Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Luigi De Bellis, we wish to acknowledge our reviewers who so generously offer their time to review the papers submitted to Horticulturae by presenting an award to the reviewers who have demonstrated their dedication, professionalism, and timeliness in reviewing manuscripts for Horticulturae.

What are the pre-requisites to be eligible for this award?
– All of the reviewers for Horticulturae in 2023 will be automatically included.

Selection Criteria:
– Number of review reports;
– The quality and timeliness of review reports.

What will the winners receive?
There will be two winners this year, and each will receive the following:
– CHF 500;
– An opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in Horticulturae in 2024 after peer review;
– A certificate.

When will the winners be announced?
– The winners will be announced in March 2024 on the journal website.

How can I make myself eligible?
– If you have not yet reviewed papers for Horticulturae but would like to do so, you can register as a reviewer at the following link: https://susy.mdpi.com/volunteer/profile/edit.

Kind regards,
Horticulturae Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

The journal Horticulturae is inviting applications for the 2023 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize will be awarded to a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential. The applications will be assessed by an evaluation committee led by the Editorin-Chief, Prof. Dr. Luigi De Bellis.

Eligibility and Requirements:
– The candidate must be a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential;
– The PhD thesis must be their original work;
– The PhD thesis must be defended in 2023.

Required Application Documents:
– An executive summary of the PhD thesis in English of around 3000 words;
– A letter from the PhD supervisor recommending the candidate for consideration for this award;
– The candidate’s CV, including a list of publications connected with the thesis;
– An electronic copy of the PhD thesis;
– A scanned copy of the PhD diploma (or certificate of studying at a school or research institute as a PhD student going to graduate or participate in graduation thesis defenses).

Selection Criteria:
– Quality of resume and publications;
– Relevance of the candidate and research description;
– Novelty of the candidate’s PhD thesis;
– Strength of the recommendation letter;
– Anticipated academic potential;
– Originality and impact of the research.

Prizes:
– Bonus (CHF 500);
– Certificate;
– Offer to publish one paper free of charge in Horticulturae after peer review before the end of 2024.

The application deadline is 31 December 2023.

The winner will be announced on the Horticulturae website by the end of March 2024.

Kind regards,
Horticulturae Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

The editorial team would like to congratulate the winners of the Horticulturae 2023 Best Paper Award, who were chosen by a selection committee chaired by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Luigi De Bellis. Following a review process by the Award Evaluation Committee, three winners were selected.

Article: CHF 500 plus the offer to publish a paper free of charge after peer review in Horticulturae in 2023.

Application of Rosemary and Eucalyptus Essential Oils and Their Main Component on the Preservation of Apple and Pear Fruits
By Panayiota Xylia, Antonios Chrysargyris, Zienab F. R. Ahmed and Nikolaos Tzortzakis
Horticulturae 2021, 7(11), 479; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7110479

Combined Effect of Salinity and LED Lights on the Yield and Quality of Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) Microgreens
By Almudena Giménez, María del Carmen Martínez-Ballesta, Catalina Egea-Gilabert, Perla A. Gómez, Francisco Artés-Hernández, Giuseppina Pennisi, Francesco Orsini, Andrea Crepaldi and Juan A. Fernández
Horticulturae 2021, 7(7), 180; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7070180

Review: CHF 500 plus the offer to publish a paper free of charge after peer review.

Plant Tolerance to Drought Stress in the Presence of Supporting Bacteria and Fungi: An Efficient Strategy in Horticulture
By Agnieszka Hanaka, Ewa Ozimek, Emilia Reszczyńska, Jolanta Jaroszuk-Ściseł and Maria Stolarz
Horticulturae 2021, 7(10), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7100390

Please join us in congratulating the winners of Horticulturae 2023 Best Paper Award. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for your continued support.

Kind regards,
Horticulturae Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Horticulturae 2023 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Costanza Ceccanti.

Dr. Costanza Ceccanti is a researcher at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment at University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. Dr. Ceccanti’s primary research interest is food quality, aiming towards assessing the influence of pre- and post-harvest factors on the organoleptic, nutritional, and nutraceutical quality of fruits and vegetables. Recently, Dr Ceccanti has also been studying biochemical and physiological plant responses to abiotic stresses. Dr. Ceccanti received her PhD in 2020 and has an outstanding publication record, comprising 26 publications in peer-reviewed international journals. Ceccanti’s Scopus Scientific Citations number is 187 and her Hirsch index is 8. She is clearly a rising star in the field of agricultural chemistry, and this is an outstanding achievement in today’s competitive environment. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Costanza Ceccanti on her outstanding achievements.

As the awardee, Dr. Costanza Ceccanti will receive an honorarium of CHF 1500, an offer to publish a paper free of charge before 31 December 2023 in Horticulturae following peer review, and an electronic certificate.

We would like to thank all the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of the many excellent nominations.

Horticulturae 2023 Young Investigator Evaluation Committee

Kind regards,
Horticulturae Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Horticulturae 2022 Reviewer Award. The Horticulturae Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Horticulturae. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround are maintained.

Dr. Seiya Saito
United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, Parlier, USA
Research Interests: postharvest management; fungicide resistance; efficacy of fungicide

Dr. George D. Nanos
Department of Agricultural Crop production and rural development, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
Research Interests: precision agriculture; pomology; environmental stress physiology

The Prizes:
• CHF 500;
• An opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in Horticulturae in 2023 after peer review;
• A certificate.

Kind regards,
Horticulturae Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Horticulturae, it is my great pleasure to announce the winner of the 2022 Best PhD Thesis Award. This award is for a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential.

The award has been granted to:
“Elicitation Strategies in Preharvest to Increase Quality of Table Grape and Pomegranate Fruit at Harvest and During Storage” By María Emma García Pastor, Miguel Hernández University of Elche, Spain,
who will receive CHF 500, a certificate, and a chance to publish a paper free of charge after peer review in Horticulturae in 2023.

On behalf of the evaluation committee, I congratulate the winner on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the applicants for submitting their exceptional theses, and the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Prof. Dr. Luigi De Bellis
Editor-in-Chief, Horticulturae

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Horticulturae 2022 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Massimiliano Renna.

Dr. Massimiliano Renna is a researcher of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro at Bari, Italy. Dr. Renna’s research interests are in fundamental aspects of agro-biodiversity. These aspects include i) collecting and preserving memories and knowledge of biodiversity; ii) retrieving and identifying landraces within the territory; and iii) characterizing, cataloguing, and preserving them. Dr. Renna completed his PhD in 2013 and has an outstanding publication record, comprising 71 publications in peer-reviewed international journals. Dr. Renna’s Scopus Scientific Citations number is 1150, and his Hirsch index is 20. He is clearly a rising star in the field of agro-biodiversity conservation. As a single applicant, Dr. Renna has secured funding of more than 175,000 EUR since 2015. This is an outstanding achievement in today’s competitive environment. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Renna for his outstanding achievements.

As the awardee, Dr. Renna will receive an honorarium of CHF1500, an offer to publish a paper free of charge before 31 December 2022 in Horticulturae after peer review, and an engraved plaque.

We would like to thank all the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of the many excellent nominations.

Prof. Dr. Luigi De Bellis
Editor-in-Chief, Horticulturae

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Horticulturae 2022 Best Paper Award. All papers published from 1 January to 31 December 2020 in Horticulturae were considered for the award. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of the papers, citations, and downloads, the 3 winning papers, which were nominated by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Luigi De Bellis, have been selected:

Two Research Articles:
Salinity-Induced Physiological Responses of Three Putative Salt Tolerant Citrus Rootstocks (doi:10.3390/horticulturae6040090)
By Lamiaa M. Mahmoud, Manjul Dutt, Christopher I. Vincent and Jude W. Grosser
Horticulturae 2020, 6(4), 90

Quality, Yield, and Biomass Efficacy of Several Hydroponic Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Cultivars in Response to High Pressure Sodium Lights or Light Emitting Diodes for Greenhouse Supplemental Lighting (doi:10.3390/horticulturae6010007)
By Erica Hernandez, Michael B. Timmons and Neil S. Mattson
Horticulturae 2020, 6(1), 7

One Review Paper:
The Potential of Introduction of Asian Vegetables in Europe (doi:10.3390/horticulturae6030038)
By Jungha Hong and Nazim S. Gruda
Horticulturae 2020, 6(3), 38

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive CHF 500 and a chance to publish a paper in Horticulturae in 2022.

On behalf of the assessment committee, I would like to congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional papers for their contributions to Horticulturae and the Award Committee for voting and helping
with this award.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Luigi De Bellis, Horticulturae

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Horticulturae 2021 Outstanding Reviewer Award. The Horticulturae Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Horticulturae. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround is maintained.

Dr. Joshua D. Klein
Department of Agronomy and Natural Resources, Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization - The Volcani Center, Rishon LeZion, Israel
Interests: seed treatments; drought resistance; grain and vegetable crops; fruit trees; innovative sources for silage; plant growth regulators; abiotic stress resistance; rootstock–scion interactions; postharvest physiology; seed and seedling physiology; fruit and vegetable production and storage

Prof. Dr. Ana Cristina S Figueiredo
Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM Lisboa), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Centro de Biotecnologia Vegetal (CBV), Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: plant biotechnology; phytochemistry

Prof. Dr. Luigi De Bellis
Editor-in-Chief, Horticulturae

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Horticulturae, it is my great pleasure to announce the winner of the 2021 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize was designed to highlight the achievement of a doctor who has produced a highly anticipated academic potential thesis.

The award has been granted to:

“Effect of pre- and post-harvest treatments on quality, organoleptic and nutraceutical properties of wild edible plants” By Costanza Ceccanti, University of Pisa, Italy.

The winner will receive 800 CHF, a certificate, and a chance to publish a paper in Horticulturae in 2022.

On behalf of the evaluation committee, I would like to congratulate the winner on their accomplishments. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups for their contributions to Horticulturae and the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Prof. Dr. Luigi De Bellis
Editor-in-Chief, Horticulturae

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2021 Horticulturae Young Investigator Award is Dr. Luke Bell.

Dr. Bell’s research focuses on the genetic improvement of horticultural vegetable crops for quality traits, such as nutritional composition, postharvest longevity, and flavor. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of East Anglia, a master’s from the University of Warwick and has spent several years in industry as a plant breeder. His PhD and postdoctoral research at the University of Reading explored the chemical composition of salad rocket (also known as rucola or arugula) leaves and how compounds called glucosinolates influence taste and flavor perceptions of consumers. Since 2018, Luke has held a lectureship in Temperate Horticulture at the University of Reading and is developing his research group. He has received funding from the Wellcome Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council in the UK and, to date, has published 18 papers in areas such as food chemistry, plant genetics, and postharvest biology. His most notable work has been the development of the salad rocket genome and transcriptome, as well as the identification of flavor compounds linked to consumer liking and rejection of leaves.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Luke Bell on his award, and for his outstanding achievements. As the awardee, Dr. Luke Bell will receive an honorarium of CHF 1500 and an engraved trophy.

Kind regards,
Prof. Dr. Douglas D. Archbold
Editor-in-Chief, Horticulturae

Dear colleagues,

As the editor-in-chief of Horticulturae, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Horticulturae 2021 Best Paper Award.

The award has been granted to:

One Review

Recent Advances in Hormonal Regulation and Cross-Talk during Non-Climacteric Fruit Development and Ripening
By Lida Fuentes, Carlos R. Figueroa and Monika Valdenegro
Horticulturae 2019, 5(2), 45; doi: 10.3390/horticulturae5020045

One Research Article

Evaluation of Two Wild Populations of Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale (L.) Scop.) as a Potential Leafy Vegetable
By Marta Guarise, Gigliola Borgonovo, Angela Bassoli and Antonio Ferrante
Horticulturae 2019, 5(1), 13; doi: 10.3390/horticulturae5010013

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive 500 CHF and a chance to publish a paper in Horticulturae in 2021.

On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional papers for their contributions to Horticulturae, and thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with the award.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Douglas D. Archbold, Horticulturae

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Horticulturae, I am pleased to announce that the following two applicants have been selected as the winners of the Horticulturae 2021 Travel Award.

Dr. Jagveer Singh of the Punjab Agricultural University who will attend the IX International Scientific and Practical Conference on Biotechnology as an Instrument for Plant Biodiversity Conservation (physiological, biochemical, embryological, genetic and legal aspects) in Bangkok, Thailand, to present his work “Assessment of Morphogenetic Diversity in Identified Hybrids Retrieved for Phytophthora Tolerance in Citrus Rootstocks”.

Dr. Ibrar Hussain of the State University of Londrina who will attend the Global Conference on Agriculture and Horticulture in Paris, France, to present his work “Application Timing and Concentration of Abscisic Acid to Improve Color of New Hybrid ‘BRS Isis’ Table Grape in Double Cropping Pattern”.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the Assessment Committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments.

Prof. Dr. Douglas D. Archbold
Editor-in-Chief, Horticulturae
On behalf of the Horticulturae 2021 Travel Awards Evaluation Committee

The Horticulturae editorial team would like to congratulate the winners of the Horticulturae 2020 Best Paper Award, who were chosen by the journal award committee chaired by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Douglas D. Archbold.

The following paper has won the prize:

Article:
The Effect of Environment and Nutrients on Hydroponic Lettuce Yield, Quality, and Phytonutrients
Horticulturae 2018, 4(4), 48; doi: 10.3390/horticulturae4040048
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/4/4/48

The winners will receive 500 CHF, a certificate, and an offer to publish a paper free of charge in Horticulturae in 2021.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Horticulturae 2020 Best  Paper Award. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our authors for their continued support of Horticulturae.

Kind regards,
Horticulturae Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We were very happy to announce a new initiative by Horticulturae in 2018 of two Travel Awards for PhD students to attend a relevant conference in 2019. From the pool of eligible applications, applicants were ranked based on their CV and scholarly achievements, their research, the significance of the conference, and their career aspirations. Two applicants stood out amongst many highly accomplished candidates, and so it is a great pleasure for me to announce the worthy recipients of the inaugural Horticulturae Travel Awards:

Marta Arrizabalaga-Arriazu of the Universidad de Navarra, Spain, Faculty of Sciences, Plant Stress Physiology group, who will attend the 21st GiESCO International Meeting (Group of international Experts for Cooperation on Vitivinicultural Systems) in Thessaloniki, Greece, to present her work “The Influence of Climate Change Conditions (Elevated CO2 and Temperature) on the Grape Composition of Five Tempranillo (Vitis vinifera L.) Somatic Variants’.

Aminthia Pombo Sudré da Silva of the Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Brazil, who will attend the 17th EUCARPIA Meeting on Genetics and Breeding of Capsicum and Eggplant in Avignon, France, to present her work ‘Anatomical Changes in Capsicum annuum Leaves Due to Potentially Toxic Metals’.

Congratulations to the Award recipients, and thank you to all of the applicants.

Douglas D. Archbold
Editor-in-Chief