Fig. 4: Physiological characteristics of standard-type and spur-type ‘Fuji’ varieties.

a Spur rate, crown width, and trunk height of standard-type varieties (n = 10) and spur-type ‘Fuji’ varieties (n = 5) listed in Supplementary Data 14. In each boxplot, the center line represents the median, the lower and upper bounds indicate the first and third quartiles, respectively, whiskers extend to 1.5 times the interquartile range, and points indicate outliers. b Branches of standard-type ‘Yanfu No. 8’ (Y8) and spur-type ‘Liquan spur’ (LQD). c Contents of GA₃, GA₄, trans-zeatin-riboside (ZR), abscisic acid (ABA), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in Y8 and LQD. Data are means ± SE (n = 3 biological replicates). d Anatomical observations of a longitudinal section of the LQD and Y8 stems. The experiment was repeated three times independently with similar results. e Cell length in the stem longitudinal sections of Y8 and LQD. Values represent mean ± SE (n = 30 individual cells). f Cell number in the stem longitudinal sections of Y8 and LQD. Data are means ± SE (n = 3 measurements). * and ** indicate significant differences at P < 0.05 and 0.01, respectively (two-sided Student’s t test). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.