Agricultural Innovation in Sustainable and Organic Vegetable Crops Production

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2025 | Viewed by 8261

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38410-337, Brazil
Interests: plant development; fertilizer; genetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Monte Carmelo 38500-000, Brazil
Interests: vegetable breeding; biotic stress in vegetables; abiotic stress in vegetables
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Developing innovative processes is essential for achieving technological advancements in conventional agriculture sectors. Given the consequences of natural phenomena, especially in relation to the climate, it is crucial that we search for new alternatives to mitigate these effects in vegetable cultivation. Sustainable production has potential across different farming systems and is especially relevant in organic production. Sustainable vegetable production involves very complex cultivation systems; thus, for this Special Issue, we seek new insights and approaches to innovation in this sector.

Topics of interest include the following:

1. Strategies to mitigate water waste in vegetable crops;

2. Natural resources and vegetable biodiversity for the development of family farming;

3. Solutions for the development of organic systems;

4. New insights into sustainable farming systems for vegetables;

5. Genetic improvement for sustainable vegetable production.

Dr. Jose Magno Queiroz Luz
Prof. Dr. Gabriel M. Maciel
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • vegetables
  • breeding
  • organic
  • sustainable farming
  • genetic improvement
  • cultivation
  • vegetable nutrition

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 3803 KB  
Article
Comparative Drought Response of Solanum melongena, S. macrocarpon, S. dasyphyllum, and S. melongena × S. dasyphyllum Interspecific Hybrids
by Konstantinos Krommydas, Eleni Papa, Panagiota Gaitani, Anastasia Papadopoulou, Ifigeneia Mellidou, Elisavet Bouloumpasi and Kalliopi I. Kadoglidou
Agronomy 2025, 15(11), 2516; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15112516 - 29 Oct 2025
Viewed by 590
Abstract
Drought stress is a major constraint in eggplant cultivation, limiting growth, physiological performance and yield. Solanum relatives may provide alleles for improving drought tolerance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the responses of cultivated, wild and interspecific eggplant genotypes under water [...] Read more.
Drought stress is a major constraint in eggplant cultivation, limiting growth, physiological performance and yield. Solanum relatives may provide alleles for improving drought tolerance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the responses of cultivated, wild and interspecific eggplant genotypes under water stress to identify drought-tolerant genotypes. Four-week-old plants of three Greek eggplant cultivars—S. macrocarpon (cultivated), S. dasyphyllum (wild), and three S. melongena × S. dasyphyllum hybrids—were grown under full and deficit irrigation and assessed for 10 agronomic and 7 physiological traits. Genotype, irrigation level and their interaction significantly affected most traits. Eggplant showed greater sensitivity under water stress with reductions in 9 agronomical traits, such as leaf number (12.9–15.8%), plant height (15.4–25.1%), LAI (47.7–55.4%), root (32.1–46.6%) and plant biomass (31.4–38.6%). S. dasyphyllum and S. macrocarpon maintained relative growth and physiological stability through different mechanisms, indicating enhanced drought tolerance. S. dasyphyllum exhibited reduction only in leaf number (11.5%), plant height (17.8) and LAI (23.9%), while S. macrocarpon exhibited reduction only in leaf length (18.1%) and LAI (55.0%). Interspecific hybrids displayed intermediate responses and heterosis under control (−22.2 to 66.6%) and stress (−29.8 to 81.5%) conditions. These findings support the use of wild or cultivated germplasm in breeding drought-resilient eggplant cultivars and rootstocks and enhancing crop sustainability. Full article
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15 pages, 1186 KB  
Article
Effects of Biodegradable Mulch Films with Different Thicknesses on the Quality of Watermelon Under Protected Cultivation
by Haikang Zhao, Xidong Wang, Penghui Jin, Jihua Zhou, Yan Wang, Wentao Dong, Huiqing Ren, Bingru Li and Wenwen Gong
Agronomy 2025, 15(10), 2336; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15102336 - 4 Oct 2025
Viewed by 781
Abstract
Biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional polyethylene (PE) films in modern horticulture, yet the effect of film thickness on crop performance remains inadequately understood. In this study, a two-year field experiment (2023–2024) under protected cultivation was conducted [...] Read more.
Biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional polyethylene (PE) films in modern horticulture, yet the effect of film thickness on crop performance remains inadequately understood. In this study, a two-year field experiment (2023–2024) under protected cultivation was conducted to evaluate BDMs with thicknesses (0.006, 0.008, and 0.010 mm) for watermelon production in Beijing, China. The results showed that all BDMs enhanced soil temperature and moisture compared to bare soil (main effect of mulching, p < 0.05) and significantly influenced soil available nitrogen (p < 0.05), while other soil properties were less affected. Year effects were generally not significant, reflecting the stable microclimatic conditions under hoop-house cultivation. Mechanical property assessments indicated substantial declines in tensile load, tensile strength, and elongation at break after field use, especially for thinner films. Notably, Bio-0.006 and Bio-0.008 significantly improved fruit weight and soluble sugar content relative to PE (p < 0.05), leading to higher yields and better commercial quality. These results suggested that appropriately thin BDMs can satisfy agronomic requirements for watermelon under protected cultivation while minimizing plastic residues, offering a practical basis for optimizing biodegradable film thickness to balance mulching performance, productivity, and environmental sustainability. Full article
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16 pages, 1443 KB  
Article
Organomineral Fertilizer in Planting of Potato Cultivars Ágata and Atlantic
by Mara Lúcia Martins Magela, José Magno Queiroz Luz, Regina Maria Quintão Lana, Rayssa Camargo de Oliveira, Luciana Nunes Gontijo, Rafael Resende Finzi, Gabriel Mascarenhas Maciel and Ana Carolina Silva Siquieroli
Agronomy 2025, 15(8), 1833; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081833 - 29 Jul 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 939
Abstract
Given the importance of potatoes in Brazilian agribusiness and the need to establish sustainable production systems, interest has increased in the implementation of more efficient fertilization methods for the cultivation. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the response of the [...] Read more.
Given the importance of potatoes in Brazilian agribusiness and the need to establish sustainable production systems, interest has increased in the implementation of more efficient fertilization methods for the cultivation. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the response of the cultivars Ágata and Atlantic to fertilization with a pelleted organomineral source in comparison to conventional fertilization performed with a mineral source. A causal block design was used with five treatments [100% of the recommendation for fertilization with mineral sources 03-35-06; and 100%, 80%, 60%, and 40% of the recommended dose with organomineral fertilizer (02-20-05)] in four replications, totaling 20 plots. The application of the organomineral in plant fertilization can be an interesting source of fertilizer for the cultivation of Ágata and Atlantic potatoes and can be applied with dose adjustments. For the cultivar Ágata, the doses of 100% and 80% organomineral fertilizer together with mineral fertilization resulted in the highest total yields. The lower doses (60% and 40%) made it possible to obtain a higher percentage of special potatoes, considered to be of the highest commercial value, than 80% of the organomineral fertilizers and 100% mineral standard. For the Atlantic cultivar, the total yield responses to organomineral were like those obtained with exclusively mineral fertilization. These findings indicate that organomineral fertilizers can be used efficiently with adjusted doses, maintaining productivity and tuber quality while potentially reducing fertilizer input costs and environmental impacts, contributing to more sustainable potato cropping systems. Full article
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25 pages, 2728 KB  
Article
Large-Scale Plasma-Activated Water Reactor: The Differential Impact on the Growth of Tomato and Bell Pepper Plants in Nutrient-Rich and Nitrogen-Free Substrates
by Matías G. Ferreyra, Brenda Santamaría, María M. Caffaro, Carla Zilli, Alejandra Hernández, Brenda L. Fina, Karina B. Balestrasse and Leandro Prevosto
Agronomy 2025, 15(4), 829; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040829 - 27 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1689
Abstract
In this study, plasma-activated water (PAW) was generated using a large-volume (5 L) plasma reactor with a quasi-stationary, water-cathode glow-type discharge in atmospheric pressure air. Tap water was activated up to 75 min. PAW exhibited high concentrations of long-lived reactive nitrogen species (RNSs), [...] Read more.
In this study, plasma-activated water (PAW) was generated using a large-volume (5 L) plasma reactor with a quasi-stationary, water-cathode glow-type discharge in atmospheric pressure air. Tap water was activated up to 75 min. PAW exhibited high concentrations of long-lived reactive nitrogen species (RNSs), reaching 8 mM, which is between 4 and 26 times higher than those reported in previous studies. The reactor reached an RNS synthesis efficiency of 61 nmol/J and an RNS production rate of 526 μmol/min, both among the highest reported. PAW was evaluated on tomato and bell pepper. Seedling emergence was determined in a nutrient-free substrate. To assess plant growth, seedlings were transplanted into pots filled with either nitrogen-free or nutrient-rich substrate. PAW-irrigation significantly promoted seedling emergence and leaf expansion, especially in tomato plants. The plant growth-stimulating effects of PAW were more pronounced in nitrogen-free substrate: fresh weight of tomato and bell pepper increased up to 13.1-fold and 2.6-fold, respectively. In contrast, the effect on the nutrient-rich substrate was negligible. Tomato plants grown in the nitrogen-free substrate and irrigated with 75-min PAW reached a dry weight comparable to those grown in nutrient-rich substrate. PAW irrigation did not induce oxidative stress, as confirmed by malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and antioxidant enzyme activity. Full article
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Review

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27 pages, 1175 KB  
Review
Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequence Markers in Horticultural Crops: Current Status and Future Perspectives
by Krishnanand P. Kulkarni, Richmond K. Appiah, Umesh K. Reddy and Kalpalatha Melmaiee
Agronomy 2024, 14(11), 2598; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14112598 - 4 Nov 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3303
Abstract
DNA markers have broad applications, including marker-assisted selection (MAS) for breeding new cultivars. Currently, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have become a preferred choice of markers for molecular geneticists and breeders. They offer many advantages, such as high abundance and coverage in the genome, [...] Read more.
DNA markers have broad applications, including marker-assisted selection (MAS) for breeding new cultivars. Currently, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have become a preferred choice of markers for molecular geneticists and breeders. They offer many advantages, such as high abundance and coverage in the genome, codominant inheritance, locus specificity, and flexibility for high-throughput genotyping/detection formats, and they are relatively inexpensive. The availability of reference genome sequences enables precise identification of candidate genes and SNPs associated with a trait of interest through quantitative trait loci mapping and genome-wide association studies. Such SNPs can be converted into markers for their application in MAS in crop breeding programs. Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers amplify short genomic sequences around the polymorphic endonuclease restriction site. This review provides insight into the recent advancements made in the development and application of CAPS markers in several horticultural plants. We discussed many new tools that aid faster and more accurate design of CAPS markers from the whole genome resequencing data. The developed CAPS markers offer immense application in germplasm screening and field trials, genomic loci mapping, identifying candidate genes, and MAS of important horticultural traits such as disease resistance, fruit quality and morphology, and genetic purity. Full article
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