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. 2025 Aug 8;20(8):e0327332.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0327332. eCollection 2025.

Modulation of growth characteristics and endogenous hormone by cutting intensity in Eleutherococcus giraldii

Xufeng Huang  1   2   3 , Rui Gu  3   4 , Guopeng Chen  4 , Chenhui Wang  4 , Yuan Li  4 , Xiaofeng Liang  1   2   3 , Rong Dimg  4 , Shihong Zhong  5
Affiliations

Modulation of growth characteristics and endogenous hormone by cutting intensity in Eleutherococcus giraldii

Xufeng Huang et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Eleutherococcus giraldii (E. giraldii) is a quintessential medicinal plant in traditional Chinese medicine. This study established control, heavy pruning, and light pruning groups to reveal growth indexes and endogenous phytohormones in cultivated E. giraldii using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results indicated that light pruning significantly promoted length of new branch elongation, thereby increasing E. giraldii branch bark yield. In contrast, heavy pruning inhibited length of new branch elongation and reduced branch bark production. Both pruning intensities enhanced the number and length of newly sprouted clonal plants, facilitating population expansion of E. giraldii. The heavy pruning altered the trends of indoleacetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) in apical leaves, as well as IAA and gibberellic acid 3 (GA3) in lateral leaves. The light pruning modified the trends of IAA, ABA, and isopentenyl adenine nucleoside (iPA) in apical leaves, as well as IAA and GA3 in lateral leaves. Apical leaf IAA promoted new branch growth in E. giraldii, while lateral leaf IAA exhibited the opposite effect. iPA played a significant role in eliminating apical dominance and enhancing stress resistance in E. giraldii. GA3 inhibited new branch growth while delaying leaf senescence. Apical leaf ABA was closely associated with improved stress resistance, whereas lateral leaf ABA primarily inhibited new branch growth. This study provides valuable insights for establishing sustainable logging strategies for E. giraldii, protecting wild resources, and offers reference for research on endogenous hormone responses in shrubs under logging interventions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Habitat suitability mapping of E. giraldii.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Harvesting regimes for E. giraldii.
Note: K1 denotes heavy pruning, K2 represents light pruning, red circles indicate stem nodes, brown areas show removed portions, green zones depict retained tissues after pruning, and the dashed line marks ground level.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Comparison of growth parameters in E. giraldii on 7/31.
A)PH; B)LNB; C)LCP; D)NNB; E)NCP. Note: PH, plant height; LNB, length of new branches; LCP, length of newly emerged clonal ramets per cluster; NNB, number of new branches; NCP, number of newly emerged clonal ramets per cluster. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Development trajectories of growth performance metrics in E. giraldii.
A)LNB; B)LCP; C)NNB; D)NCP. Note: LNB, length of new branches; LCP, length of newly emerged clonal ramets per cluster; NNB, number of new branches; NCP, number of newly emerged clonal ramets per cluster.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Endogenous phytohormone dynamics in apical leaves of E. giraldii.
A)IAA; B)iPA; C)GA3; D)ABA.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Endogenous phytohormone dynamics in lateral leaves of E. giraldii.
A)IAA; B)iPA; C)GA3; D)ABA.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Correlation matrix between growth parameters and leaf phytohormones in E. giraldii.
Note: PH, plant height; LNB, length of new branches; LCP, length of newly emerged clonal ramets per cluster; NNB, number of new branches; NCP, number of newly emerged clonal ramets per cluster; TL, terminal leaves; LL, lateral leaves (n = 90). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01.
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