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The Effects of Modern Agricultural Management Practices on the Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Horticultural and Fruit Plants

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 7140

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Annalisa Tarantino

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Guest Editor

Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources and Engineering (DAFNE), University of Foggia, Via Napoli 25, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Interests: almond; apricot; olive; apple; wine grape; agricultural techniques; plant biostimulant; fertigation; deficit irrigation strategies; fruit quality; fruit bioactive compounds; local fruit germplasm
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Dr. Grazia Disciglio

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Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources and Engineering (DAFNE), University of Foggia, Via Napoli 25, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Interests: herbaceous crops; tomato; medicinal plants; agricultural techniques; fertilization; plant biostimulant; deficit irrigation strategies; fruit quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

An increasing world population and a steady growth in global food demands suggest that agriculture is called upon to increase production, whilst respecting environmental, social, and economic sustainability. The need for the mitigation and simultaneous adaptation of agricultural systems to climate change is increasingly urgent.

The objectives of the Special Issue, “Effects of Modern Agricultural Management Practices on Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Horticultural and Fruit Plants”, are as follows:

(ì) to evaluate the effects of single or combined cultural techniques on the yield and quality characteristics of the products of horticultural and fruit crops;

(ìì) to evaluate the vegetative growth, yield, and fruit quality in modern intensive planting systems;

(iiì) to investigate the possible interaction in a warming climate between different techniques of deficit irrigation and fertilization and/or other cultivation techniques in crops to better understand their benefits.

Furthermore, it is important to consider the opportunities that are available in order to implement a wide variety of adaptation levers to improve the management of horticultural and fruit crops in future climatic conditions.

High-quality full research articles and comprehensive reviews can be submitted. Papers chosen for publication will be selected by a rigorous peer-review procedure with the aim of rapidly disseminating the research results.

Key topics in this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

Planting systems for modern fruit crops growing;
Cultivation techniques and fruit quality;
Sustainable agricultural practices of horticultural and fruit crops;
Cover crop management in orchards and vineyards;
The irrigation of crops under water scarcity scenario;
The reuse of urban and agro-industrial wastewater;
The effect of different irrigation management techniques (e.g., regular deficit irrigation—RDI, partial drying of the root zone—PRD, and water reuse ) on horticultural and fruit crops;
Research on optimizing water management in crops, including the use of novel technologies (modeling and remote sensing);
Biostimulants vs. fertilizers;
A better understanding of the synergistic use of irrigation and biostimulants on horticultural and fruit crops;
Crop cultivation underneath agro-photovoltaic systems;
Medicinal and aromatic plants in the food sector or in modern and traditional medicine;
Evaluation of the use of precision viticulture technology in order to optimize the use of resources.

Dr. Annalisa Tarantino
Dr. Grazia Disciglio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

agricultural techniques
fruit quality
vegetative response
reproductive production
high-density planting
agrivoltaics
biofertilizers and biostimulants
deficit irrigation
reuse wastewater
medicinal crops

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1259 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water-Retaining Agent as a Sustainable Agricultural Technique to Enhance Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Productivity in Tropical Soils

by Xiaoping Zang, Tianyan Yun, Lixia Wang, Rulin Zhan, Zheli Ding, Weihong Ma, Mamdouh A. Eissa, Tao Jing, Yongxia Liu, Jianghui Xie and Yingdui He

Agronomy 2024, 14(3), 530; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14030530 - 4 Mar 2024

Viewed by 609

Abstract

Reducing fertilizer doses under sustainable agricultural management is possible by increasing nutrient utilization efficiency, which will decrease crop production costs and boost economic return. Soil amendments known as water retention agents (WRAs) are added to the soil to enhance crop growth conditions. We hypothesize that the addition of WRAs may support the soil-retaining nutrients given through fertilization and prevent them from leaching into tropical soils characterized by severe rainfall due to WRAs’ exceptional capacities to absorb and store water. Mango trees (Mangifera indica L. cv Tainong No. 1) aged 18 years were fertilized with 100% or 80% of the recommended doses of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The experimental design included three treatments, i.e., complete recommended doses of N, P, and K (CRF), 80% of the complete recommended doses (RRF), and water-retaining agent (40 kg ha⁻¹) + 80% of the complete recommended doses (WRARRF). Reducing the fertilization doses by 20% for mango trees in the studied tropical soil significantly (p < 0.05) minimized the nutrient availability in the soil compared to the complete fertilization doses. WRARRF compensated for the nutrient reduction by increasing the availability of N, P, and K. The addition of WRARR increased N, P, and K in mango leaf by 11%, 4%, and 7% in the first year and by 11%, 6%, and 7% in the second year, respectively, compared to CRF. The addition of WRARR increased the partial fertilizer productivity (PFP) value by 36% and 41% in the first and second years, respectively. The highest mango fruit output was achieved by the addition of WRARRF, which resulted in increases in mango fruit yield of 11.9% and 16.5% in the first and second years, respectively, compared to RRF. Fruit quality traits showed the descending order: WRARRF > RRF > CRF. WRARRF produced the maximum economic benefit (USD 7372 per hectare) compared to CRF and RRF. The polyacrylamide/attapulgite water-retaining agent exhibited remarkable improvement in mango fruit yield and economic profit by regulating the release of nutrients in tropical soils. Water-retaining agents are an effective strategy for overcoming the extensive fertilization used in mango orchards, which has resulted in numerous environmental contaminations and the inefficient use of fertilizers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Modern Agricultural Management Practices on the Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Horticultural and Fruit Plants)

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15 pages, 1742 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Growth of Paulownia ssp. Interspecific Hybrid ‘Oxytree’ Micropropagated Nursery Plants under the Influence of Plant-Growth Regulators

by Wojciech Litwińczuk and Beata Jacek

Agronomy 2023, 13(10), 2474; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13102474 - 25 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1070

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the effects of application of plant-growth regulators (PGR) on the growth of paulownia plants and evaluate their usefulness in paulownia nurseries. The experiment was carried out on the paulownia interspecific hybrid (Paulownia elongata × Paulownia fortunei) ‘Oxytree’. Micropropagated plants grown in pots were sprayed with PGR solutions. Gibberellins (GA₃, GA₄+GA₇), 6-benzyladenine (BA), triclopyr (TPA), ethephon (ETH), daminozide (DA), prohexadione-Ca (PH), and trinexapac-ethyl (TE) were used. They were included in commercial products (Florgib 245 mg dm⁻³, Gibb plus 11 SL 5 cm³ dm⁻³, Globaryll 100 SL 1.5 cm³ dm⁻³, Topper 10 ST 200 mg dm⁻³, Agrostym 480 SL 2 cm³ dm⁻³, B-Nine 85 SG 2 g dm⁻³, Regalis plus 10 WG 2.5 g dm⁻³, Moddus 250 EC 1 cm³ dm⁻³, respectively). None of the studied preparations modified positive correlations between the longitudinal vs. transverse growth of stems and growth of leaves. Not only GA₃, GA₄+GA₇, but also BA (cytokinin) and unexpectedly TE (retardant) stimulated stem elongation and thickening. Furthermore, the effect of TE lasted longer than influence of GA_x and BA. Leaves of TE-treated plants were distinguished by a higher chlorophyll a/b ratio, and a lower relative chlorophyll content and efficiency of photosystem II (F_v/F_m, F_v/F₀). TPA strongly deformed the stems and leaves of liners. Other regulators (ETH, DA, PH) retarded the diameter growth of stems and leaf expansion. Some results obtained by GA_x, BA, and especially by TE treatment, might be beneficial for paulownia grown as ornamental and/or timber tree. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Modern Agricultural Management Practices on the Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Horticultural and Fruit Plants)

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12 pages, 4952 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pneumatic Defoliation Enhances Fruit Skin Color and Anthocyanin Pigments in ‘Picnic’ Apples

by Nay Myo Win, Youngsuk Lee, Seonae Kim, Van Giap Do, Young Sik Cho, In-Kyu Kang, Sangjin Yang and Juhyeon Park

Agronomy 2023, 13(8), 2078; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13082078 - 7 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1195

Abstract

Apple skin color is essential for market value. Therefore, this study evaluated the efficiency of pneumatic defoliation (PD) on the enhancement of red skin color and anthocyanin pigments in ‘Picnic’ apples. Three weeks before harvesting, apple trees were treated with PD with low- (0.7 bar) and high- (0.9 bar) air pressure at a tractor driving speed of 2 km/h. Undefoliated trees served as controls. Higher leaf defoliation and leaf damage rates were observed in the high-PD treatment than those in the low-PD treatment. Photosynthetically active radiation inside the canopies was the highest in trees subjected to high-pressure PD than in those that underwent low-pressure PD and the controls. At harvest, the fruit color (a*) value, red-colored area, and anthocyanin content in the fruit skin were the highest in the high-PD treatment, intermediate in the low-PD treatment, and the lowest in the control treatments. Additionally, a higher expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes was observed in both defoliation treatments, especially under high PD. However, except for higher flesh firmness under low PD, the L* and b* values and fruit quality indices (fruit weight, starch pattern index, titratable acidity, soluble solids content, and sunburn occurrence) were not significantly affected by either PD treatment. In conclusion, PD can be used to enhance skin coloration and anthocyanin pigments in apples; further PD with high air pressure achieved optimum red skin coloration in ‘Picnic’ apples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Modern Agricultural Management Practices on the Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Horticultural and Fruit Plants)

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30 pages, 4059 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Humic Acid Improves the Resilience to Salinity Stress of Drip-Irrigated Mexican Lime Trees in Saline Clay Soils

by Hassan A. Ennab, Azza H. Mohamed, Hanan M. El-Hoseiny, Ahmad A. Omar, Islam F. Hassan, Maybelle S. Gaballah, Soha E. Khalil, Amany M. Mira, Ahmed F. Abd El-Khalek and Shamel M. Alam-Eldein

Agronomy 2023, 13(7), 1680; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13071680 - 22 Jun 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1889

Abstract

Organic fertilization improves soil fertility and ameliorates the deleterious effects of accumulated salts in soil for sustainable agricultural production. This research was carried out on thirteen-year-old Mexican lime trees to study the effect of humic acid (HA), applied as soil (10, 20 or 30 mL·tree⁻¹) and foliar (0.1 or 0.2%) applications, on soil fertility, tree growth, productivity and fruit quality. The experiment was conducted during the 2020 and 2021 seasons in a randomized complete block design of twelve treatments with three replicates with two trees each. Soil and foliar applications of HA were performed once and twice a month in Marsh, May and July, respectively. HA enhanced the soil’s N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and B availability and microbial activity, in addition to improved tree growth, canopy size, leaf chlorophyll and nutrient contents with reduced proline levels. The total yield and number of fruit per tree were increased with increased HA levels. Fruit weight, juice and soluble solids were also increased. The best results were achieved with the combined soil (30 mL·tree⁻¹) and foliar (0.2%) applications of HA, which indicated a great potential to alleviate the effects of salinity stress on Mexican lime growth and productivity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Modern Agricultural Management Practices on the Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Horticultural and Fruit Plants)

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11 pages, 1426 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photosynthetic Assimilation of the Guava (Psidium guajava) cv. Paluma under Different Pruning and Fruit Thinning Intensities

by Adaniel Sousa dos Santos, Gustavo Alves Pereira, Wéverson Lima Fonseca, Alan Mario Zuffo, Jenilton Gomes da Cunha, Nemilda Pereira Soares, Estefenson Marques Morais, Antônio Afonso Sousa do Nascimento, Djavan Pinheiro Santos, Murilo de Sousa Almeida, Jorge González Aguilera, Luis Morales-Aranibar, Eliseo Pumacallahui Salcedo, Richar Marlon Mollinedo Chura, Wilberth Caviedes Contreras and Roger Ccama Alejo

Agronomy 2023, 13(6), 1610; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061610 - 15 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1861

Abstract

In guava plants, production pruning can be performed twice a year, and the return of growth is dependent on the physiological responses that are altered by the different cultivation environments and adopted management. From this perspective, this study aimed to characterize the photosynthetic dynamics of guava plants influenced by different pruning and fruit thinning intensities during two growing seasons in the region of Currais, Piauí, Brazil. The plants were distributed in a randomized block design with a factorial arrangement (3 × 3 × 2) consisting of three pruning intensities (short, medium, and long) and three fruit thinning intensities (0, 10, and 20%) during two growing seasons. The data were subjected to a cluster analysis and canonical discriminant analysis to discriminate treatment groups based on the variables. Through a cluster analysis for the evaluated treatments, it was possible to split the two pruning seasons into five different groups clustered for the first pruning season and the second pruning season. The highest assimilation values were observed in the first pruning season and especially in plants that received short pruning with 0% fruit thinning, medium pruning with 10% and 20% fruit thinning, and long pruning with 10% fruit thinning. Through the graphic representation of the canonical discriminant analysis, the first two variables explained 93.40% of the total variance contained in the nine original variables. The highest means of ambient PAR, transpiration, leaf temperature, internal carbon, and ambient temperature were observed in the second pruning season and in plants that received short pruning with 10% and 20% fruit thinning, medium pruning with 0% and 20% fruit thinning, and long pruning with 0%, 10%, and 20% fruit thinning favors a higher photosynthetic accumulation in guava plants. We observed a multiplicity of responses; however, short pruning with 10% thinning should be considered for both seasons. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Modern Agricultural Management Practices on the Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Horticultural and Fruit Plants)

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