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Abstract [Objective] This study aims to identify and analyze the members of the tonoplast intrinsic protein (TIP) subfamily in apple, and to investigate the expression patterns under drought stress. It provides information for further research on utilization of drought resistance gene resources in apple. [Methods] The MdTIPs in apple genome was identified by bioinformatics methods. The physicochemical properties, gene structures, conserved motifs, cis-regulatory elements, and phylogenetic trees, etc. of the subfamily members were analyzed. The expression patterns of MdTIPs in different organs under drought stress were analyzed by qRT-PCR. [Results] A total of 13 MdTIP genes were identified in the apple genome, and most members were localized at the plasma membrane. Chromosome localization analysis suggested that all members were distributed on 10 chromosomes, with 1-3 members on each chromosome. Besides, the promoter regions of the genes contained response elements for hormonal and adversity stresses. qRTPCR showed that MdTIP members were up-regulated in roots except MdTIP1;1, of which MdTIP1;3 and MdTIP1;4 were up-regulated 5.27 times and 5.69 times, respectively, compared with the control, suggesting that these two genes might be critical in response to drought stress. [Conclusion] Identification of MdTIP subfamily members is provided in this study. 10 MdTIP members are differentially expressed in roots, stems, and leaves, and 12 members are highly expressed in roots.

[Objective] The study aims to explore the effects of different foliar fertilizers on the photosyn thetic characteristics, fruit quality, and yield of greenhouse strawberries, and to screen suitable foliar fer tilizers. [Methods] The strawberry variety “Monterey” planted in the greenhouse of Moujiatai Strawberry in Xigu District of Lanzhou City, Gansu Province was used as test materials. Under sufficient fertilization, five types of foliar fertilizers, including classic 750×liquid (T1), Huapu 1 500×liquid (T2), and Runliang 750×liquid (T3), 500×Adela fruit (T4), and 1500×potassium dihydrogen phosphate (T5), were ap plied topdressing at four growth stages, with water as control. The photosynthetic parameters, fruit qual ity, biomass, and yield were measured. [Results] (1) After spraying different foliar fertilizers, the bio mass and chlorophyll content of strawberry plants were significantly increased, and the net photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate of leaves were significantly increased, while the intercellular carbon dioxide con centration was higher than that of CK. (2) For fruit quality, T2 and T3 treatments significantly improved the strawberry fruit shape index, while T1 and T5 treatments significantly increased fruit volume and weight. Among them, the average single fruit mass of T1 was increased by 35.04% compared with CK, while the transverse and longitudinal diameters of T5 fruits were increased by 49.39% and 40.64%, re spectively. (3) The quality of strawberry fruits was effectively improved by various foliar fertilizer treat ments, and T1 treatment was the best. The content of vitamin C, soluble solids, soluble proteins, reduc ing sugars, and soluble sugars were increased by 30.84%, 33.5%, 38.5%, 27.9%, and 36.2%, respec tively, compared with CK. The content of titratable acid was the lowest, and the sugar acid ratio was the highest, with significant difference compared with CK. (4) Spraying appropriate fertilizer significantly in creased plant biomass, max single fruit weight, and fruit yield; treatment T1 had the highest yield, an in crease of 13.65% compared with CK. [Conclusion] The application of appropriate foliar fertilizer effective ly improves the nutritional growth status of strawberries, enhances the quality of strawberry fruits, and significantly increases yield. The comprehensive effect is best when applying classic 750×liquid.

The WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) transcription factor family plays critical roles in plant growth, development, and stress adaptation, but the biological functions in response to various stress of the WOX gene family have not been extensively researched in grapevine (Vitis vinifera). In this study, 12 grapevine WOXs were identified from the grapevine genome. Quantitative PCR and microarray expression profiling found that the expression of WOXs had an obvious tissue-specific pattern. Conjoint analysis between various tissues and treated materials indicated VvWUS1 expression is associated with expression of genes from grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus; and VvWOX3 with grapevine fanleaf virus. The gene expression patterns of the WOXs in grape were different under salt stress, with VvWOX8/9 , VvWUS1 , and VvWOX3 responding more strongly to salt stress than control by 18.20-, 9.50-, and 9.19-fold. This study further improves understanding of the evolution and function of the WOX gene family, and offers a theoretical framework and reference for breeding grapevine to better tolerate adversity and permit cultivation of seedlings free of viruses. WOX is a family of genes that help regulate how plants develop and also respond to stress. In this study, 12 WOX genes were identified in grapes and analysed by bioinformatic methods. Coanalysis of different expression patterns in grapes showed that two of these genes respond to specific viruses and effectively block virus replication and infestation. Another gene was the most sensitive to salt stress. This study provides preliminary evidence that these three genes are key to resistance to salt and to viruses in grape, providing vital candidate genes for grapevine breeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PIN‐FORMED (PIN) proteins mediate the auxin flow throughout the plant and have been identified in many species. However, evolution differences in the PIN gene families have not been systematically analyzed, and their functions under abiotic stresses in grape are largely unexplored. In this study, 373 PIN genes were identified from 25 species and divided into 3 subgroups. Physicochemical properties analysis indicated that most of the PIN proteins were unstable alkaline hydrophobic proteins in nature. The synteny analysis showed that the PINs contained strong gene duplication. Motif composition revealed that PIN gene sequence differences between monocotyledons and dicotyledons were due to evolutionary‐induced base loss, and the loss was more common in dicotyledonous. Meanwhile, the codon usage bias showed that the PINs showed stronger codon preference in monocotyledons, monocotyledons biased towards C3s and G3s, and dicotyledons biased towards A3s and T3s. In addition, the VvPIN1 can interact with VvCSN5. Significantly, under freezing treatment, the ion leakage, O2·−$$ \left({O}_2^{\cdotp -}\right) $$, H2O2, and malondialdehyde (MDA) were obviously increased, while the proline (Pro) content, peroxidase (POD) activity, and glutathione (GSH) content were decreased in VvPIN1‐overexpressing Arabidopsis compared to the wild type (WT). And quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) showed that AtICE1, AtICE2, AtCBF1, AtCBF2, and AtCBF3 were down‐regulated in overexpression lines. These results demonstrated that VvPIN1 negatively regulated the freezing tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. Collectively, this study provides a novel insight into the evolution and a basis for further studies on the biological functions of PIN genes in monocotyledons and dicotyledons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of water waste and environmental pollution in arid and semiarid areas, this study aimed to investigate the effects of different water and nitrogen treatments on the growth of apple leaves, photosynthetic physiology, nutrient uptake and nitrogen use efficiency. A two-factor experimental design was used in this experiment. The first factor was three levels of irrigation (40–50%, 50–65%, 65–80% RWC, relative water content) and the second factor was four levels of nitrogen application (0, 150, 300, 600 kg/ha), which were a completely randomized combination. The results showed that irrigation and nitrogen application had significant effects on the growth, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyl and mineral element contents of apple tree leaves, but excessive input of water and nitrogen would restrain the growth of apple tree leaves. The Ndff% of different organs for apple trees were evaluated by 15N isotope tracer technology, and the highest Ndff% value was found in leaves, ranging from 1.01–1.23‰. Next were roots with 0.29–0.43‰, and the lowest Ndff% was found in fruits with 0.03–0.08‰. The calculation results of 15N utilization in apple trees showed that nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) under the medium-water low nitrogen (W1N1) treatment had the highest value with 43.33%. In conclusion, considering the growth physiology and nitrogen utilization of apple trees, it is recommended that a water and fertilizer coupling combination scheme for apple trees in arid and semi-arid areas of the Loess Plateau should be that of a medium-water and medium-nitrogen mode (W1N2, 50–65% RWC, 300 kg/ha). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the impact of shade treatment on grape berries, 'Marselan' grape berries were bagged under different light transmission rates (100% (CK), 75% (A), 50% (B), 25% (C), 0% (D)). It was observed that this treatment delayed the ripening of the grape berries. The individual weight of the grape berries, as well as the content of fructose, glucose, soluble sugars, and organic acids in the berries, was measured at 90, 100, and 125 days after flowering (DAF90, DAF100, DAF125). The results revealed that shading treatment reduced the sugar content in grape berries; the levels of fructose and glucose were higher in the CK treatment compared to the other treatments, and they increased with the duration of the shading treatment. Conversely, the sucrose content exhibited the opposite trend. Additionally, as the weight of the grape berries increased, the content of soluble solids and soluble sugars in the berries also increased, while the titratable acidity decreased. Furthermore, 16 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the photosynthesis-antenna protein pathway from the transcriptome sequencing data. Correlation analysis revealed that the expression levels of genes VIT_08s0007g02190 (Lhcb4) and VIT_15s0024g00040 (Lhca3) were positively correlated with sugar content in the berries at DAF100, but negatively correlated at DAF125. qRT-PCR results confirmed the correlation analysis. This indicates that shading grape clusters inhibits the expression of genes in the photosynthesis-antenna protein pathway in the grape berries, leading to a decrease in sugar content. This finding contributes to a deeper understanding of the impact mechanisms of grape cluster shading on berry quality, providing important scientific grounds for improving grape berry quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phototropism movement is crucial for plants to adapt to various environmental changes. Plant P‐type H+‐ATPase (HA) plays diverse roles in signal transduction during cell expansion, regulation of cellular osmotic potential and stomatal opening, and circadian movement. Despite numerous studies on the genome‐wide analysis of Vitis vinifera, no research has been done on the P‐type H+‐ATPase family genes, especially concerning pulvinus‐driven leaf movement. In this study, 55 VvHAs were identified and classified into nine distinct subgroups (1 to 9). Gene members within the same subgroups exhibit similar features in motif, intron/exon, and protein tertiary structures. Furthermore, four pairs of genes were derived by segmental duplication in grapes. Cis‐acting element analysis identified numerous light/circadian‐related elements in the promoters of VvHAs. qRT‐PCR analysis showed that several genes of subgroup 7 were highly expressed in leaves and pulvinus during leaf movement, especially VvHA14, VvHA15, VvHA16, VvHA19, VvHA51, VvHA52, and VvHA54. Additionally, we also found that the VvHAs genes were asymmetrically expressed on both sides of the extensor and flexor cell of the motor organ, the pulvinus. The expression of VvHAs family genes in extensor cells was significantly higher than that in flexor cells. Overall, this study serves as a foundation for further investigations into the functions of VvHAs and contributes to the complex mechanisms underlying grapevine pulvinus growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we obtained and cloned VvSnRK2.7 by screening transcriptomic data to investigate the function of the grape sucrose non-fermenting kinase 2 (SnRK2) gene under stress conditions. A yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assay was used to further screen for interaction proteins of VvSnRK2.7. Ultimately, VvSnRK2.7 was heterologously expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana, and the relative conductivity, MDA content, antioxidant enzyme activity, and sugar content of the transgenic plants were determined under drought treatment. In addition, the expression levels of VvSnRK2.7 in Arabidopsis were analyzed. The results showed that the VvSnRK2.7-EGFP fusion protein was mainly located in the cell membrane and nucleus of tobacco leaves. In addition, the VvSnRK2.7 protein had an interactive relationship with the VvbZIP protein during the Y2H assay. The expression levels of VvSnRK2.7 and the antioxidant enzyme activities and sugar contents of the transgenic lines were higher than those of the wild type under drought treatment. Moreover, the relative conductivity and MDA content were lower than those of the wild type. The results indicate that VvSnRK2.7 may activate the enzyme activity of the antioxidant enzyme system, maintain normal cellular physiological metabolism, stabilize the berry sugar metabolism pathway under drought stress, and promote sugar accumulation to improve plant resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]