Improve the Quality of Horticultural Products in Controlled Environment

Dear Colleagues,

The quality of horticultural products is a significant consideration for customers and breeders as there is a growing demand for healthy horticultural crops. Environmental factors such as light, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, fertilizers, and fertigation conditions play important roles in regulating the quality of horticultural products. As a result, great progress in agriculture has been made in recent years in controlled environments. For example, plant factories with artificial light (PFALs) enable precise control of the factors mentioned above. Producing horticultural products with multiple goals, such as high levels of health-promoting phytochemicals, a good texture, and long shelf lives, is both possible and feasible. Therefore, studies in this area can advance practical production and aid in creating and implementing controlled-environment agriculture.

In this Special Issue, we would like to publish original research reports and critical reviews concerned with the quality of horticultural products that are affected by environmental factors. Topics might include, but are not limited to, the quality of horticultural products that are affected by microclimate adjustment (e.g., lighting, temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide), agronomic management (e.g., breeding, irrigation, and fertilization), application of new techniques (e.g., artificial intelligence, advanced materials, and novel design), and coupling of multiple pre-harvest factors. We will particularly consider manuscripts that deal with their underlying mechanisms.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Horticulturae.

Prof. Dr. Qichang Yang
Dr. Xiao Yang
Dr. Bin Liu
Dr. Jingjin Zhang
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Crops is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 1200 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.