Effects of Environmental Changes on Fruit Production

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Biotic and Abiotic Stress".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2025 | Viewed by 899

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Plant Breeding, CEBAS-CSIC, E-30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: agroclimatic metrics; breeding; climate change; genetic diversity; phenology; phenotypic plasticity; temperate fruit trees; tree dormancy

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Guest Editor
Department of Plant Breeding, CEBAS-CSIC, E-30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: Prunus; plant breeding; fruit quality; postharvest; genomics; transcriptomics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fruit production faces numerous challenges worldwide, with unpredictable changes in environmental conditions emerging as a major concern. These changes significantly impact the phenological cycle of fruit crops, affecting flowering, fruit set, and ultimately the overall fruit quality and yield. Climate change is primarily leading to increased global temperatures; that said, it has also intensified extreme weather events such as heatwaves and shifts in rainfall patterns. Additionally, unpredictable environmental changes are also expected to compromise the fulfilment of chilling requirements, impact pollination and fertilization processes, and potentially to increase the prevalence of pests and diseases. This Special Issue, “Effects of Environmental Changes on Fruit Production”, aims to enhance the understanding of how various environmental factors influence fruit production across both perennial and annual fruit crops. We welcome the submission of original research and review articles that explore experimental approaches to mitigate climate change effects, including crop management and breeding strategies.

Dr. Alvaro Delgado
Dr. Juan A. Salazar
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • heatwaves and drought
  • abiotic stresses
  • fruit quality
  • environmental variability
  • climate change
  • fruit development
  • fruit crops
  • dormancy
  • productivity
  • phenological shifts

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 6985 KiB  
Article
Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Provide Insights into Strawberry Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activities Under Varying Ecological Conditions
by Mingzheng Duan, Huaizheng Wang, Kangjian Song, Honggao Liu, Shu Jiang, Jieming Feng, Shiping Jiang, Muhammad Junaid Rao, Abdul Rauf, Muhammad Ikram, Muhammad Faizan Khurram, Maryam Tahira, Shunqiang Yang and Xiande Duan
Horticulturae 2025, 11(5), 533; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11050533 - 14 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 715
Abstract
Strawberries are nutrient-rich fruits containing beneficial phytochemicals and bioactive compounds with significant health benefits. Among secondary metabolites, the polyphenolic compounds have been extensively studied. However, limited research exists on bioactive alkaloids in strawberry fruits. Additionally, the local “Akihime” strawberry variety cultivated in the [...] Read more.
Strawberries are nutrient-rich fruits containing beneficial phytochemicals and bioactive compounds with significant health benefits. Among secondary metabolites, the polyphenolic compounds have been extensively studied. However, limited research exists on bioactive alkaloids in strawberry fruits. Additionally, the local “Akihime” strawberry variety cultivated in the high altitude of Zhaotong city is of inferior quality; in contrast, the “Red Face” variety cultivated in the lower altitude of Dandong city demonstrates superior quality attributes. This study aimed to introduce the “Red Face” strawberry variety from the lower altitude region of Dandong to the high altitudes of Zhaotong. The primary objectives were to enhance local strawberry quality and investigate the diversity of alkaloids and their biosynthesis genes in response to varying ecological conditions. In this study, a transcriptomic and LC–MS/MS approach identified several biosynthesis genes, 33 alkaloids, and 38 other bioactive compounds, reported for the first time in the strawberry fruits. Five alkaloids ergotamine, 3-indoleacrylic acid, L-pipecolic acid, 8-hydroxyquinoline, and indole, were abundantly found in both strawberry varieties. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed significant variation in the individual alkaloid compounds among the different strawberry varieties and ecological conditions. Cultivation of the “Red Face” variety at high-altitude environments modified the gene expressions and enhanced the total alkaloid contents and the antioxidant activity and capacity of strawberry fruits. Our study concluded that strawberries possess a diversity of bioactive alkaloid compounds, and introducing the “Red Face” variety at high-altitude environments produces superior quality of strawberry fruits with improved total alkaloid contents and antioxidant activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Environmental Changes on Fruit Production)
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