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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Nutrient Dynamics in Horticultural Crops from Absorption to Quality
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Nutrient Dynamics in Horticultural Crops from Absorption to Quality

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 4205

Editors

Prof. Dr. Cleberton Correia Santos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Agricultural Science, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Road Dourados-Itahum Km 1, Dourados 79804-970, MS, Brazil
Interests: ecophysiology; seedlings; agricultural; stress plant; plant growth promoting bacteria; bioinputs; organic residues; agroecology; mineral nutrition; fertilizers; biofertilizers; seeds; propagation; fruits; agroforestry; plant physiology
Dr. Francisco Garcia-Sanchez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Nutrition, CEBAS-CSIC, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: biostimulants; plant nutrition; plant physiology; fertilizers; abiotic stress; horticultural crop
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainable use of mineral and/or organic fertilizers is key to good nutritional and physiological management of plants, which can directly influence seed germination, growth, development, and plant productivity. Thus, knowledge of nutrient dynamics in horticultural crops can contribute to obtaining better quality products for the market, in addition to promoting viable economic profitability for rural producers. Furthermore, in recent years, there has been an increase in studies on the positive effect of essential and beneficial elements in inducing plant tolerance to abiotic stresses and controlling pathogens and insect pests. Therefore, information on the role of mineral and organic elements, sources, doses, seasons, location, nutritional requirements, absorption mechanisms, transport, and use of nutrients is essential to add to horticultural management protocols in sustainable agriculture. This Special Issue is open to manuscripts describing an approach to nutrient dynamics that includes everything from absorption to their role in the harvest and quality of horticultural products. 

Prof. Dr. Cleberton Correia Santos
Dr. Francisco Garcia-Sanchez
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-anonymized 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 2400 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

  • plant physiology
  • plant nutrition
  • nutrient use efficiency
  • stress mitigation
  • nutritional management
  • sources of fertilizers
  • bioinputs
  • harvesting and post-harvest
  • sustainable use of fertilizers
  • green manure and organic residues

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1139 KB  
Article
Phosphate Fertilizer Sources and Doses Affect Yield and Nutritional Quality of Kale Under Organic Management
by Thatiane Nepomuceno Alves, Joseantonio Ribeiro de Carvalho, Ramón De Marchi Garcia, Vitor Augusto dos Santos Garcia, Santino Seabra Júnior and Antonio Ismael Inácio Cardoso
Horticulturae 2026, 12(5), 631; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12050631 - 19 May 2026
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Abstract
The search for a healthy diet has increased the consumption of kale, a vegetable recognized for its high nutritional value, mineral content, and antioxidant properties. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient in this context, acting in energy transfer and root development, which favors productivity [...] Read more.
The search for a healthy diet has increased the consumption of kale, a vegetable recognized for its high nutritional value, mineral content, and antioxidant properties. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient in this context, acting in energy transfer and root development, which favors productivity and product quality. This study evaluated the effect of two phosphorus sources, bone meal (BM) and thermophosphate Yoorin® (TY), and five phosphorus (P2O5) doses (0, 160, 320, 480, and 640 kg ha−1) on kale yield and quality. The experiment used a randomized complete block design with four replications and ten treatments in a 2 × 5 factorial arrangement in a protected environment over a cycle of 155 days after transplanting. Marketable yield with BM reached an estimated maximum of 1.54 kg plant−1 at 525 kg ha−1 P2O5 (54% over control), while TY showed a linear increase up to 1.57 kg plant−1 (59%). Photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid, and total phenolic compounds fitted quadratic models, with gains of up to 36%, 73%, 51%, and 57%, respectively. Contents of P, K, Ca, and Fe increased significantly with P doses, with Fe gains reaching 110–180%. Phosphate fertilization with BM, a renewable P source, increases kale yield and nutritional quality, highlighting its potential for organic farming systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrient Dynamics in Horticultural Crops from Absorption to Quality)
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26 pages, 5719 KB  
Article
Rootstock-Mediated Agronomic Biofortification of Citrus Fruits: Evidence from Mineral Nutrient Profiling
by Akshay, Radha Mohan Sharma, Narendra Singh, Nimisha Sharma, Om Prakash Awasthi, Shruti Sethi, Virendra Singh Rana, Shailendra Kumar Jha, Vinod Kumar Sharma, Mukesh Shivran, Hatkari Vittal, Abeer Ali and Anil Kumar Dubey
Horticulturae 2026, 12(5), 530; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12050530 - 24 Apr 2026
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Abstract
The influence of rootstocks on mineral nutrient composition in the edible tissue of citrus fruits has not been explored so far. This study assessed leaf and juice mineral nutrients of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) cultivars (‘Pusa Sharad’ and ‘Pusa Round’) [...] Read more.
The influence of rootstocks on mineral nutrient composition in the edible tissue of citrus fruits has not been explored so far. This study assessed leaf and juice mineral nutrients of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) cultivars (‘Pusa Sharad’ and ‘Pusa Round’) grafted onto different rootstocks (‘RLC-6’, ‘C-35’, ‘X-639’, ‘Yamma Mikan’, ‘Soh Sarkar’, ‘RLC-7’, and ‘Jatti Khatti’). Deviation from optimum percentage (DOP) index was employed as an integrative measure to assess leaf mineral nutrient balance for specific scion–rootstock combinations. The relative abundance of leaf mineral nutrients was ranked as follows: Ca > K > P > S > Mg > Na > Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu. Overall, rootstock ‘X-639’ demonstrated superior mineral nutrient uptake efficiency across grafted plants of both scion cultivars, as indicated by higher leaf mineral nutrient concentrations. Juice mineral nutrient concentrations followed the order K (930.87–1362.17 mg L−1), Ca (346.40–651.33 mg L−1), P (116.23–236.97 mg L−1), Mg (64.60–102.50 mg L−1), S (49.35–74.34 mg L−1), Na (25.61–47.88 mg L−1), Fe (4.76–7.92 mg L−1), Zn (1.79–4.34 mg L−1), Mn (0.73–1.62 mg L−1), and Cu (0.41–0.71 mg L−1), indicating distinct differences in the accumulation pattern of macro- and micro-mineral nutrients in the edible tissues across the studied scion–rootstock combinations. Multivariate analysis revealed that the rootstocks significantly influenced juice mineral nutrient levels, indicating rootstock-mediated agronomic biofortification. Rootstock ‘RLC-6’ enhanced juice K levels, and ‘Soh Sarkar’ improved juice Mg contents, while ‘X-639’ improved juice micronutrient (Zn, Mn, Cu) accumulation in both cultivars. This study constitutes the first comprehensive investigation that explicitly evaluates the influence of rootstocks on the enhancement of mineral nutrient content in the edible tissues of citrus fruits. It further elucidates how rootstock selection can indirectly affect dietary mineral intake, thereby highlighting its potential role for improved nutrition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrient Dynamics in Horticultural Crops from Absorption to Quality)
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