The study generated a high-quality genome assembly for Victoria cruziana and used comparative transcriptomics to identify anthocyanin biosynthesis genes and their transcriptional regulators that are differentially expressed between white and light pinkish flower stages. Differential expression of structural genes (VcrF3H, VcrF35H, VcrDFR, VcrANS, VcrarGST) and transcription factors (VcrMYB123, VcrMYB-SG6_a, VcrMYB-SG6_b, VcrTT8, VcrTTG1) correlates with the observed flower color change.

A biparental Vicia faba mapping population was screened under glasshouse conditions for resistance to a mixture of Fusarium avenaceum and Fusarium oxysporum, revealing several families with moderate to high resistance. Using the Vfaba_v2 Axiom SNP array, a high-density linkage map of 6,755 SNPs was constructed, enabling the identification of a major QTL on linkage group 4 associated with partial resistance to foot and root rot.

The study demonstrates that RNA extracted from herbarium specimens can be used to generate high‑quality transcriptomes, comparable to those from fresh or silica‑dried samples. By assembling and comparing transcriptomes across specimen types, the authors validated a plant immune receptor synthesized from a 1956 collection, proving archival RNA’s utility for functional genomics. These findings challenge the prevailing view that herbarium RNA is unsuitable for transcriptomic analyses.