Integrated physiological, biochemical, and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanisms by which light intensity affects flowering traits and secondary metabolism in Dendrobium denneanum.

Authors

Hui Wang, Siyu He, Yijun Fan, Ting Li, Linlong Xu, Jie Ma, Junlan Wu, Haolin Liu, XuYang Liu, ChunHong Mou, Meng Zhao, Li Chen, Liangjie Zhu, Le Zeng, Aoxue Luo

Published in

Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology. Volume 32. Issue 10. Pages 2173-2193. Epub Sep 06, 2026.

Abstract

Dendrobium denneanum, valued for its ornamental and medicinal properties, exhibits significant regulation of flowering and secondary metabolism by light intensity. This study employed physiological, biochemical, and transcriptomic analyses to compare the regulatory effects of five light intensity gradients (50, 100, 200, 400, and 600 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹) on flowering traits and secondary metabolism in D. denneanum at different developmental stages. Results demonstrated that 400 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ markedly promoted flower organ growth, extending the flowering period, increasing the flowering rate, and enhancing flower color saturation, while simultaneously improving photosynthetic capacity and secondary metabolite accumulation. Notably, the regulatory effects of light intensity on floral morphological traits were most pronounced during the full blooming stage (S2), when flowers exhibited the greatest improvements in organ expansion, pigmentation, and bioactive compound accumulation. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that this light intensity upregulated photosynthetic light-harvesting processes and regulated carbon metabolism, optimizing light energy utilization and carbon flux to support flower development and flavonoid synthesis. Genes in the phenylpropanoid/flavonoid pathway were significantly upregulated, likely serving as key genes of flower coloration and medicinal component accumulation. Additionally, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway suppressed stress-related genes and upregulated growth-related genes, promoting stomatal development and maintaining reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance to enhance stress tolerance.The transcriptomic results were further validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). These findings highlight how 400 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ optimizes photosynthetic efficiency, metabolic redirection, and growth-stress equilibrium, offering novel insights into light-mediated regulatory mechanisms in Orchidaceae plants and a foundation for precision cultivation strategies.
The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-026-01815-2.

PMID:
42892930
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 18 Oct 2026.

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