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Horticulturae, Volume 11, Issue 8 (August 2025) – 6 articles

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19 pages, 2392 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Peltate Glandular Trichomes in Relation to Their Parameters, Essential Oil Amount, Chemotype, Plant Sex and Habitat Characteristics in Thymus pulegioides

by Kristina Ložienė

Horticulturae 2025, 11(8), 871; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080871 - 24 Jul 2025

Abstract

The parameters and plant habitat characteristics of glandular trichomes could allow for faster and cheaper identification and selection of more essential oil-rich wild aromatic plants for further cultivation. This study aimed to establish relationships between the parameters of peltate glandular trichomes and essential oil content in commercially potential Thymus pulegioides in relation to plant sex, chemotype, and habitat characteristics. In total, 124 T. pulegioides plants belonging to different chemotypes and sexes and collected from 23 natural habitats were analysed. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation, and a light microscope was used to investigate parameters of peltate glandular trichomes in upper and lower leaf epidermises. For investigation of the dynamics of the parameters of peltate glandular trichomes, T. pulegioides were growing in open ground under the same environmental conditions. Results demonstrated that the essential oil percentage in phenolic chemotype plants was higher than in plants of a non-phenolic chemotype. Females and hermaphrodites did not significantly differ according to essential oil percentage. Cover abundance of T. pulegioides negatively affects the density and diameter of peltate glandular trichomes and the essential oil percentage in T. pulegioides. The parameters of peltate trichomes in the upper leaf epidermis could be anatomical markers, helping to select T. pulegioides with higher essential oil contents from natural habitats as promising candidates as new crops. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wild Plant Species as Potential Horticultural Crops: An Opportunity for Farmers and Consumers—2nd Edition)

20 pages, 2153 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Amaranth Microgreen Cultivation: Seeding Density, Substrate Type, Electrical Conductivity, and Application Interval of Nutrient Solutions

by Mairton Gomes da Silva, Hans Raj Gheyi, Izaiana dos Santos Barros, Edna de Souza Souza, Andressa dos Santos Rodrigues, Toshik Iarley da Silva, Luan Silva Sacramento and Glaucia Silva de Jesus Pereira

Horticulturae 2025, 11(8), 870; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080870 - 24 Jul 2025

Abstract

The present study aimed to optimize amaranth microgreen production by evaluating key factors such as the seeding density (SD), substrate type (ST), electrical conductivity (EC), and the application intervals of the nutrient solution. A split-plot experimental design was employed, with three EC levels (tap water at 0.3 dS m⁻¹) and nutrient solutions at 1.0 (50% half-strength) and 2.0 dS m⁻¹ (100% full-strength) assigned to the main plots. The subplots combined two ST (coconut fiber and phenolic foam) with four SD (25, 50, 75, and 100 g m⁻²). Two experiments were conducted using this setup, varying the application intervals of water or nutrient solutions for either two or four hours. Asteca amaranth microgreens were cultivated for eight days (a total of 10 days from sowing). The traits analyzed were seedling height (SH), seedling fresh matter (SFM), SFM yield (SFMY), seedling dry matter (SDM), SDM yield (SDMY), water content in seedling, and water productivity of SFM. The results showed that using a half-strength nutrient solution was sufficient for amaranth production compared to using water alone. Coconut fiber outperformed phenolic foam across all evaluated parameters. Based on these findings, we recommend cultivating amaranth microgreens at a SD of 80 g m⁻² on coconut fiber substrate using a nutrient solution of 1.0 dS m⁻¹ EC applied at 2 h intervals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production and Cultivation of Microgreens)

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17 pages, 3346 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phytoconstituent Detection, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Potentials of Moringa oleifera Lam. Hexane Extract Against Selected WHO ESKAPE Pathogens

by Kokoette Bassey and Malebelo Mabowe

Horticulturae 2025, 11(8), 869; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080869 - 23 Jul 2025

Abstract

The holistic use of Moringa oleifera Lam. seeds is not as popular amongst rural South Africans. This study screened for the phytochemicals, antimicrobial, and antioxidant potentials as well identifying the compounds in the oils of South African Moringa seed oils using cost-effective thin layer chromatography bioautography and dot blot assays, because fewer studies have been conducted using seed samples from this country. The results obtained indicated that the best oil extract yield (24.04%) was obtained for hexane from 60.10 g of powdered seeds. The yield of the other extracts ranged from 6.2 to 9.5%. Positive test results were obtained for terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, and tannins, with potentially good antioxidant properties for scavenging free radicals from 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and good antimicrobial activity against Acinetobacter baumannii (BAA 747), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 27853), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), with the best zone of inhibition of 314.2 mm² obtained for oil extracted with hexane, followed by dichloromethane, methanol, and acetone oil extracts, respectively. The best minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.032 mg/mL against P. aeruginosa was recorded for the hexane oil, compared with ciprofloxacin, which had an MIC of 0.0039 mg/mL against the same pathogen. The identification of the in-oil compounds proposed to mitigate inhibitory activity against the test microbes was carried out through GC-MS analysis matching our results with the GC-MS library. These compounds included ursane-3,16-diol, azetidin-2-one, 1-benzyl-4à-methyl, dibutyl phthalate, 4-methyl-2,4-bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)pent-1-ene, 1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione, 3-ethyl-4-methyl, octopamine rhodoxanthin, 29,30-dinorgammacerane-3,22-diol, 21,21-dimethy, cholan-24-oic acid, 3,7-dioxo, and benzyl alcohol. These are in addition to the stability-indicating marker compounds like oleic acid (54.9%), 9-Octadecenoic acid (z)-, methyl ester (23.3%), n-hexadecanoic acid (9.68%), among others observed over a five year period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization of Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal Plants)

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28 pages, 2855 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Postharvest Quality of Granny Smith Apples: Interplay of Harvest Stage, Storage Duration, and Shelf-Life

by Ana Sredojevic, Dragan Radivojevic, Steva M. Levic, Milica Fotiric Aksic, Jasminka Milivojevic, Milena Djordjevic, Slavica Spasojevic and Ilija Djekic

Horticulturae 2025, 11(8), 868; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080868 - 23 Jul 2025

Abstract

Apples are the most widely consumed temperate fruit worldwide and are often stored for long-term to ensure year-round availability. However, maintaining fruit quality during storage and subsequent shelf-life remain a significant postharvest challenge. This study investigated the combined effects of the harvest stage, cold storage duration, and shelf-life on the physico-chemical properties of Granny Smith apples. Key quality attributes including texture, maturity indices, color, and starch degradation were evaluated using instrumental methods and Raman microscopy. Fruit quality was affected differently by individual factors and their interactions. Texture parameters showed varied sensitivity: the harvest stage affected several parameters, storage duration had the strongest overall impact, shelf-life influenced a moderate number of parameters, and some were affected by combined factor interactions. Maturity indices were significantly influenced by all factors individually and combined. Color parameters were consistently affected by harvest stage and storage, with shelf-life and interactions influencing fewer parameters. These findings emphasize the complex interplay of factors shaping apple quality after harvest. The study demonstrates the importance of timing harvest and tailoring postharvest handling to maintain apple quality. It also demonstrates the potential of combining traditional and advanced techniques for effective ripeness monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advancements in Postharvest Fruit Quality and Physiological Mechanism: 2nd Edition)

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13 pages, 474 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Testing a Depletion Nutrient Supply Strategy to Improve the Fertilization Management of “Cipollotto Nocerino” Spring Onion: Effect on Produce Yield and Quality Attributes

by Alessandro Natalini, Maria Concili, Sonia Cacini, Enrica De Falco and Daniele Massa

Horticulturae 2025, 11(8), 867; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080867 - 22 Jul 2025

Abstract

Background: Conventional practices for the cultivation of “Cipollotto Nocerino” spring onion are mainly based on growers’ experience, and up to 250 kg/ha for N is commonly furnished among growing cycles. Facing the issue of reduced availability of natural resources for crop production (for example mineral resources), we investigated the optimization of the productivity. Methods: In our research, we tested the use of depletion nutrient supply strategy (CAL-FERT^®) to enhance fertilization in accordance with the principle of sustainable agriculture included in the Farm to Fork strategy. In our study, besides the common initial fertilization, three different strategies for cover fertilizations have been elaborated with the support of CAL-FERT^® software. The treatments were as follows: (i) commercial standard fertilization as control (named CF); (ii) fertilization equivalent to 50% of the N applied in the control (named F-50); (iii) fertilization corresponding to 25% of the N applied in the control (named F-25); and (iv) strongly reduced fertilization compared to the control (named F-0). The parameters investigated included the following: plant height, yield, SPAD index, nitrogen use efficiency, dry matter, soluble solid content, and pyruvate contents in bulbs and leaves. Nitrogen content was also analyzed for both hypogeous and epigeous apparatuses. Results: Among the most interesting vegetative results, plant height and SPAD readings were reduced only by the extreme treatment F-0 compared with the other treatments at 104 days after planting. Regarding qualitative and productive parameters, the treatments F-50 and F-25 showed the highest yield without prejudging Soluble Solid Content and reducing pungency. Conclusion: In nutritional experiments, onion could be considered as a crop model to investigate quality in vegetables due to its consumption as fresh product and for its particular response, in terms of yield and quality, to fertilization. The use of simulation software can support the identification of strategies to reduce the nutrient supply without any detrimental effect on yield and other vegetative and qualitative parameters in onion crops. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Productivity and Quality of Vegetable Crops under Climate Change)

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25 pages, 4261 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Mulching and Planting Density on Agronomic and Economic Traits of Melissa officinalis L.

by Stefan V. Gordanić, Dragoja Radanović, Miloš Rajković, Milan Lukić, Ana Dragumilo, Snežana Mrđan, Petar Batinić, Natalija Čutović, Sara Mikić, Željana Prijić and Tatjana Marković

Horticulturae 2025, 11(8), 866; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080866 - 22 Jul 2025

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Abstract

Melissa officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) is a perennial plant species widely used in the pharmaceutical and food industries, particularly valued for its sedative properties. This study investigates the impact of synthetic mulch film and planting density as two experimental factors on agronomic performance, raw material quality, and economic efficiency in lemon balm production. The experiment was conducted at three locations in Serbia (L1: Bačko Novo Selo, L2: Bavanište, L3: Vilandrica) from 2022 to 2024, using two planting densities on synthetic mulch film (F1: 8.3 plants m⁻²; F2: 11.4 plants m⁻²) and a control treatment without mulch (C). The synthetic mulch film used was a synthetic black polypropylene film (Agritela Black, 90 g/m²), uniformly applied in strips across the cultivation area, covering approximately 78% of the soil surface. The results showed consistent increases in morphological parameters and yield across the years. Plant height in F1 and F2 treatments ranged from 65 to 75 cm, while in the control it reached up to 50 cm (2022–2024). Fresh biomass yield varied from 13.4 g per plant (C) to 378.08 g per plant (F2), and dry biomass yield from 60.3 g (C) to 125.4 g (F2). The highest essential oil content was observed in F2 (1.2% in 2022), while the control remained at 0.8%. The F2 treatment achieved complete weed suppression throughout the experiment without the use of herbicides, demonstrating both agronomic and ecological advantages. Economic evaluation revealed that F2 generated the highest cumulative profit (€142,164.5) compared to the control (€65,555.3). Despite higher initial investment, F2 had the most favorable cost–benefit ratio in the long term. This study highlights the crucial influence of mulching and planting density on optimizing lemon balm production across diverse climatic and soil conditions, while also underscoring the importance of sustainable, non-chemical weed management strategies in lemon balm cultivation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conventional and Organic Weed Management in Horticultural Production)

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