Advances in Bioactive Compounds of Horticultural Plants

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Processed Horticultural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2025 | Viewed by 449

Special Issue Editors

Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Resources Protection and Innovation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
Interests: plant secondary metabolism; flavonoid; health-promoting; metabolic engineering
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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin’an, China
Interests: postharvest storage; processing and utilisation of economic forest products

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Resources Protection and Innovation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
Interests: peptide; antibacterial; antitumour and aeuroprotective active factors in bioactive compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin’an, China
Interests: aroma substance; post-harvest biology of agroforestry products

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Horticultural plants, which include a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamental species, are rich sources of plant bioactive compounds that have significant applications across multiple industries, such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food, and cosmetics. These bioactive compounds, encompassing bioactive compounds like polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, essential oils, and alkaloids, play crucial roles in both plant biology and human health.

The biosynthesis of bioactive compounds in horticultural plants is regulated by complex enzymatic pathways that are influenced by genetic, environmental, and developmental factors. Elucidating these pathways and their regulatory mechanisms is critical for enhancing the yield and quality of bioactive compounds. Moreover, advancements in bioengineering, including metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, have provided new opportunities to improve the sustainable production of valuable bioactive compounds.

We invite submissions of original research articles that address the need for a comprehensive understanding of bioactive compounds in horticultural plants. Additionally, we welcome comprehensive reviews that summarize recent progress and highlight future prospects in this field. By fostering collaboration among researchers from diverse disciplines, such as botany, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and chemical engineering, we aim to advance our knowledge and accelerate the development of innovative strategies for the sustainable production and utilization of plant-derived bioactive compounds.

Dr. Han Tao
Dr. Lili Song
Dr. Fei Gao
Dr. Zuying Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • bioactive compounds
  • metabolome analysis
  • health-promoting
  • antioxidant
  • biosynthesis
  • regulation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 2649 KiB  
Article
Electrophysiological Mechanism and Identification of Effective Compounds of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) Shoot Volatiles Against Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
by Jiawei Ma, Ye Tian, Xuli Liu, Shengyou Fang, Chong Sun, Junliang Yin, Yongxing Zhu and Yiqing Liu
Horticulturae 2025, 11(5), 490; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11050490 - 30 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphidinae), a major pest of Chinese pepper (Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim), causes significant agricultural damage. Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) has shown potential as a source for developing botanical pesticides due to its strong bacteriostatic [...] Read more.
Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphidinae), a major pest of Chinese pepper (Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim), causes significant agricultural damage. Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) has shown potential as a source for developing botanical pesticides due to its strong bacteriostatic and insecticidal properties; however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the repellent activity of ginger shoot extract (GSE) across four solvent phases—petroleum ether, trichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and methanol—against A. gossypii. The results demonstrated that GSE exhibited significant repellent effects, with the methanol phase showing the most pronounced activity. Twelve fractions were chromatographically separated from the methanol phase, and electroantennography (EAG) analysis revealed that fraction 4 induced strong EAG responses in both winged and wingless aphids. Further identification of active compounds in fraction 4 by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) indicated the presence of terpenes, aromatics, alkanes, esters, and phenols as major constituents. Subsequent EAG analysis identified several key compounds—octahydro-pentalene (C1), (Z)-cyclooctene (C2), dimethylstyrene (C3), tetramethyl-heptadecane (C5), tetrahydro-naphthalene (C6), and heptacosane (C9)—as responsible for eliciting EAG responses in both aphid forms. Additionally, results from Y-tube olfactometer assays showed that (Z)-cyclooctene and heptacosane were significantly attractive, while octahydro-pentalene acted as a strong repellent to both winged and wingless aphids. These findings offer valuable insights for the development of synthetic attractants and repellents for A. gossypii and provide a theoretical foundation for utilizing ginger in the creation of botanical pesticides targeting this pest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioactive Compounds of Horticultural Plants)
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