Plant Gene and Trait 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 206-214 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/pgt 206 Feature Review Open Access Breeding Strategies and Utilization of Phyllostachys edulis for Shoot and Timber Production Wenzhong Huang , Zhongmei Hong CRO Service Station, Sanya Tihitar SciTech Breeding Service Inc., Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding email: wenzhong.huang@hitar.org Plant Gene and Trait, 2025, Vol.16, No.5 doi: 10.5376/pgt.2025.16.0022 Received: 21 Aug., 2025 Accepted: 23 Sep., 2025 Published: 30 Sep., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Huang and Hong, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Huang W.Z., and Hong Z.M.., 2025, Breeding strategies and utilization of Phyllostachys edulis for shoot and timber production, Plant Gene and Trait, 16(5): 206-214 (doi: 10.5376/pgt.2025.16.0022) Abstract This study expounds the breeding methods and current situation of the utilization of Phyllostachys edulis for shoot and timber production. In recent years, technologies such as molecular breeding and gene editing have brought new ideas to the breeding of new Phyllostachys edulis varieties and the improvement of their traits. The research found that through transcriptome and small RNA sequencing, some key genes and miRNAs that affect the growth, lignification and primary thickening of bamboo shoots were identified, and their regulatory networks were also analyzed. Hormone signaling, carbon metabolism and cell wall synthesis all play important roles in the rapid growth and material property formation of Phyllostachys edulis. Research on some specific varieties, such as Phyllostachys edulis ‘Pachyloen’, has also revealed the molecular mechanisms underlying their high-yield and high-quality traits. This research aims to provide theoretical support for the breeding of high-quality Phyllostachys edulis for shoot and timber production and the sustainable development of the industry. Keywords Phyllostachys edulis; Molecular breeding; Gene editing; Rapid growth; Lignification 1 Introduction Phyllostachys edulis is one of the most important dual-purpose bamboo species in the world. It is mainly distributed in subtropical regions and has the largest planting area in China. Phyllostachys edulis not only provides two types of raw materials, namely bamboo shoots and bamboo materials, but also has significant value in terms of ecology, economy and culture. Approximately 2.5 billion people worldwide rely on bamboo resources, and the annual trade volume of the bamboo industry is close to 2.5 billion US dollars. As a dominant species, Phyllostachys edulis plays an irreplaceable role in regional economy and sustainable development (Hu et al., 2020; Gao, 2021; Chen et al., 2022). Phyllostachys edulis can produce both bamboo shoots and high-quality timber, but it is not easy to ensure both high-yield bamboo shoots and high-quality timber during breeding. Increasing the yield of bamboo shoots often affects the quality of timber, such as wall thickness, fiber length and lignin content. The biological characteristics of Phyllostachys edulis also add to the difficulty. It rarely flowers, and the flowering is irregular. The generation cycle is also very long, which makes traditional hybrid breeding difficult to carry out (Hu et al., 2020; Gao, 2021). In addition, the lignification process of bamboo involves multiple signaling pathways and metabolic pathways, and the regulatory network is very complex, which makes it more difficult to simultaneously improve the yield and quality of bamboo shoots (Yang et al., 2021; Chen et al., 2022; Li et al., 2022). This study compiles the research progress on the dual-purpose breeding of Phyllostachys edulis for shoot and timber production, introduces the multi-faceted value and utilization of Phyllostachys edulis in the industry, analyzes the main scientific and technological challenges faced in breeding, and also explores how new technologies such as molecular breeding and gene editing can help break through the limitations of traditional breeding and promote the coordinated improvement of bamboo shoot yield and material quality. This research aims to provide theoretical and technical support for the efficient utilization and sustainable development of Phyllostachys edulis.
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