Fig. 2

Relative expression levels of DlLFY genes. (A) Tissue expression patterns of the DlLFY gene in the flower, flower bud, leaf, pericarp, pulp, root, seed, stem, and young fruit. (B) Expression pattern of the DlLFY gene in SX and SJ during different flower development stages. Three different types of SX and SJ apical buds were used in this study. Samples of the dormant stage (before the emergence of floral primordia) (T1) were collected on November 20, 2016; the apical bud at this stage is characterized by high hardness. Samples of floral primordia (red bud) (T2 stage) were collected on December 24, 2016; the apical bud at this stage is characterized by the appearance of red dot. Samples of the floral organ formation stage (T3) were collected on January 1, 2017; the apical bud at this stage is characterized by the appearance of the first inflorescence, Three biological replicates from three different trees were used for each sample. Values with different letters indicate significant differences between samples in SX or SJ with p < 0.05