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Heterogeneity among grape berries directly affects wine quality and restricts the wine grape industry’s development. To study the heterogeneous development of Vitis amurensis berries, the morphology and physiology of three different types—large berry, medium berry, and live green ovary (LGO)—in the same clusters of wine-making cultivar ‘Shuangfeng’ were monitored at different growth stages from June to September. External differences in berry development were distinguishable at 12 days after full bloom (DAF). The pedicel, berry size, fresh weight, and seed length of the medium berries were intermediate between those of large berries and LGOs. Seeds are crucial for fruit set and normal berry development. The activity levels of soluble acid invertase and cell-wall-bound acid invertase in large berries increased earlier, at 18 DAF, than the accumulation of sugar. Abscisic acid concentrations in medium berries and LGOs were greater than that in large berries at 18 DAF. The greater endogenous indole-3-acetic acid concentration in the medium berries compared with LGOs might protect the former from abscission.

Variegated leaves of Actinidia kolomikta (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim. are white, pink and pale green according to the order of leaf development, respectively. However, the pale-green leaves are the most sensitive to high-light stress. To clarify the photoinhibitory mechanism in pale-green leaves, we investigated leaf pigment, spectral properties, gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence. During variegated leaf development, the chlorophyll content and light absorption increased rapidly, but only pink leaves contained higher anthocyanin contents. With increasing light absorption, the photosynthetic capacity and the actual quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) in variegated leaves increased slightly, while the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) significantly decreased. Under high-light conditions, the maximum quantum yield of PSII photochemistry in white and pink leaves decreased less, while in pale-green leaves it decreased significantly together with a substantial increase in malonaldehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels. Therefore, during variegated leaf development, although the light absorption increased significantly in pale-green leaves, the photosynthetic capacity and thermal dissipation were not significantly enhanced, which may result in serious photoinhibition under high-light conditions.

Haploids are important for studying plant breeding and genome sequencing. Regeneration from in vitro anther culture under aseptic conditions has achieved success in many higher plants. This study focused on anther culture of hardy kiwifruit (Actinidia arguta Planch.) to obtain haploid or double haploid plants that originated from microspores. Using the anthers of hardy kiwifruit as the test materials, we report the relationship between the microspore development stage and the bud morphological characteristics, some factors influenced the callus induction and the differentiation of the adventitious buds. The results showed that microspore development correlated with the bud diameter and morphological characteristics during development. The microspore development stage, pretreatment at low temperature (4 °C), basic medium, plant growth regulators and genotype all affect hardy kiwifruit anther callus induction, and the type and concentration of plant growth regulators significantly affect the regeneration of adventitious buds. The ploidy of 119 regenerated plants was verified using flow cytometry. The results showed that the ploidy of the plantlets obtained from the vitro anther culture of hardy kiwifruit was complex, being 3.36% haploid, 56.3% tetraploid, 4.20% hexaploid, and 36.13% octoploid.

Resveratrol are the most important bioactive compounds found in Vitis amurensis. In this study, a somatic embryo induction system for V. amurensis was established in air-lift bioreactors for the production of biomass and resveratrol. The somatic embryos biomass growth was low on solid medium (69.60 g L−1) compared to in liquid medium in bioreactor (329.45 g L−1). Bioreactor cultures were found to be superior compared with solid medium culture not only in terms of biomass but also resveratrol productivity. Various culture parameters, including culture method, inoculum density, carbon source, and organic compounds were optimized. An inoculum density of 20 g L−1 embryogenic calli was found suitable for the accumulation of biomass and resveratrol production, whereas 10 g L−1 embryogenic calli increased the amount of resveratrol per fresh weight in somatic embryos. For bioreactor culturing, sucrose was an optimum carbon source and 500 mg L–1 casein hydrolysate acid was conducive to the biomass and resveratrol production. This result indicates that an efficient protocol for the large-scale production of resveratrol can be achieved by bioreactor culturing of V. amurensis somatic embryos and can be used as a source of medicinal raw materials.

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. is a valuable medicinal plant species increasingly used in phytotherapy worldwide. This study systematically detected the lignin content and production during somatic embryogenesis of S. chinensis. The effect of various culture parameters on biomass accumulation and lignin production were also examined to optimize the accumulation of lignins in SEs in bioreactors, including the culture method, inoculum density, aeration volume and photoperiod. An inoculum density of 20 g L− 1 embryogenic calli enhanced production of lignin, while 30 g L− 1 embryogenic calli increased the biomass of somatic embryos. During somatic embryo induction, an aeration volume of 0.2 vvm and photoperiod of 16 h day− 1 were found to be optimal for biomass accumulation and lignin production. An approximately threefold increase in the biomass production rate and a fourfold increase in the total lignin production rate in SEs were achieved in bioreactors than on solid medium. The present study indicated, therefore, that the culturing of S. chinensis somatic embryos in bioreactors is an effective method for the industrialized production of lignin in vitro.