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Horticulturae
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Improvement of Resistance Strategies for Horticultural Plant Cultivation
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Improvement of Resistance Strategies for Horticultural Plant Cultivation

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Vegetable Production Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 3880

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nanshan Du

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Interests: plant growth promoting rhizobacteria; biological control (biocontrol of plant pathogens); abiotic stress tolerance; plant physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Horticultural plant cultivation is a cornerstone of agricultural production, vital for ensuring a stable supply of fresh produce and enhancing farmers’ incomes. However, conventional cultivation practices often involve the excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers, along with inefficient management approaches, leading to emerging challenges such as soil-borne diseases, secondary salinization, autotoxicity, and other obstacles associated with continuous cropping. These issues increasingly threaten the sustainability of horticultural plant production systems. It is, therefore, essential to develop innovative, green, and efficient strategies that enhance stress resistance in horticultural plants.

This Special Issue, entitled “Improvement of Resistance Strategies for Horticultural Plant Cultivation”, will integrate fundamental research with practical solutions to advance sustainable horticultural plant production. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Investigating the mechanisms underlying root–rhizosphere interactions and their role in improving stress resilience;
  • Applying plant growth regulators, grafting techniques, and other methods to enhance crop resistance, yield, and nutrient uptake.

We invite you to contribute original research and insights. Your submissions will help us to share valuable knowledge with both the academic community and the wider industry.

Dr. Nanshan Du
Guest Editor

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. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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.

Keywords

  • environmental response
  • plant growth promoting rhizobacteria
  • biological control (biocontrol of plant pathogens)
  • abiotic stress tolerance
  • plant physiology

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 14285 KB  
Article
Exogenous 2-(3,4-Dichlorophenoxy) Trimethylamine (DCPTA) Alleviates Copper Toxicity in Cucumber Seedlings via Coordinated Regulation of Root Architecture, Cell Wall Composition, and Nitrogen Metabolism
by Yang Li, Mengwei Huang, Yuxin Chen, Ruohan Jin, Dandan Cui, Juanqi Li and Shengli Li
Horticulturae 2026, 12(5), 549; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12050549 - 29 Apr 2026
Viewed by 1260
Abstract
The toxicity of copper (Cu) severely affects the growth and physiological metabolism of plants. 2-(3,4-Dichlorophenoxy) triethylamine (DCPTA) is a plant growth regulator known to enhance plant tolerance to various abiotic stresses; however, its specific role in mitigating Cu toxicity via cell wall modulation [...] Read more.
The toxicity of copper (Cu) severely affects the growth and physiological metabolism of plants. 2-(3,4-Dichlorophenoxy) triethylamine (DCPTA) is a plant growth regulator known to enhance plant tolerance to various abiotic stresses; however, its specific role in mitigating Cu toxicity via cell wall modulation and nitrogen metabolism remains unclear. “Zhongnong 26” (Cucumis sativus L.) seedlings were subjected to a randomized block design with four treatments: control (CK), 0.25 mg/L DCPTA, 50 μM Cu, and 50 μM Cu + 0.25 mg/L DCPTA, with three biological replicates per treatment. The results indicated that DCPTA application significantly alleviated Cu-induced growth inhibition. Specifically, DCPTA improved root system architecture by markedly increasing total root length (68.8%), surface area (68.7%), and the number and length of secondary lateral roots (69.6%, 173.2%). Furthermore, DCPTA enhanced the biosynthesis of cell wall polysaccharides—including pectin (24.3%), hemicellulose 1 (22.4%), hemicellulose 2 (23.7%) and cellulose (33.1%) in roots. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis revealed that DCPTA modified functional groups (e.g., –OH, –COOH) within the cell wall, enhancing their metal-chelating capacity. Consequently, DCPTA promoted the immobilization of Cu in the root cell wall fractions (particularly pectin and HC2) and shifted Cu into less toxic, pectate- and protein-bound forms, thereby reducing its translocation to leaves. Additionally, DCPTA restored the activities of key nitrogen metabolism enzymes in leaves and roots. Compared with Cu treatment alone, nitrate reductase (NR) activity increased by 77.7% and 90.6%, while glutamine synthetase (GS) activity remained stable, and glutamate synthase (GOGAT) activity increased by 10.3% and 71.3% in leaves and roots, respectively. In conclusion, DCPTA enhances copper sequestration in roots by coordinating the regulation of root structure and cell wall strengthening (with an increase in pectin and hemicellulose content). This is crucial for protecting the nitrogen metabolism within the cells (including the enzymes that drive the nitrate–ammonium reduction pathway) to maintain metabolic balance under Cu stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improvement of Resistance Strategies for Horticultural Plant Cultivation)
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23 pages, 10828 KB  
Article
Tomato Residue Retention Alters Soil Nutrient and Organic Acid Composition, Influencing the Rhizosphere Microbial Community and Metabolic Profile of Subsequent Crops
by Ting Sang, Dongyan Yang, Dan Wang and Huiwan Wang
Horticulturae 2026, 12(4), 480; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12040480 - 14 Apr 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 895
Abstract
To enhance the benefits and ecological safety of tomato residue retention, this study evaluated the regulatory effects of conventional ambient temperature retention (CR) and solar high-temperature retention (TR) on the initial soil environment and rhizosphere microecology of subsequent crops (continuous tomato and rotational [...] Read more.
To enhance the benefits and ecological safety of tomato residue retention, this study evaluated the regulatory effects of conventional ambient temperature retention (CR) and solar high-temperature retention (TR) on the initial soil environment and rhizosphere microecology of subsequent crops (continuous tomato and rotational cucumber). The results showed that CR promoted the accumulation of humic acid and increased the contents of phenolic acids and small-molecule organic acids in the soil. TR also increased small-molecule organic acids but primarily enriched fulvic acid, accompanied by higher concentrations of phenolic acids. Regarding microecological responses, CR enriched potential plant-growth-promoting bacteria (Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Lysobacter) in the rhizosphere, but it also increased the relative abundance of the potential pathogen Fusarium. In contrast, TR promoted the colonization of heat-tolerant beneficial biocontrol microbes (Bacillus, Chaetomium, Mycothermus), with no Fusarium enrichment observed. Redundancy analysis and Mantel tests revealed that the changes in soil nutrients and organic acid fractions induced by residue retention were correlated with the succession of the rhizosphere microbial community and the reconstruction of the metabolic profile. This study demonstrates that TR can effectively mitigate the risk of pathogen enrichment associated with ambient temperature retention, constructing a potentially disease-suppressive initial microecological environment for subsequent crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improvement of Resistance Strategies for Horticultural Plant Cultivation)
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19 pages, 4708 KB  
Article
Integrated Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal the Mechanism of Salt Acclimation-Induced Salinity Tolerance in Tomato Seedlings
by Nuo Fan, Ruiqing Li, Huixin Liu, Ke Zhang, Guan Pang, Xiaoying Liu, Lifei Yang, Jin Sun and Yu Wang
Horticulturae 2026, 12(2), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12020159 - 30 Jan 2026
Viewed by 494
Abstract
Although salt acclimation is a recognized strategy for improving crop salt tolerance, its specific role in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of salt acclimation on enhancing salt tolerance in tomato seedlings through physiological and transcriptomic analyses. [...] Read more.
Although salt acclimation is a recognized strategy for improving crop salt tolerance, its specific role in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of salt acclimation on enhancing salt tolerance in tomato seedlings through physiological and transcriptomic analyses. Here, we found that T3 acclimation treatment (irrigation with 14 mL of 7.5 g L−1 NaCl solution per plant) effectively conferred enhanced salt tolerance in tomato seedlings, with plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, and soluble protein content increasing by 4.52, 5.13, 3.16, 10.78, 11.85, and 25.96%, respectively, compared with the control. T3 treatment also reduced oxidative damage and ionic stress, as evidenced by reduced electrolyte leakage, lower malondialdehyde content, and a decreased root Na+/K+ ratio, while simultaneously boosting antioxidant enzyme activities. Membership function analysis confirmed T3 as the optimal treatment, with a 9 d duration consistently benefiting multiple cultivars. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that salt acclimation upregulated genes associated with phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, lignin catabolic process, and peroxidase activity, suggesting that these pathways might mediate acclimation-induced salt tolerance through promoting lignin biosynthesis to reduce Na+/K+ ratio and enhancing reactive oxygen species’ scavenging capacity to maintain cellular homeostasis. Our results indicate that tomato seedlings acclimated with 14 mL of 7.5 g L−1 NaCl solution per plant for 9 d significantly improves salt tolerance through coordinated physiological adjustments and transcriptional reprogramming. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improvement of Resistance Strategies for Horticultural Plant Cultivation)
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18 pages, 4398 KB  
Article
Physiological Response and Transcriptome Analysis of Waxy Near-Isogenic Lines in Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) Under Drought Stress
by Ronghua Wang, Shubin Wang, Zhizhong Zhao, Nianfang Xu, Qiaoyun Li, Zhigang Zhang and Shuantao Liu
Horticulturae 2025, 11(12), 1431; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11121431 - 26 Nov 2025
Viewed by 750
Abstract
To identify key genes involved in drought stress response among Chinese cabbage materials with different drought resistance, a pair of waxy near-isogenic lines (NILs) of Chinese cabbage were used as materials, and a 10% polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 solution was employed to simulate [...] Read more.
To identify key genes involved in drought stress response among Chinese cabbage materials with different drought resistance, a pair of waxy near-isogenic lines (NILs) of Chinese cabbage were used as materials, and a 10% polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 solution was employed to simulate drought stress. A comparative analysis of phenotypes, physiology, and transcriptomes under drought stress was conducted in this study. Compared with the non-waxy material T065-2, the waxy material T065-1 exhibited 5068, 5512, 5210, and 5875 significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at 0, 6, 12, and 24 h under drought stress, respectively. These DEGs were primarily enriched in “response to oxygen levels” and “secondary metabolite biosynthesis” biological processes and “biosynthesis of secondary metabolites” and “glucosinolate biosynthesis” pathways. Combined with gene function annotation, 26 genes related to the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway (e.g., PYL2, PYL6, SnRK2.5, and SnRK2.10), 63 genes associated with wax synthesis and transport (e.g., MAH1, CER3a, ABCG25, and LTPG1), and 84 transcription factor genes (e.g., ERF, WRKY, and MYB) were identified, all of which showed significant differential expression in the waxy NILs of Chinese cabbage, potentially participating in drought stress response. The reliability of the transcriptomic analysis was validated using qRT-PCR. These findings provide a crucial theoretical foundation for exploring drought-resistant molecular markers and editing targets in Chinese cabbage, significantly accelerating the breeding of superior drought-resistant varieties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improvement of Resistance Strategies for Horticultural Plant Cultivation)
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