Plant cell fusion has become an important tool in plant improvement. Plant cell fusion allows researchers to combine somatic cells (partial or whole) from different cultivars, species or genera to generate novel genetic combinations including symmetric allotetraploid somatic hybrids, asymmetric somatic hybrids or somatic cybrids. Through bypassing problems sometimes associated with conventional sexual crossing, including sexual incompatibility, polyembryony and male or female sterility, the plant cell fusion can greatly facilitate the process of gene transfer or breeding. This short review summarizes the plant cell fusion and its application.

Shoot branching of plant is a high-plastic development process. Plant branching affects plants' light harvesting potential, the synchrony of flowering and seed set, and ultimately affects the success of plants' reproduction. In the process, axillary buds are formed in the axil of each leaf and may subsequently be activated to give branches. Plant branching is controlled by genes and plant hormones, e.g. auxins, cytokinins and strigolactones (or strigolactone derivatives), and is also environmentally regulated. In this short review, we summarize the progress in basic characters of plant branching and the factors in influencing shoot branching.