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Special Issue "Horticultural Crops Cultivation and Physiology"

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural Science and Ornamental Plants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2023 | Viewed by 2447

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jiali He
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Guest Editor

College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Interests: stress physiology; molecular biology

Dr. Kun Li

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Guest Editor

College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Interests: rhizosphere microorganism; replant disease; stress physiology

Dr. Lord Abbey

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Guest Editor

Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B2N 5E3, Canada
Interests: horticulture; plant nutrition; soil health and quality; plant environmental stress physiology; compost science; biostimulants
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Horticultural crops cultivation are challenged by multifactorial adverse conditions (high and low temperatures, drought, salinity, heavy metals, nutritional deficiencies, etc.). The growth of horticultural crops in field and greenhouse is affected by soil properties such as pH value, organic matter and nutrient content, etc. Their optimal growth should be achieved by developing appropriate cultivation strategies (including soil amendment application, beneficial microorganism inoculation, and so on), along with efficient management of water, fertilizers and soil health. It has been demonstrated that an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) occurs that can lead to oxidative stress under most adverse conditions. However, these oxidative signals can also activate various signaling cascades that trigger the activation of plant protective systems. They subsequently change key metabolic processes such as photosynthesis, transpiration, respiration, mineral nutrition, antioxiants, etc. Furthermore, the identification of genes involved in the defense response and stress tolerance is essential for the genetic improvement of horticultural crops. This Special Issue of Plants is to encourage the publication of the latest studies or reviews on the cultivation and physiological responses of horticultural crops under multifactorial adverse conditions.

Dr. Jiali He
Dr. Kun Li
Dr. Lord Abbey
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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

nutrient and irrigation management
soil properties
abiotic stress
food security
cultivation technology
physiological response
ROS
photosynthesis
stress tolerance

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Quantifying Chilling Injury on the Photosynthesis System of Strawberries: Insights from Photosynthetic Fluorescence Characteristics and Hyperspectral Inversion

and

Plants 2023, 12(17), 3138; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12173138 - 31 Aug 2023

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Abstract

Chilling injury can adversely affect strawberry bud differentiation, pollen vitality, fruit yield, and quality. Photosynthesis is a fundamental process that sustains plant life. However, different strawberry varieties exhibit varying levels of cold adaptability. Quantitatively evaluating the physiological activity of the photosynthetic system under low-temperature chilling injury remains a challenge. In this study, we investigated the effects of different levels of chilling stress on twenty photosynthetic fluorescence parameters in strawberry plants, using short-day strawberry variety “Toyonoka” and day-neutral variety “Selva” as representatives. Three dynamic chilling treatment levels (20/10 °C, 15/5 °C, and 10/0 °C) and three durations (3 days, 6 days, and 9 days) were applied to each variety. WUE, LCP, Y(II), qN,

{S I F}_{O_{2} - B}

and

{r S I F}_{O_{2} - B}

were selected as crucial indicators of strawberry photosynthetic physiological activity. Subsequently, we constructed a comprehensive score to assess the strawberry photosynthetic system under chilling injury and established a hyperspectral inversion model for stress quantification. The results indicate that the short-day strawberry “Toyonoka” exhibited a recovery effect under continuous 20/10 °C treatment, while the day-neutral variety “Selva” experienced progressively worsening stress levels across all temperature groups, with stress severity higher than that in “Toyonoka”. The BPNN model for the comprehensive assessment of the strawberry photosynthetic system under chilling injury showed optimal performance. It achieved a stress level prediction accuracy of 71.25% in 80 validation samples, with an R² of 0.682 when fitted to actual results. This study provides scientific insights for the application of canopy remote sensing diagnostics of strawberry photosynthetic physiological chilling injury in practical agricultural production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticultural Crops Cultivation and Physiology)

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Open AccessArticle

Effects of Reduced Phosphate Fertilizer and Increased Trichoderma Application on the Growth, Yield, and Quality of Pepper

and

Plants 2023, 12(16), 2998; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12162998 - 19 Aug 2023

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Abstract

Phosphorus utilization by crop plants is often limited, thereby resulting in large accumulations of residual phosphorus fertilizer in the soil. Trichoderma fungi function as natural decomposition agents that can contribute to increasing decomposition and promoting nutrient absorption in plants. In this study, we developed a novel fertilizer application strategy that reduces phosphate fertilizer and increases Trichoderma and examined its effects on the growth, nutrient absorption, and fruit quality of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). We compared the efficacies of eight treatments: P100 = standard dose application of phosphorus fertilizer; P85 = 85% dose; P70 = 70% dose; P0 = no phosphorus fertilizer; and the TP100, TP85, TP70, and TP0 treatments, in which a Trichoderma mixture was added to the P100, P85, P70, and P0 treatments, respectively. The combined fertilizer application strategy stimulated plant growth, increased chlorophyll content, improved yield, and enhanced nutrient absorption. Additionally, the strategy improved pepper fruit quality by increasing the contents of soluble proteins, soluble sugars, vitamin C, capsaicin, and capsanthin. A comprehensive analysis indicated that the TP85 treatment was the optimal fertilization regime for pepper. This study provides a novel fertilizer application strategy for pepper that not only ensures good plant growth but also protects soil health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticultural Crops Cultivation and Physiology)

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Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Improving Boron and Molybdenum Use Efficiencies in Contrasting Cultivars of Subirrigated Greenhouse-Grown Pot Chrysanthemums

Katherine R. Teeter-Wood

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Plants 2023, 12(12), 2348; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12122348 - 16 Jun 2023

Viewed by 570

Abstract

Fertilizer boron (B) and molybdenum (Mo) were provided to contrasting cultivars of subirrigated pot chrysanthemums at approximately 6–100% of current industry standards in an otherwise balanced nutrient solution during vegetative growth, and then all nutrients were removed during reproductive growth. Two experiments were conducted for each nutrient in a naturally lit greenhouse using a randomized complete block split-plot design. Boron (0.313–5.00 µmol L⁻¹) or Mo (0.031–0.500 µmol L⁻¹) was the main plot, and cultivar was the sub-plot. Petal quilling was observed with leaf-B of 11.3–19.4 mg kg⁻¹ dry mass (DM), whereas Mo deficiency was not observed with leaf-Mo of 1.0–3.7 mg kg⁻¹ DM. Optimized supplies resulted in leaf tissue levels of 48.8–72.5 mg B kg⁻¹ DM and 1.9–4.8 mg Mo kg⁻¹ DM. Boron uptake efficiency was more important than B utilization efficiency in sustaining plant/inflorescence growth with decreasing B supply, whereas Mo uptake and utilization efficiencies appeared to have similar importance in sustaining plant/inflorescence growth with decreasing Mo supply. This research contributes to the development of a sustainable low-input nutrient delivery strategy for floricultural operations, wherein nutrient supply is interrupted during reproductive growth and optimized during vegetative growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticultural Crops Cultivation and Physiology)

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Open AccessArticle

Phenotypic, Physiological, and Molecular Response of Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum under Different Light Quality Treatments Based on Leaf Color Changes

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Plants 2023, 12(11), 2169; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12112169 - 30 May 2023

Viewed by 681

Abstract

Light quality is a vital environmental signal used to trigger growth and to develop structural differentiation in plants, and it influences morphological, physiological, and biochemical metabolites. In previous studies, different light qualities were found to regulate the synthesis of anthocyanin. However, the mechanism of the synthesis and accumulation of anthocyanins in leaves in response to light quality remains unclear. In this study, the Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum “Xiangnong Fendai” plant was treated with white light (WL), blue light (BL), ultraviolet-A light (UL), and blue light plus ultraviolet-A light (BL + UL), respectively. Under BL, the leaves were described as increasing in redness from “olive green” to “reddish-brown”. The chlorophyll, carotenoid, anthocyanin, and total flavonoid content were significantly higher at 7 d than at 0 d. In addition, BL treatment also significantly increased the accumulation of soluble sugar and soluble protein. In contrast to BL, ultraviolet-A light increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and the activities of three antioxidant enzymes in the leaves, including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), in varying degrees over time. Moreover, we also found that the CRY-like gene, HY5-like gene, BBX-like gene, MYB-like gene, CHS-like gene, DFR-like gene, ANS-like gene, and UFGT-like gene were significantly upregulated. Furthermore, the SOD-like, POD-like, and CAT-like gene expressions related to antioxidase synthesis were found under ultraviolet-A light conditions. In summary, BL is more conducive to reddening the leaves of “Xiangnong Fendai” and will not lead to excessive photooxidation. This provides an effective ecological strategy for light-induced leaf-color changes, thereby promoting the ornamental and economic value of L. chinense var. rubrum. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticultural Crops Cultivation and Physiology)

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