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Effect of Topping on Flowering and Fruit Setting in Lower Nodes of Blueberry Shoots
LUXingyu, WENZhuang, WULiting, CUILingyan, LIUYalan, YANGQin
Chin Agric Sci Bull ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (5) : 69-76.
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Abbreviation (ISO4): Chin Agric Sci Bull
Editor in chief: Yulong YIN
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Effect of Topping on Flowering and Fruit Setting in Lower Nodes of Blueberry Shoots
The development of effective flowering regulation techniques is of great significance for improving blueberry yield. This study investigated the regulatory effects of mild apical dominance suppression on reproductive growth in blueberries, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for optimizing flowering and fruiting management practices. Two consecutive trials were conducted using ‘Premier’ blueberry as plant material, with apical bud removal (topping) and non-removal (non-topping, the control) treatments. Morphological observation, statistical analysis, and quantitative PCR were employed to systematically compare flowering and fruiting performance in lower shoot nodes and to analyze the expression dynamics of key flowering-related genes VcFT and VcFT-like in corresponding leaves. The results showed that flower number, flowering rate, fruit setting number, and fruit setting rate all decreased progressively with lower node positions. Among these, flower number and flowering rate were consistent across both trials, and the flowering rate of topping group was consistently higher than that of the control. However, the number of flowering nodes, fruit setting number, and fruit setting rate showed annual variation: topping significantly increased the number of flowering nodes in the first trial but led to poorer fruit setting, whereas the second trial showed significantly improved fruit setting rate and fruit setting number in the topping group. Gene expression analysis indicated that VcFT expression increased progressively during floral induction, with a more pronounced increase under topping treatment and a delayed expression peak in lower nodes. In contrast, the expression of VcFT-like was high only at the initial stage of induction, then declined continuously and was nearly undetectable at mid-to-late phases, with no significant differences between the two treatments. In conclusion, topping treatment effectively promotes flower bud formation and increases flower number in lower nodes of blueberry branches. However, its effect on fruit setting may be constrained by environmental conditions and management practices, leading to inconsistent results between years. VcFT plays a positive regulatory role in floral induction, influenced by topping treatment and node position, while VcFT-like may be involved mainly in the early stage of floral induction. These findings reveal that mild apical bud removal promotes flower bud formation at lower nodes on blueberry branches, providing a theoretical reference for flowering and fruit setting regulation in blueberry.
blueberry / topping / flowering / fruit setting / node / gene expression
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\n In plants, seasonal changes in day length are perceived in leaves, which initiate long-distance signaling that induces flowering at the shoot apex. The identity of the long-distance signal has yet to be determined. In\n Arabidopsis\n, activation of\n FLOWERING LOCUS T\n (\n FT\n ) transcription in leaf vascular tissue (phloem) induces flowering. We found that\n FT\n messenger RNA is required only transiently in the leaf. In addition, FT fusion proteins expressed specifically in phloem cells move to the apex and move long distances between grafted plants. Finally, we provide evidence that FT does not activate an intermediate messenger in leaves. We conclude that FT protein acts as a long-distance signal that induces\n Arabidopsis\n flowering.\n
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The true identity of florigen – the molecule(s) that migrates from leaves to apical meristem to initiate flowering – was notoriously elusive, having made it almost the “Bigfoot” of plant biology. There was never a lack of drama in the field of florigen study, and florigen researchers have once again experienced such a swing in the last two years. We wrote a minireview last year in this journal (Yu et al. 2006) to excitedly salute, among other discoveries, the notion that the flowering locus T (FT) mRNA might be the molecular form of a florigen. However, this hypothesis was challenged in a little less than two years after its initial proposition, and the original paper proposed that the FT mRNA hypothesis was retracted (Huang et al. 2005; Bohlenius et al. 2007). Interestingly enough, the FT gene previously proposed to encode a florigen was never challenged. Rather, the FT protein, instead of the FT mRNA, is now believed to migrate from leaves to the apical meristem to promote floral initiation. In this update, we will share with our readers some entertaining stories concerning the recent studies of florigen in five different plant species. In addition to the published reports referenced in this update, readers may also refer to our previous minireview and references therein for additional background information (Yu et al. 2006).
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