Two short‑cycle dwarf eggplant lines, Micro‑Mel and Mini‑Mel, were developed through introgressions from Solanum anguivi and characterized for growth, phenology, and compact architecture, enabling up to three seed‑to‑seed cycles per year. In vitro regeneration assays and 23× whole‑genome sequencing revealed low heterozygosity, introgressed genome segments, and dwarfism‑related orthologs, establishing these lines as rapid, space‑efficient model systems for eggplant genetics and breeding.

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.

RNA‑seq of 328 wheat lines using a pan‑genome reference uncovered over 20,000 additional transcripts beyond the Chinese Spring genome and enabled construction of a pan‑gene eQTL regulatory atlas. Multi‑omics integration identified 231 high‑confidence candidate genes influencing 34 agronomic traits and powdery mildew resistance, with functional validation showing 80% of candidates affecting trait phenotypes via an EMS mutant library.

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.