In order to develop a male sterile eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), cytoplasm substitution lines of eggplant were produced by continuous backcrossing using Solanum aethiopicum L. Gilo Group (i.e. S. gilo Raddi.) as cytoplasm donor and eggplant as nucleus donor. In the interspecific F₁ hybrids between S. aethiopicum Gilo Group and eggplant ‘Uttara’ and ‘Senryo nigo,’ only the F₁, whose paternal parent is ‘Senryo nigo’ was able to make BC₁. After the BC₁, ‘Uttara’ was used as a recurrent pollen parent to grow up to BC₅. The pollen staining ability decreased as the backcrossing generation progressed and completely disappeared in the BC₄ and BC₅. The highest percentage of fruit set was observed in the BC₅ with about 69%. The number of seeds per fruit was observed in BC₄ and BC₅ was relatively high. These indicate that the cytoplasm of S. aethiopicum Gilo Group has no notable negative effect on the seed fertility of S. melongena. Analyses of chloroplast DNA and mitochondrial DNA of the BC₅ confirmed that all backcross progenies had the cytoplasm from S. aethiopicum Gilo Group. A new male sterile line of eggplant could be developed by utilizing the cytoplasm of S. aethiopicum Gilo Group.

　We examined the effects of citric acid (CA) on organogenesis from protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) of Cymbidium floribundum to determine the appropriate concentration of CA for organogenesis. Explants were cultured in modified MS media supplemented with various concentrations of CA and maintained at 25±1℃ and a 24 h light period for 9 weeks. Addition of 0.1 g/L CA in modified MS media partially reduced the browning intensity in the cultured PLBs, which significantly increased PLB formation, shoot formation from the PLBs, and root formation from the shoots. More than 0.1 g/L CA in modified MS media increased the browning intensity in cultured PLBs. We concluded that CA can effectively control the browning problem in PLB culture of C. floribundum, and addition of 0.1 g/L CA in modified MS media was optimum for organogenesis.

　The cultivation of bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides DC.) has been shown to be affected by light availability which has encouraged the use of different net shading to filter the amount of light on the plant. The objective of this study was to enhance the levels of caffeoyl-D-glucaric acid derivatives through UV induced geometrical isomerization. Bush tea methanolic leaf extracts were placed under UV light lamp at 254 nm for the duration of 24 h and new metabolites which formed due to UV exposure were detected through ultra-high-liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-fight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS). Hydroxyl-cinnamic acids (HCAs) derivatives have been shown to undergo photoisomerization during post ultra-violet (UV) light exposure, evidenced by the emergence of photo-isomers.