Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Production: Physiology, Breeding and Sustainability

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Agroecology Innovation: Achieving System Resilience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 735

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Centro Académico Regional Oriente (CARO), Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Km. 6, Carretera Huatusco—Jalapa, en Huatusco, Veracruz 94100, Mexico
Interests: fruit quality; phytochemicals; genetics; sensorial analysis; Mesoamerican fruits
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Agrarias de Rosario (IICAR), Consejo Nacional de Insvestigaciones Científicas y Técncias (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Zavalla 2125, Argentina
Interests: tomato; banana; plant genetics and breeding; biostatistics; agrobioinformatics; big data in agriculture; ogm and NBT regulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, University of Almería, ceiA3, 04120 Almería, Spain
Interests: mediterranean and subtropical fruit crops; pollination; pollen–pistil interaction; fruit set and thinning; fruit crop physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advances in tropical and subtropical fruit production influence our consumption of food containing vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, all of which improve human health. New and old systems of fruit production must consider sustainability in order to boost production without harming the environment. Thus, a large amount of new knowledge about the physiology, breeding, and orchard management of tropical and subtropical fruit is required. The molecular and phytochemical characterization of germplasms opens up the possibility of obtaining new varieties of fruit. The determination of phytochemicals and their changes postharvest, achievable through sensorial studies, are vital to promote the selling points of these fruits. Cultural practices that manipulate the transport of carbohydrates and minerals into the fruit to improve quality are also key to modern fruit production.

This Special Issue welcomes studies on the following areas:

  • The physiological and genetic aspects of fruit focused on to improve quality.
  • Techniques used in the orchard to reduce damage to the environment.
  • Phytochemicals and sensorial evaluations.
  • Molecular and morphological characterization of germplasms.
  • The application of biostimulants and growth regulators.

Dr. Juan Guillermo Cruz-Castillo
Dr. Guillermo Raúl Pratta
Prof. Dr. Julián Cuevas González
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biostimulants
  • sink
  • source
  • rootstocks
  • thinning
  • postharvest
  • phenols
  • gens

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 3321 KB  
Article
Parental Origin Influences Seed Quality and Seedling Establishment in Kiwifruit Cultivars
by Edgar Manuel Bovio-Zenteno, Benito Hernández-Castellanos, Alejandro Antonio Castro-Luna, Norma Flores-Estévez, Juan Guillermo Cruz-Castillo and Juan Carlos Noa-Carrazana
Agronomy 2025, 15(9), 2201; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15092201 - 16 Sep 2025
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Abstract
Kiwifruit (Actinidia Lindl.) cultivation is restricted to climates similar to its native habitat in China. The seeds, a product of sexual reproduction, are used to produce rootstocks in commercial plantations, being an important source of genetic diversity for adaptation to variable conditions [...] Read more.
Kiwifruit (Actinidia Lindl.) cultivation is restricted to climates similar to its native habitat in China. The seeds, a product of sexual reproduction, are used to produce rootstocks in commercial plantations, being an important source of genetic diversity for adaptation to variable conditions and emerging challenges. It is known that obtaining kiwifruit plants from seeds is difficult due to their characteristic dormancy. However, the effect of habitat and parents on seed characteristics and their relationship to the seedlings produced is unknown. Here, we show that plants with tolerance to extreme conditions provide advantages to their offspring. We point out that Actinidia arguta cv. Passion Poppers (kiwiberry), capable of tolerating extreme temperatures below zero, has a larger seed size (volume over 15 mm3) and weight (100 seeds weigh nearly 200 mg), greater germination capacity (90.75 ± 1.03), and more robust seedlings (quotient of 20.28 ± 0.75) than classic green and golden kiwifruits, and one tropicalized commercial kiwifruit from Veracruz, Mexico. These findings highlight that parental origin influences seed quality and seedling establishment. We noted that A. arguta seeds offer opportunities for mass plant propagation. In addition, the use of parental plants adapted to extreme conditions could be an effective strategy to improve seed and seedling quality, with factors such as long-term survival and development in new environments awaiting to be explored in extent. Full article
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