Announcements

We are thrilled to share the updated Exceptional Reviewers List 2024. This program was designed to recognize and honor scholars who have delivered consistently exceptional review reports to our journal. Committed to fostering rigorous research and promoting knowledge exchange, Horticulturae (ISSN: 2311-7524) recognizes the significant role our reviewers play in maintaining the quality and integrity of the articles we publish. According to surveys conducted in 2023, 91% of our authors rate the peer review as good or excellent, thanks to our pool of excellent reviewers.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the reviewers who have generously volunteered their time and expertise to assist in Horticulturae’s peer-review process. Their dedication and attention to detail in evaluating manuscripts, offering valuable feedback, and contributing to academic rigor are truly commendable.

The Exceptional Reviewers List was introduced in November 2024. Each quarter, we will be selecting a group of outstanding reviewers and introduce them here.

Q3:

Name: Dr. Tomislav Kos
Affiliation: Department for Ecology, Agronomy and Aquaculture, University of Zadar, Croatia
Interests: insecticide resistance; crop management; entomology; olive fruit; pest management
“My experience of reviewing and publishing papers in the journal Horticulturae has been exclusively positive. In addition to the fact that the communication by the technical editors is fast, it is also of particular importance that the author's feedback is correct because all those who decide to publish in the journal have adopted high criteria of professionalism in the preparation of papers.”

Name: Prof. Dr. Julián Cuevas
Affiliation: Department of Agronomy, University of Almería, Spain
Interests: mediterranean and subtropical fruit crops; pollination, pollen–pistil interaction, fruit set and thinning; fruit crop physiology
“I often serve as a reviewer of papers submitted to different journals. I do this, despite the time it takes to perform such tasks, not only because I believe it is my duty as a researcher, but because it is a way to return the time other colleagues spend reviewing my submissions. I also review papers because I learn a lot when reading about the recent developments in the fields that I specialize in. I am not confident about my writing skills, but as an avid reader, I am good at reading. I hope my colleagues find my corrections and suggestions useful and that they improve the final version of the submissions. In the future, I expect the demand for reviewers to level out.”

Name: Dr. Mirjana Ljubojević
Affiliation: Department of fruit growing, viticulture, horticulture and landscape architecture, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: breeding; invasive alien species; green solutions; fruit species; rootstock breeding; genetic resources; abiotic stress; biotic stress; urban gardening; food safety; fruit production; sustainable practices; circular economy; urban green; hydrogel
“Reviewing for a high-rank journal such as Horticulturae has been an enriching experience, allowing me to contribute to advancing research while staying updated on state-of-the-art progress in my field.”

Name: Dr. Georgios Liakopoulos
Affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Morphology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece
Interests: photosynthesis and photoprotection under stress; plant tissue optics; role of secondary metabolites in plant stress tolerance
“Thank you for offering an open, efficient, and user-friendly platform for authors and reviewers, facilitating the dissemination of results while promoting scientific advancement and transparency.”

Name: Dr. Wojciech Litwińczuk
Affiliation: Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Land Management and Environmental Protection, University of Rzeszow, Poland
Interests: micropropagation; interspecific hybrids; multipurpose woody plants; somaclonal variation

Q4:

Name: Dr. Thomas E. Marler
Affiliation: Western Pacific Tropical Research Center, University of Guam, USA
Interests: abiotic stress; biodiversity; neglected and underutilized plant species; whole plant physiology

Name: Dr. Martin Raspor
Affiliation: Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: abiotic stress; bioremediation; plant hormones; plant–microbe interactions; plant nutrition; rhizosphere; root development; shoot organogenesis; shoot regeneration; trace elements
“Horticulturae is a journal in which I have published and will publish my research. As a peer reviewer, I strive to help the journal preserve its scientific integrity and the adherence to its scope.”

Name: Prof. Dr. João Everthon da Silva Ribeiro
Affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Crop Science (PPGFITO), Federal Rural University of the Semi-arid Region (UFERSA), Brazil
Interests: plant physiology; ecophysiology; physiology of crop production; plant abiotic stress; salt stress
“Being a reviewer is an opportunity to advance science, exchange knowledge, and engage with excellent research. It’s an enriching experience that strengthens my commitment to the journal.”

Name: Dr. Humberto Fabio Causin
Affiliation: Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental (DBBE), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Interests: plant physiology; abiotic stress; plant metabolism; oxidative stress; seed germination

Name: Dr. Juozas Labokas
Affiliation: Laboratory of Economic Botany, Nature Research Centre, Lithuania
Interests: in situ conservation of crop wild relatives; medicinal and aromatic plant genetic resources; biological diversity of essential oil-bearing plants and berries in forest ecosystems

Name: Dr. Chan Saem Gil
Affiliation: Department of Horticulture, Kongju National University, Republic of Korea
Interests: propagation; environmental control; light-emitting diodes; cutting propagation; plant growth regulator; tissue culture; smart farm; flowering
“Horticulturae (MDPI) has a short history but includes excellent research and articles. I believe this journal will continue to grow and contribute to the development of related industries.”

Name: Dr. Carmen Feller
Affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), Germany
Interests: soil science; fertilizers; environmental science; sustainable agriculture; soil fertility; organic farming; environmental impact assessment; plant physiology; plant nutrition

Name: Prof. Dr. Xiaotao Ding
Affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Protected Horticultural Technology, Horticultural Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China
Interests: greenhouse; plant factory; soil-less culture; artificial light; climate control; plant physiology

Name: Prof. Dr. Junpei Zhang
Affiliation: Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, China
Interests: Juglans; nut crops; genetics and breeding; cultivation