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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Impact of Plant Nutrition on Primary and Secondary Metabolites
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Impact of Plant Nutrition on Primary and Secondary Metabolites

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 17370

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Wilfried Rozhon

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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Ecotrophology, and Landscape Development, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, 06406 Bernburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Interests: plant nutrition; orphan crops; analytical methods, including HPLC, UHPLC, GC, mass spectrometry, optical spectroscopy, electrophoresis and quantitative PCR; separation and analysis of chiral molecules; enzyme assays; inhibitors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sabine von Tucher

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Professorship of Crop Physiology, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Alte Akademie 12, 85350 Freising, Germany
Interests: nutrient (use) efficiency (particularly P, S, N) in the plant–soil system; effectiveness of mineral and organic fertilizers as a source for the plant P, S and N demand; plant nutritional quality as affected by mineral nutrition; nutrient turnover in the environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant nutrition has a substantial impact on plant growth and development. Both deficiency and oversupply of nutrients can cause severe phenotypic reactions. Plant nutrition has also a significant impact on metabolism and, consequently, the chemical composition of plants. In primary metabolism, several nutrients, particularly nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorous, are incorporated into small molecules. Consequently, the levels of these metabolites may strongly depend on the nutrient supply. For instance, the concentrations of free small hydrophobic amino acids, particularly glutamine, glutamate, and serine, are sensitive to the nitrogen supply. Their levels may be more than 100 times higher under conditions of good nitrogen supply than under nitrogen starvation. The availability of amino acids has, of course, a major impact on the biosynthesis of compounds derived from them, for instance proteins or chlorophyll synthesis, which is inhibited during nitrogen starvation, leading to the typical yellowish appearance of leaves of plants grown under such conditions. Similarly, the levels of the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine depend on the sulfur supply and, therefore, the contents of secondary metabolites containing sulfur may also be influenced strongly. For instance, the concentration of glucosinolates, secondary metabolites involved in the defense against feeding insects, is well correlated with the sulfur supply. However, the concentration of a particular nutrient may also impact the levels of compounds that do not contain that element. For instance, huge amounts of the polyamine putrescine accumulate in many plant species under conditions of potassium starvation. This can be explained as a compensatory mechanism to maintain the ion balance, since the strongly positively charged polyamine can, in part, replace potassium. Another example is the impact of the nitrogen supply on the composition of peppermint oil, which consists mainly of menthol under conditions of low nitrogen availability while menthon is predominant under a nitrogen surplus.

Detailed knowledge of such processes is of high importance, since they may allow metabolism to be directed in a desired direction and can substantially impact product quality. However, while the impact of primary metabolites on plant nutrition has been well studied, little data are available regarding their contribution to the modulation of secondary metabolism. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms regulating these processes are still ill-defined.

This Special Issue intends to offer a forum to enhance the understanding of the impact of nutrients on primary and particularly secondary metabolites. Original manuscripts and review articles addressing the aforementioned or similar topics are highly welcome. For reviews, communication of a brief proposal is recommended prior to manuscript preparation to avoid overlapping with other submissions.

Dr. Wilfried Rozhon
Dr. Sabine von Tucher
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. Horticulturae 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 2200 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

  • nitrogen
  • phosphorous
  • sulfur
  • potassium
  • micro nutrients
  • primary metabolites
  • secondary metabolites
  • amino acids
  • product quality

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 839 KiB  
Article
Phenolic Potential of Olive Leaves from Different Istrian Cultivars in Croatia
by Marija Polić Pasković, Nikolina Vidović, Igor Lukić, Paula Žurga, Valerija Majetić Germek, Smiljana Goreta Ban, Tomislav Kos, Lepomir Čoga, Tea Tomljanović, Sunčana Simonić-Kocijan, Dean Ban, Sara Godena and Igor Pasković
Horticulturae 2023, 9(5), 594; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9050594 - 18 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1325
Abstract
For the first time the effects of different sampling periods and their interaction with five major autochthonous Croatian Istrian olive cultivars and the Italian cultivar ‘Leccino’ on the quantity and composition of olive leaf phenolic compounds and mineral nutrients were investigated. For that [...] Read more.
For the first time the effects of different sampling periods and their interaction with five major autochthonous Croatian Istrian olive cultivars and the Italian cultivar ‘Leccino’ on the quantity and composition of olive leaf phenolic compounds and mineral nutrients were investigated. For that purpose, olive leaves were sampled in two collecting periods, in October and March, coinciding with the harvesting and pruning periods, respectively. All selected cultivars had a higher oleuropein leaf content in the pruning collecting period, with the highest levels noted for the ‘Leccino’ and ‘Buža’ cultivars. Cultivar significantly affected almost all the investigated phenols, with higher concentrations of these valuable compounds in the pruning than in the harvesting period. Differences observed in leaf mineral composition were closely related to the differences in phenolic profiles and were significantly affected by genotype. Some of the studied mineral nutrients, such as P, Cu and B, were found to be significantly correlated with the most abundant olive leaf phenolic compounds, oleuropein and verbascoside. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Plant Nutrition on Primary and Secondary Metabolites)
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22 pages, 1489 KiB  
Article
Effect of Combined Sulfur and Nitrogen Foliar Supply on Olive Oil Volatile Compounds and Sensory Attributes
by Nikolina Vidović, Igor Pasković, Šime Marcelić, Igor Lukić, Karolina Brkić Bubola, Dora Klisović, Anja Novoselić, Igor Palčić, Marija Polić Pasković, Mirjana Herak Ćustić, Marko Petek, Maja Jukić Špika, Marija Pecina, Paula Pongrac and Smiljana Goreta Ban
Horticulturae 2022, 8(10), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8100912 - 06 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1674
Abstract
Up to date, there are no reports on the effects of combined sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) foliar application in olive orchards on volatile compounds and sensory characteristics of virgin olive oil (VOO). In this work, the effects of increasing the fertilizer S [...] Read more.
Up to date, there are no reports on the effects of combined sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) foliar application in olive orchards on volatile compounds and sensory characteristics of virgin olive oil (VOO). In this work, the effects of increasing the fertilizer S and N concentration on volatile compound composition and odor and taste attributes of monovarietal VOOs of Istarska bjelica and Leccino cultivars were investigated. The volatile compounds were analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization and mass spectrometric detection after isolation by solid-phase microextraction, while sensory attributes were assessed by a professional panel. In all the investigated VOO samples, aldehydes were the most represented group of compounds, with (E)-2-hexenal as the most abundant, followed by (Z)-3-hexenal and 1-penten-3-one. Significant differences in the volatile profiles and sensory attributes were observed between VOOs from different treatments, mainly attributable to the interactions between all the factors that were investigated: treatment, cultivar, and year. Although significant interactions were noted for sensory attributes as well, the score for overall quality was generally lower for Leccino VOOs and for VOOs from both cultivars that were obtained after the highest SN dose treatment. All the samples were graded by overall sensory scores that were higher than eight and were characterized by well-pronounced fruitiness and the absence of sensory defects. The results of this study showed that foliar application of S and N significantly affects the quality of VOO, confirming that such a practice can modulate the characteristic olive oil odor and taste attributes and thus possibly influence its acceptability and preference among consumers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Plant Nutrition on Primary and Secondary Metabolites)
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18 pages, 3709 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Salinity on Fruit Quality and Yield of Cherry Tomatoes
by Carlos Agius, Sabine von Tucher and Wilfried Rozhon
Horticulturae 2022, 8(1), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8010059 - 08 Jan 2022
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4640
Abstract
Hydroponic cultivation of vegetables avoids problems with soil-borne plant pathogens and may allow higher yield. In arid climates and particularly on islands, high concentrations of sodium chloride can be present in the groundwater. For instance, in many sites of Malta, the groundwater contains [...] Read more.
Hydroponic cultivation of vegetables avoids problems with soil-borne plant pathogens and may allow higher yield. In arid climates and particularly on islands, high concentrations of sodium chloride can be present in the groundwater. For instance, in many sites of Malta, the groundwater contains more than 10 mM sodium chloride. Here we investigated the effects of sodium chloride at levels typically found in Malta on yield, physiology and fruit quality of tomato, the economically most important vegetable. We selected cherry tomatoes since their production is attractive due to their high marketing value. While the yield declined at higher salinity levels tested (17 and 34 mM), the quality increased significantly as indicated by higher total soluble solids and fructose and glucose levels. The type of substrate—coco peat, perlite or Rockwool—had only minor effects. Although the concentration of citric acid and malic acid remained unaffected, the pH dropped by approximately 0.1 unit and the titratable acidity increased slightly. This might be explained by a high uptake of chloride but a lower increase of the sodium content and a reduced potassium level in the fruits, shifting the equilibrium of the organic acids more to their protonated forms. Proline increased significantly, while the level of glutamic acid, which is crucial for the taste, remained unchanged. Our results show that cherry tomatoes can be cultivated in nutrient solutions prepared with salt-containing groundwater, as found in Malta. The yield declined to some extent but the quality of the produced fruits was higher compared to cultivation in salt-free media. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Plant Nutrition on Primary and Secondary Metabolites)
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12 pages, 2589 KiB  
Article
Nutrient Deficiency Affects the Growth and Nitrate Concentration of Hydroponic Radish
by Masaru Sakamoto, Yoshiki Komatsu and Takahiro Suzuki
Horticulturae 2021, 7(12), 525; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7120525 - 28 Nov 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4796
Abstract
In hydroponics, a continuous supply of mineral nutrients is essential for plant growth. However, constitutive nutrient-rich conditions also increase the nitrate content in the plants, which can be harmful to human health. Here, we investigated the effect of nutrient deficiency on the growth [...] Read more.
In hydroponics, a continuous supply of mineral nutrients is essential for plant growth. However, constitutive nutrient-rich conditions also increase the nitrate content in the plants, which can be harmful to human health. Here, we investigated the effect of nutrient deficiency on the growth and component composition of hydroponic radish by changing the timing of nutrient removal from the hydroponic solution. Radish plants that were 14 days old were transferred to four different nutrient conditions for 14 days: nutrient deficiency for 14 days (WW), full nutrient for 14 days (NN), nutrient deficiency for the last 7 days (NW), and nutrient deficiency for the first 7 days (WN). After the treatments, the NW plants had similar taproot growth to NN plants. In contrast, the WN plants significantly reduced taproot growth. The WW plants reduced the shoot and taproot weight and their water contents. The nitrate content in the taproots was reduced in the NW and WW plants. The WW plants contained lower total phenol and higher ascorbic acid and sugar contents. These results suggest that the uptake of nutrient minerals at the young growth stage is important for the growth of radish taproot. Nutrient deficiency management can be one of the most effective tools for regulating radish growth and composition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Plant Nutrition on Primary and Secondary Metabolites)
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11 pages, 4896 KiB  
Article
Selenium Enrichment of Green and Red Lettuce and the Induction of Radical Scavenging Potential
by Muna Ali Abdalla, Jürgen E. Wick, Ibukun M. Famuyide, Lyndy J. McGaw and Karl H. Mühling
Horticulturae 2021, 7(11), 488; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7110488 - 11 Nov 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2197
Abstract
Selenium (Se)-enriched vegetables are promising dietary sources of Se, which provides beneficial biological effects in humans. In this study, we investigated the effects of foliar application of Se on hydroponically grown multi-leaf green (V1) and red (V2) lettuce plants. Three selenate (SeIV) amendment [...] Read more.
Selenium (Se)-enriched vegetables are promising dietary sources of Se, which provides beneficial biological effects in humans. In this study, we investigated the effects of foliar application of Se on hydroponically grown multi-leaf green (V1) and red (V2) lettuce plants. Three selenate (SeIV) amendment levels were evaluated for their influence on plant growth, elemental composition and radical scavenging capacity. Lettuce heads biofortified with 0.598 mg Se plant−1 accumulated 19.6–23.6 and 14.9–17.6 μg Se g−1 DM in the multi-leaf green (V1) and red (V2) lettuce plants, respectively. The accumulated Se levels can contribute significantly to the recommended dietary allowance of 70 µg day−1 for adult men and 60 µg day−1 for adult women. Accordingly, both V1 and V2 lettuce cultivars grown under the Se3 foliar application condition can cover the daily requirement for adult men by approximately 100% and 85% to 100%, respectively, by consuming 75–90 g or 100 g fresh weight from V1 or V2, respectively. The ABTS radical scavenging potential of green lettuce was induced at Se2 and Se3 foliar application levels, where the IC50 was 1.124 ± 0.09 μg mL−1 at Se0 and improved to 0.795 ± 0.03 and 0.697 ± 0.01 μg mL−1, respectively. There was no cytotoxicity against Vero kidney cells among all treated lettuce plants at the highest concentration tested of 1 mg/mL. Finally, a further focused investigation of the metabolic profile of lettuce plants under varied Se levels needs to be investigated in future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Plant Nutrition on Primary and Secondary Metabolites)
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10 pages, 6441 KiB  
Article
Metabolic Response of ‘Topaz’ Apple Fruit to Minimal Application of Nitrogen during Cell Enlargement Stage
by Jerneja Jakopic, Valentina Schmitzer, Robert Veberic, Tina Smrke and Franci Stampar
Horticulturae 2021, 7(9), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7090266 - 26 Aug 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1761
Abstract
Nitrogen is an integral element of foliar sprays during apple fruit formation. However, in red cultivars, the application may have adverse effects on color in the second stage of fruit development. The effect of a low-dose foliar application of urea was monitored on [...] Read more.
Nitrogen is an integral element of foliar sprays during apple fruit formation. However, in red cultivars, the application may have adverse effects on color in the second stage of fruit development. The effect of a low-dose foliar application of urea was monitored on ‘Topaz’ apple pomometric (fruit mass, firmness, total solids, starch content, skin color) and biochemical traits (primary metabolites, phenolic compounds, and assimilatory pigments). Three applications (17 July, 27 July, and 18 August) of two different urea doses (N1 = 1.4 kg N ha−1; N4 = 4 kg N ha−1) and control (N0, only sprayed with water) were used. Low doses of urea did not affect flesh firmness, total soluble, solid, and starch content, but individual fruit mass was significantly higher in N1 treatment compared to the other two treatments. Significantly lower a* parameters and a lower content of anthocyanins were measured on apples subject to N4 treatment. Many secondary metabolites (phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, and chalcones) were also negatively affected by low-dose urea application. Conversely, urea treatments significantly increased total assimilatory pigments in apple skin. Even minor levels of nitrogen, applied directly on the leaf at later stages of red apple fruit development, negatively altered color traits and the composition of metabolites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Plant Nutrition on Primary and Secondary Metabolites)
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