Agronomy

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Dear Colleagues,

Currently, 10% of the Earth's total area can be described as karst landform, with 13% of China's land area being karst. Karst soils, with the characteristics of drought, high pH and high bicarbonate, etc., strongly affect the growth and development of crops. Accordingly, improving crop productivity in karst areas is of vital importance for maintaining ecosystems (carbon neutral), ensuring food supply and promoting sustainable social development.

This Special Issue aims to present studies on the following topics: the adaptive mechanisms of karst-adaptable crops (physiological, genetic, ecological and geochemical mechanisms, etc.); screening principles and technologies of karst-adaptable crop varieties; the allocation and regionalization of karst-adaptable crops in karst areas; and interactions between karst-adaptable crops and biotic or abiotic environments. Cutting-edge research on the following topics is especially welcome: interactions between karst-adaptable and biotic or abiotic environments; utilization strategies for inorganic carbon, nitrogen and nutrition of karst-adaptable crops; and rapid screening technologies for karst-adaptable crops based on plant electrophysiology.

Previously, we successfully published a Special Issue on “Emerging Research on Adaptive Plants in Karst Ecosystems”. We now therefore propose a “Volume II” of the same topic for a broader range of applications.

Scientists from all over the world are invited to submit both original research and review articles on these topics.

Prof. Dr. Yanyou Wu
Guest Editor

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.

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4007 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synergistic Effects of Bicarbonate and Selenium on Cadmium Transport in Karst-Adaptable Plants Based on Plant Electrical Signals

by Antong Xia, Yanyou Wu, Zhanghui Qin, Yunfen Zhu, Lin Li, Juyue Xiao, Mohamed Aboueldahab, Haiying Wan, Jiajia Ming and Jiqian Xiang

Agronomy 2024, 14(1), 218; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14010218 - 19 Jan 2024

Viewed by 865

Abstract

High cadmium (Cd) concentrations associated with geochemical anomalies are prevalent in carbonate-rich karstic areas, posing serious ecological risks, while the karstic soils are rich in bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻). It is known that Selenium (Se) is a mineral element that effectively mitigates the Cd transport in plant species. However, the synergistic effects of HCO₃⁻ and Se on Cd translocation in plant species have not yet been indicated. In this study, based on plant electrophysiological measurements, we chose Orychophragmus violaceus (Ov) as experimental material and determined the growth potential, water metabolism, and nutrient translocation capacity under HCO₃⁻-Se⁶⁺-Cd²⁺ treatment to identify the synergistic effects of bicarbonate and selenium on cadmium transport in karst-adaptable plants. We found 5 mM HCO₃⁻ and 0.46 mM Se⁶⁺ synergistically alleviated the Cd²⁺ stress on Ov, promoting growth, intracellular water metabolism, nutrient translocation efficiency, and total Se accumulation, and inhibiting the uptake of Cd in Ov. Nevertheless, 15 mM HCO₃⁻ and 0.46 mM Se⁶⁺ synergistically augmented Cd transport on Ov, resulting in growth reduction, intracellular water metabolism, nutrient translocation efficiency, and total Se concentration. Hence, it not only provides a frontier approach for the real-time monitoring of intracellular water and nutrient utilization capacity in plant species, but is also even more a theoretical idea that reveals the synergistic effects of bicarbonate and selenium on cadmium transport of plants to precisely indicate selenium supplementation to ameliorate cadmium pollution and construct a sustainable karst ecosystem in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Research on Adaptive Plants in Karst Ecosystems—Volume II)

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22 pages, 5247 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Postharvest Quality Exploration of “Crystal” Grapes in Karst Mountainous Area: Regulatory Effect of High Concentration 1-MCP Fumigation

by Renchan Liu, Ning Ji, Ni Zhang, Rui Wang, Yuxin Li, Jiqing Lei and Renzhang Zhou

Agronomy 2023, 13(10), 2450; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13102450 - 22 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1064

Abstract

The comprehensive exploration and thorough understanding of the physicochemical characteristics of “Crystal” grapes in the Karst area of Southwest China can not only produce edible table grapes, but also offer significant theoretical backing for the management of rocky desertification in the Karst area and consequently generate enhanced social and ecological benefits. This study explored the regulatory effect of 1-MCP fumigation on the postharvest storage quality of "Crystal” grapes, aiming to provide some technical support for the development of the grape industry in the Karst mountainous areas. The results indicate that compared with the control group, both the 10.0 and 50.0 μL/L 1-MCP treatment groups effectively inhibited the increase in decay rate, browning rate, shedding rate, and color change of the grapes, significantly inhibited the enhancement of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD), and lipoxygenases (LOX) browning-related enzyme activities, improved the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of the fruits, hindered the decrease of ascorbic acid (AsA) and polyphenols, delayed the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and significantly postponed the peak period of polygalacturonase (PG) activity in the fruits and the degradation of protopectin to soluble pectin, thereby maintaining desirable texture characteristics. The utilization of 1-MCP for fruit fumigation yielded a heightened overall fragrance, thereby facilitating the emission of terpenes, alcohols, aldehydes, ketone aromatic compounds, and methyl aromatic substances within the fruit. Overall, both the M10 and M50 treatments are equally effective in preserving the storage quality of “Crystal” grapes. Under the condition of ensuring the excellent edible quality of crystal grapes, M2 can extend the shelf life of crystal grapes by about 5 days, and M10 and M50 can extend the storage period of crystal grapes by 10~15 days. Considering the cost, it is recommended that the industry employs a concentration of 10.0 μL/L of 1-MCP for “Crystal” grapes. Simultaneously, this study also provides theoretical support for the ecologically high-quality development of cultivated land in the Karst mountainous area of Guizhou and tree selection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Research on Adaptive Plants in Karst Ecosystems—Volume II)

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