Background: Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hartwich has great potential as a woody biodiesel species having seed kernels with high oil content, excellent fatty acid composition and good fuel properties. However, no transcriptome information is available on the molecular regulatory mechanism of oil accumulation in developing S. tonkinensis kernels. Results: The dynamic patterns of oil content and fatty acid composition at 11 time points from 50 to 150 days after flowering (DAF) were analyzed. The percent oil content showed an up-down-up pattern, with yield and degree of unsaturation peaking on or after 140 DAF. Four time points (50, 70, 100, and 130 DAF) were selected for Illumina transcriptome sequencing. Approximately 73 million high quality clean reads were generated, and then assembled into 168,207 unigenes with a mean length of 854 bp. There were 5916 genes that were differentially expressed between different time points. These differentially expressed genes were grouped into 9 clusters based on their expression patterns. Expression patterns of a subset of 12 unigenes were confirmed by qRT-PCR. Based on their functional annotation through the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool and publicly available protein databases, specific unigenes encoding key enzymes, transmembrane transporters, and transcription factors associated with oil accumulation were determined. Three main patterns of expression were evident. Most unigenes peaked at 70 DAF, coincident with a rapid increase in oil content during kernel development. Unigenes with high expression at 50 DAF were associated with plastid formation and earlier stages of oil synthesis, including pyruvate and acetyl-CoA formation. Unigenes associated with triacylglycerol biosynthesis and oil body development peaked at 100 or 130 DAF.

Background: The conventional fertilization regime ignores the allometric characteristics of Quercus nuttallii seedlings, challenging them to meet the nutritional needs at each growth stage. This study was conducted to determine the impact of exponential fertilization on the growth and nutrient status of Q. nuttallii container seedlings. Methods: Two fertilization regimes (average/exponential) were performed on Q. nuttallii container seedlings, and varied gradients (0, 300, 500, 700, and 900 mg/seedling) of N supply were set for the two regimes. Result: N application promoted the seedling height, root collar diameter, total biomass, and N/P/K accumulation of Q. nuttallii, and the exponential fertilization obtained better effects in general. An appropriate amount of exponentially N application was beneficial to the growth of root system, whereas excessive dosages inhibited it. Judging from seedlings growth status and nutrient accumulation, 900 mg/seedling under exponential fertilization was adequate for Q. nuttallii seedlings. However, 500 and 700 mg/seedling under exponential fertilization may have advantages in improving seedlings’ stress resistance. Conclusions: Exponential fertilization did not only meet the nutrient requirements and promote the growth of Q. nuttallii seedlings, but also facilitated the root growth to indirectly accelerate the assimilation of N/P/K, therefore improving the afforestation quality.