Biotechnology Bulletin ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (3): 5-18.doi: 10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2025-1286

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Research Progress in Light Signaling Regulation of Fruit Development in Horticultural Crops

MA Shi-jie1(), LI Zheng1, LI Wei2, GUO Yang-dong1, ZHANG Na1()   

  1. 1.College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193
    2.Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station, Beijing 100029
  • Received:2025-11-26 Online:2026-03-26 Published:2026-04-23
  • Contact: ZHANG Na E-mail:msj15130269191@163.com;zhangna@cau.edu.cn

Abstract:

Light is a core environmental signal regulating fruit development in horticultural crops. Research of light regulating fruit development has revealed molecular pathways of photoreceptors (phytochromes, cryptochromes, and UVR8) mediated by the network of core transcription factors (HY5, PIFs, COP1, BBX, etc.), and mechanism of light quality, light intensity, and photoperiod specifically regulating traits such as color, sugar-acid balance, aroma, and weight. This review summarizes the regulatory roles of light signaling at key stages of fruit development, with a particular focus on its regulation of early fruit developmental processes and its control of fruit quality formation during ripening. It further highlights how light signaling regulates ethylene, abscisic acid, and jasmonic acid pathways and forms synergistic and antagonistic networks with hormones such as auxin and gibberellin, thereby coordinating the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying fruit ripening and quality formation. It also notes that regulating effects of different light-quality, light intensity and photoperiod on fruit development are species-specific and dose-dependent. Although key molecular mechanisms of light signal regulating partially have been uncovered, it is still lack for system analysis on stage-specific molecular switches, quantitative models of multi-factor light interactions, unique mechanisms in non-model horticultural crops, and synergistical regulation of light with temperature, moisture, nutrients and other environmental factors. In future, integrating gene editing with intelligent light-control technologies, the molecular mechanism of light integrates multiple environmental signals can be dissected, which provides theoretical support for the precise regulation of fruit quality and crop genetic improvement in protected horticulture, and promote the standardization and large-scale application of light regulation technology in the production of high-quality fruits.

Key words: light signaling, photoreceptors, fruit development, fruit quality, transcription factors, hormonal crosstalk, genome editing, smart light regulation