Huaijuan Jiao¹ , Xi Chen² , Degang Zhao^1,2

1 National-local Joint Engineering Research Center of Karst Region Plant Resources Utilization & Breeding (Guizhou), College of Life Sciences/Institute of AgroBioengineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, Guizhou, China
2 Plant Conservation & Breeding Technology Center, Guizhou Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology/Guizhou Institute of Prataculture, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, 550006, Guizhou, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Horticulture, 2024, Vol. 14, No. 6   
Received: 13 Nov., 2024    Accepted: 17 Dec., 2024    Published: 30 Dec., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Eucommia ulmoides, a dioecious plant endemic to China, holds significant medicinal and economic value. This study, utilizing high-quality chromosome-level genome sequences and transcriptome data, reveals the mechanisms of sex determination in E. ulmoides. Key genes associated with sex differentiation, such9 as EuAP3 and EuAG within the MADS-box transcription factor family, were identified. The results demonstrate that these genes exhibit significant sex-biased expression in male and female individuals, highlighting their crucial roles in sex determination. Additionally, several sex-linked molecular markers were discovered, which can be used for early sex identification, thereby optimizing breeding strategies. The study not only provides new insights into the mechanisms of sex determination in E. ulmoides but also offers theoretical support for the improvement of other economically important dioecious crops. The findings are of great significance for enhancing the breeding efficiency of E. ulmoides and other dioecious plants.

Eucommia ulmoides; Sex determination; Dioecious plants; Genome assembly; Transcriptome analysis; MADS-box genes; Sex-biased genes; Breeding