Flower development and sex determination in horticultural crops

Abstract

Horticultural crops are extremely valuable due to their high nutritional value, and fruits, in particular, provide indispensable vitamins and minerals. Fruit yield of edible crops is closely related to the number of flowers, which are often unisexual. The mechanism of sex differentiation in plants with unisexuality is complex, and research investigating this mechanism is in great demand. Sex determinants were first discovered in Cucurbitaceae (e.g., cucumber, melon, watermelon), and in recent years, with the rapid development of deep sequencing technologies and genomics, they have also been deciphered in some dioecious plants (e.g., persimmon, kiwifruit, asparagus). This has deepened our understanding of the evolution and diversification of sexual reproductive systems. This review summarizes recent research investigating flower sexdetermination genes and their working networks, focusing on horticultural crops. Perspectives on future research in flower sex differentiation are also discussed.