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Plant JASMONATE ZIM-DOMAIN (JAZ) genes play crucial roles in regulating the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites and stressful responses. However, understanding of JAZs controlling these biological processes lags due to numerous JAZ copies. Here, we found that two leaf-specific CwJAZ4/9 genes from Curcuma wenyujin are strongly induced by methyl-jasmonate (MeJA) and negatively correlated with terpenoid biosynthesis. Yeast two-hybrid, luciferase complementation imaging and in vitro pull-down assays confirmed that CwJAZ4/9 proteins interact with CwMYC2 to form the CwJAZ4/9-CwMYC2 regulatory cascade. Furthermore, transgenic hairy roots showed that CwJAZ4/9 acts as repressors of MeJA-induced terpenoid biosynthesis by inhibiting the terpenoid pathway and jasmonate response, thus reducing terpenoid accumulation. In addition, we revealed that CwJAZ4/9 decreases salt sensitivity and sustains the growth of hairy roots under salt stress by suppressing the salt-mediated jasmonate responses. Transcriptome analysis for MeJA-mediated transgenic hairy root lines further confirmed that CwJAZ4/9 negatively regulates the terpenoid pathway genes and massively alters the expression of genes related to salt stress signaling and responses, and crosstalks of multiple phytohormones. Altogether, our results establish a genetic framework to understand how CwJAZ4/9 inhibits terpenoid biosynthesis and confers salt tolerance, which provides a potential strategy for producing high-value pharmaceutical terpenoids and improving resistant C. wenyujin varieties by a genetic approach., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In order to breed and spread a new cultivar of Curcuma wenyujin, the C. wenyujin germplasm resources were investigated in authentic regions. Better varieties were chosen by comparing the yield, economic characters and quality differences between different cultivars. The results showed that the character of new selected cultivar was stable, the yield of zedoary, turmeric and curcuma was reached 313.7, 177.9, 91.2 kg per 667 m2, respectively, it increased 11.6%, 10.2%, 14.2% comparing with farmer varieties. The volatile oil contents in zedoary and turmeric was 4.0%, 3.0%, respectively. The target ingredients (germacrone) content was stable. It is demonstrated that the new cultivar "Wenyujin No. 1" has value for extension at authentic regions.

Objective: To reveal the effects of ecological factors on geo-herbalism,by researching the correlation between yields or qualities of Curcuma wenyujin and ecological factors., Methods: All measured dates were divided into three components, meteorological factors, soil conditions, the yields and qualities of geo-herbals, and analyzed through canonical correlation using SPSS software., Results: The results showed that there were two canonical correlation models to explain correlation between meteorological factors and yields or qualities of medicinal materials, as well as soil conditions and yields or qualities, and both of canonical correlations reached the significant or extremely significant level. The analysis indicated that main ecological factors affecting the yields or qualities of medicinal materials were average temperature from May to June,the days of high temperature (over 35 degrees C) and average rainfall from August to October, annual average rainfall, altitude, available potassium content in soil., Conclusions: This study has tentatively made clear which ecological factors to affect the yields and qualities of Curcuma wenyujin; and provided some basis for revealing geo-herbalism of Curcuma wenyujin.

Objective: This stdudy was to determine the suitable area for Curcuma wenyujin in Wenzhou, and expand its growing region, based the growth characteristic of Curcuma wenyujin., Methods: The 13 main factors including climate, soil and other environmental conditions were selected. The best genuine production area was regarded as the goal area in similar calculation. The grid data was calculated from the station and sampling sites by Inverse Distance Interpolation on GIS. After normolizing to the grid data, the dimension effect was removed. on this basis, calculating the absolute distance of every cell to the the goal cell. Wenzhou region was divided into best suitable area, suitable area, second suitable area and unsuitable area by clustering analyzing., Result: Most of area in Wenzhou are suit for Curcuma wenyujin, best suitable area, suitable area, second suitable area and unsuitable area reach 98% area of Wenzhou., Conclusion: This result give important reference value of Curcuma wenyujin breeding in Wenzhou.

Objective: The DNA fingerprints of Curcuma wenyujin from various habitats were generated by using SRAP markers to find the feasibility in analyzing their relationship., Methods: The DNA polymorphism of Curcuma wenyujin from various habitats were detected by SRAP molecular markers., Results: We had screened five pairs of primer combinations, and built the DNA fingerprints of Curcuma wenyujin from various habitats. The phylogenetic clustering results revealed that the genetic difference in Curcuma wenyujin from various habitats were little., Conclusion: SRAP markers may offer some evidence for protecting and exploiting of Curcuma wenyuji.

Objective: According to the study on effects of cultivating density and seed stock on the yield and volatile oil, to provide a scientific basis for standardized cultivating measures., Methods: The yield and the content of volatile oil at harvest were counted and analyzed the variance by SPSS., Results: The effect of cultivating density on the yields from 3 different medicinal parts of medical material was significant. The effect of seed stock on the yield of Rhizoma wenyujin concisa and Rhizoma wenyujin curcumae was significant, but to the yield of Radix wenyujin curcumae was very little. The mutual effect between cultivating density and seed stock was also very little., Conclusion: The cultivating density play an important role in the yields of Curcuma wenyujin.

Bioactive terpenoids from Curcuma wenyujin (CW), as specialized metabolites, have huge medicinal properties. Accumulating evidence suggested that Jasmonates (JAs) and abscisic acid (ABA) shake hands and coordinately control a wide range of plant growth and defense activities, including the production of specialized metabolites. However, knowledge of how JA and ABA signalings interact to regulate terpenoid biosynthesis (TBS) is limited. In this study, integrative transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed that exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and ABA activate the biosynthesis of terpenoids by upregulating the expressions of genes related to the TBS pathway, JA and ABA responses. Most of the differentially changed terpenoids and transcripts were commonly induced by MeJA and ABA. Interactive networks of "gene-gene/metabolite" indicated that CwbHLH2 , a MeJA and ABA dual-responsive regulator, is tightly related to terpenoid production. Furthermore, transgenic experiments revealed that overexpression and RNA interference of CwbHLH2 upregulated and downregulated the contents of representative terpenoids in the MeJA- and ABA-treated transgenic hairy roots, respectively, with 1.52–3.06-fold increases and 29.6–68.7% reduction. Importantly, the genetic transformation of CwbHLH2 enhanced the expressions of multiple TBS pathway genes and bidirectionally enlarged the JA and ABA signalings caused by MeJA or ABA, demonstrating that CwbHLH2 plays a critical interrelational role in integrating MeJA- and ABA-induced TBS regulation. Altogether, our results not only advance a new view of the crosstalk between JA and ABA in modulating TBS but also provide a powerful strategy for improving the yield of bioactive terpenoids in CW. [Display omitted] • MeJA and ABA significantly activate the accumulation of terpenoids in C. wenyujin leaves. • MeJA and ABA coregulate wide transcriptional changes to steer terpenoid formation. • CwbHLH2 plays a critical interrelational role in integrating JA and ABA signalings. • CwbHLH2 promotes MeJA- and ABA-inducible defense responses. • CwbHLH2 provides a powerful tool for improving the yield of terpenoids in Curcuma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]