Biotechnological Applications in Horticulture and Vegetable Crops

Dear Colleagues,

Horticulture is an important and integral part of the economy that contributes significantly to the total agricultural production and covers several crops such as vegetables, fruits, flowers, tuber crops, spices, medicinal, and aromatic plants. The importance of horticulture can be substantiated by its benefits, such as providing variety, color, and flavor to the foods we eat; enriching our lives with many aesthetically appealing products; and helping to sustain a healthy environment. Classical breeding techniques are insufficient for the desired genetic improvement. Plant breeders in the past several decades have used inter-specific sexual hybridization to transfer genes between species. Sexual incompatibility barriers severely limit the possibilities for gene transfer between species. Genetic engineering can be used to add specific characteristics to existing cultivars. Modern biotechnological applications such as plant tissue culture (conservation and propagation of valuable, rare, and endangered plants), cell culture and tissue engineering (mass production of bioactive constituents via callus or suspension cultures), and genetic engineering (genome-editing techniques, cisgenesis/intragenesis) plays significant roles in contributing to the production and supply of improved quality. This Special Issue will offer an updated overview of biotechnological protocols in horticulture and will provide examples of successes that could be realized in agricultural biotechnology. The contributions will also introduce the scientific community to some of the exciting works available to improve quality in consideration of sustainability, for a future that includes more nutritious and healthy fruits and vegetables, as well as more fragrant and colorful flowers.

Dr. Nadia Ficcadenti
Dr. Sara Sestili
Dr. Annalisa Giovannini
Dr. Daniela Palma
Guest Editors

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• horticultural crops
• floriculture
• tissue culture
• genetic diversity
• molecular breeding
• plant breeding and genetics
• plant transformation
• genome editing
• cisgenesis
• root-targeted biotechnology
• molecular biotechnology of natural products