Triploid Loquat Builds a Lipid Shield Against Freezing

Freezing can turn a productive subtropical orchard into a landscape of damaged leaves and stalled growth, but triploid loquat appears to carry an internal defense. Researchers found that these plants preserve photosynthesis during freezing by accumulating highly unsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PC), especially PC 18:2/18:2, which helps stabilize cellular and chloroplast membranes. The team connected this lipid response to the EjFAD2 gene and its upstream regulator, the EjMYBS3 transcription fact