Figure 1

A. sinensis cultivated in Min County, Gansu Province, China. (a) Bolting plants (BP) and normal plants (NP) in the same growth period; The whole growth period of A. sinensis typically consists of 3Â years, including of 2Â years vegetative growth, followed by flowering and seed set from the third year onwards. In early bolting ecotypes, flowering occurs prematurely in the second year. (b) Sampling position. Shoot tips of A. sinensis under the same growth conditions were collected before bolting.