were obtained. As a result, 15 flowering-related candidate AGs (CAGs), 13 hormone synthesis-related CAGs, and 11 hormone signal transduction-related CAGs were further screened. The expression levels of the CAGs in the early-flowering accessions were different from those in the late-flowering ones, and also between the flowering trees and non-flowering trees. In a gradient chilling treatment, flowering rates of the trees and the CAGs expression were affected by the treatment. Our present work for the first time provided candidate genes for genetic regulation of flowering in litchi using transcriptome-based GWAS.

Potential Roles and Key Mechanisms of Hawthorn Extract against Various Liver Diseases.

The genus Crataegus (hawthorn), a flowering shrub or tree, is a member of the Rosaceae family and consists of approximately 280 species that have been primarily cultivated in East Asia, North America, and Europe. Consumption of hawthorn preparations has been chiefly associated with pharmacological benefits for cardiovascular diseases, including congestive heart failure and angina pectoris. Treatment with hawthorn extracts can be related to improvements in the complex pathogenesis of various hepatic and cardiovascular disorders. In this regard, the present review described that the presence of hawthorn extracts ameliorated hepatic injury, lipid accumulation, inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer in an abundance of experimental models. Hawthorn extracts might have these promising activities, largely by enhancing the hepatic antioxidant system. In addition, several mechanisms, including AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling and apoptosis, are responsible for the role of hawthorn extracts in repairing the dysfunction of injured hepatocytes. Specifically, hawthorn possesses a wide range of biological actions relevant to the treatment of toxic hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Accordingly, hawthorn extracts can be developed as a major source of therapeutic agents for liver diseases.