A hierarchical abscission program regulates reproductive allocation in Prunus × yedoensis and Prunus sargentii

Abstract

Organ abscission is essential for optimal reproduction, yet its regulation in perennial woody plant species is poorly understood. To investigate how abscission is spatially and temporally regulated during reproduction, we analyzed five sequential abscission events in the cherry species Prunus × yedoensis (Cerasus × yedoensis, Somei-Yoshino) and Prunus sargentii var. verecunda (Bunhong-Beot): abscission of the petals, calyces, flower pedicels, fruit pedicels, and peduncles. The abscission zone of the calyx formed de novo upon activation, whereas other abscission zones were pre-formed but developmentally arrested. Localized ethylene responsiveness reactivated these zones, promoting cell division, differentiation of residuum and secession cells on either side of the abscission zone, and lignin deposition in some cases. This progression was accompanied by reactive oxygen species accumulation and pH shifts. We observed species-specific differences during early floral abscission: P. yedoensis shed petals rapidly in a pollination-independent manner, whereas P. sargentii retained petals on unpollinated flowers, which later abscised with the pedicel, potentially extending the fertilization window. Both species employed a post-fertilization developmental gate via fruit pedicel abscission to selectively eliminate small, slow-growing fruits. These findings reveal that Prunus species coordinate a hierarchical abscission program functioning as a multilayered reproductive filter, progressively refining investment decisions to determine the final fruit set.

Acknowledgements

We thank Plant Editors (a professional English-editing service; https://planteditors.com/) for editorial assistance. Y.L. was supported by the Suh Kyungbae Foundation (SUHF-19010003) and a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. RS-2021-NR60084 and RS-2023-NR076399). J.-M.L. was supported by a Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo scholarship. W.-T.J. and J.-M.L. were supported by the Stadelmann-Lee Scholarship Fund at Seoul National University, Korea.

Authors contributions

W.-T.J. and Y.L. conceived the study. W.-T.J, J.-A.K., A.C., S.S.Y.L., and J.-M.L. carried out the experiments. W.-T.J, J.-A.K., A.C., S.S.Y.L., and J.K. conducted the investigation. W.-T.J and A.C. were responsible for data visualization. Y.L. acquired funding for the study. Y.L. managed the project and provided supervision. W.-T.J, A.C., and Y.L. drafted the original manuscript. W.-T.J, J.-A.K., A.C., S.S.Y.L., J.K., J.-M.L., and Y.L. contributed to the review and editing of the manuscript.

Data availability

The source code for petal color acquisition, correction, and visualization is publicly available at GitHub: https://github.com/AhyeonChn/-Petal-color-acquisition-correction-visualization.

Conflicts of interest statement

Authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Supplementary material

Supplementary material is available at Horticulture Research online.

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