Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.1
3.0
Journals
Horticulturae
Special Issues
New Insights into Horticultural Crops Resistance to Abiotic Stresses
share announcement

New Insights into Horticultural Crops Resistance to Abiotic Stresses

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 June 2026 | Viewed by 3484

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yue Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
Interests: abiotic stress

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of the continuous growth of the global population and the escalating impacts of climate change, horticultural crops encounter diverse pressures that affect their growth and production. Among these, abiotic stresses are critical factors affecting horticultural crop growth and production worldwide. These stresses disrupt the normal physiological metabolism process of crops, diminish their stress resistance, and, consequently, impact overall growth and yield. Over the years, numerous scholars have been deeply engaged in investigating the response mechanisms of plants to various abiotic stresses environments such as drought, heat, excess salinity, cold, nutrient deficits, chemical toxicity (e.g., heavy metals), or oxidative stress, providing theoretical support and direction for breeding high-yield, resistance and quality horticultural crops.

This Special Issue, titled “New Insights into Horticultural Crops Resistance to Abiotic Stresses” will present the most recent research progress worldwide on abiotic stress challenges encountered by horticultural crops that elucidates the physiological, biochemical, molecular, and genetic mechanisms that contribute to the resilience of horticultural crops. Innovative articles focusing on the abiotic stress resistance of horticultural crops are welcome in this Special Issue.

Dr. Yue Wang
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

  • abiotic stress tolerance
  • omics and molecular breeding
  • stress physiology
  • signal transduction
  • climate-resilient crops

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 10745 KB  
Article
Silica-Based Nanomaterials Enhance Zingiber officinale Growth: A Comprehensive Study from Seedling to Harvest
by Shengyou Fang, Xuli Liu, Chong Sun, Jiawei Ma, Yi Zhang, Minglu Gu, Xiaoyang Du, Kyaw Htet Wai Wai, Junliang Yin and Yongxing Zhu
Horticulturae 2026, 12(5), 583; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12050583 - 8 May 2026
Viewed by 953
Abstract
Ginger possesses both significant edible and medicinal value. Sprouting of ginger is a critical phase that influences the yield and quality of the crop. While silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are known to promote the growth of ginger, their impact on sprouting remains unclear. The [...] Read more.
Ginger possesses both significant edible and medicinal value. Sprouting of ginger is a critical phase that influences the yield and quality of the crop. While silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are known to promote the growth of ginger, their impact on sprouting remains unclear. The results show that sprouting 100 mg L−1 SiNPs (SiNP100) significantly improved ginger sprouting rate and respiratory intensity while reducing weight loss. It also elevated fructose, sucrose, and glucose contents, as well as sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), sucrose synthase (SS), neutral invertase (NI), acid invertase (AI) activities, indicating that SiNP100 is associated with enhanced sprouting by modulating sugar metabolism. Concurrently, starch content decreased and α- and β-amylase activities increased. Hormonal profiling showed that SiNP100 increased auxin (IAA), trans-zeatin (TZR), isoamylalkenyladenin (IP), and gibberellic acid (GA3) levels, while decreasing abscisic acid (ABA), further supporting its role in promoting sprouting. RNA-seq and RT-qPCR validated that SiNP100 significantly enriched the plant hormone signal transduction and starch and sucrose metabolism pathways, upregulating genes related to sugar transport and metabolism (ZoSweet7, ZoSSIVa, ZoSPS1, and ZoSUS5). Field trials over two consecutive years confirmed that SiNP100 application improved ginger growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant capacity, and ultimately yield and quality. This study demonstrated the potential of SiNPs to improve seed sprouting and promote ginger growth under field conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Horticultural Crops Resistance to Abiotic Stresses)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 22661 KB  
Article
Overexpression of LoERF4 from Oriental Lily Enhances Root Growth and Salt Tolerance in Arabidopsis
by Mengqun Peng, Chao Song, Fan Li, Liang Sun, Mei Zhou, Chunlian Jin and Youguo Wang
Horticulturae 2026, 12(5), 512; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12050512 - 22 Apr 2026
Viewed by 902
Abstract
ERF/AP2 is a family of transcription factors that plays a broad role in plant growth and development and in responses to various environmental stresses. In our previous studies, we found that the transcription factor LoERF4 indirectly induces the breaking of dormancy in lily [...] Read more.
ERF/AP2 is a family of transcription factors that plays a broad role in plant growth and development and in responses to various environmental stresses. In our previous studies, we found that the transcription factor LoERF4 indirectly induces the breaking of dormancy in lily bulbs by regulating its downstream gene, LoXTH23. To further investigate the function of LoERF4, we overexpressed it in Arabidopsis thaliana. Paraffin section analysis revealed that root cells in OE-LoERF4 transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana lines exhibited significantly longer average cell lengths compared to the wild type. In the overexpression lines, the expression of multiple modified genes, including AtXTHs and AtEXPAs was significantly upregulated, and these lines exhibited earlier lateral root emergence and a significant increase in primary root length. Under 100 mM sodium chloride treatment, the overexpression lines exhibited significantly higher numbers of lateral roots, true leaves, and primary root length compared with the wild type (WT). In the OE-LoERF4 line, antioxidant enzyme (SOD, POD, CAT) activity was enhanced, oxidative damage was reduced (decreased MDA content), and root survival rate was improved (as reflected by TTC reduction). This confirms that LoERF4 may promote root development in the overexpression line by positively regulating downstream AtXTHs and AtEXPAs, while simultaneously enhancing the salt tolerance of the overexpression line. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Horticultural Crops Resistance to Abiotic Stresses)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 3840 KB  
Article
Structural Diversification of Actinidia Trichomes and Modulation by Polyploidization
by Xiaoqiong Qi, Fei Han, Lansha Luo, Haiyan Lv, Yanqing Deng, Edmore Gasura, Changsheng Xiao, Xianzhi Zhang, Yinghua Deng and Xiaodong Xie
Horticulturae 2026, 12(3), 322; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12030322 - 9 Mar 2026
Viewed by 693
Abstract
Fruit trichomes and pericarp architecture are pivotal for biological defense and postharvest resilience in the genus Actinidia. However, the evolutionary diversity of these structures and the molecular mechanisms governing their development—particularly under the influence of polyploidization—remain poorly understood. We performed a systematic [...] Read more.
Fruit trichomes and pericarp architecture are pivotal for biological defense and postharvest resilience in the genus Actinidia. However, the evolutionary diversity of these structures and the molecular mechanisms governing their development—particularly under the influence of polyploidization—remain poorly understood. We performed a systematic evaluation of 21 Actinidia species and 14 cultivars using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and histological analysis. To determine the effects of genome doubling, an autotetraploid line was induced from diploid A. chinensis cv. ‘Donghong’, followed by comparative transcriptomic and temporal expression profiling. Morphological characterization identified three distinct evolutionary groups based on fruit surface traits: glabrous, caducous-spotted, and persistent-pubescent. All observed trichomes featured a unique bipartite multicellular architecture. Kiwifruit pericarp thickness (59.8–534.6 μm) was locally reinforced at trichome insertion sites. Among kiwifruit cultivars, polyploidization significantly increased both trichome length and total amount. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) enriched in hormonal signaling and flavonoid pathways. Two key candidate genes, Achv4p15g023764.t1 and Achv4p01g000003.t1, were identified as candidate genes for stage-specific regulators governing early morphogenesis and late maturation. By characterizing the morphological diversity and genetic underpinnings of Actinidia trichome and epidermal variation, this study establishes a potential scientific framework for the targeted kiwifruit breeding of novel kiwifruit cultivars with optimized fruit surface characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Horticultural Crops Resistance to Abiotic Stresses)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 3565 KB  
Article
CiWRKY50 Enhances Cadmium Tolerance in Chrysanthemum indicum, Correlating with Enhanced ABA-Mediated Signaling and Redox Homeostasis
by Shengyan Chen, Yin Zhang, Yujia Yang, Xingyu Ni, Kaiyuan Zhang, Shoubin Xu, Qiang Li, Ying Sun, Xue Yang and Liran Yue
Horticulturae 2026, 12(3), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12030260 - 24 Feb 2026
Viewed by 527
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal that severely impairs plant growth and poses ecological and health risks. Chrysanthemum indicum (L.), a dominant species in Cd-contaminated regions, represents a valuable germplasm for phytoremediation. In this study, we cloned and characterized CiWRKY50, [...] Read more.
Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal that severely impairs plant growth and poses ecological and health risks. Chrysanthemum indicum (L.), a dominant species in Cd-contaminated regions, represents a valuable germplasm for phytoremediation. In this study, we cloned and characterized CiWRKY50, a WRKY transcription factor containing a conserved WRKY domain and C2H2-type zinc finger. CiWRKY50 was localized to the nucleus but lacked intrinsic transcriptional activation activity. Overexpression of CiWRKY50 in Arabidopsis thaliana and C. indicum significantly enhanced Cd tolerance, as shown by reduced root Cd accumulation, improved transport efficiency, lower ROS and MDA levels, and increased chlorophyll, proline, and soluble protein contents. Antioxidant enzyme activities and Cd-chelating compounds (GSH, NPT, PCs) were also upregulated. Furthermore, combined Cd and ABA treatments promoted Cd sequestration in roots and activated ABA-responsive genes (CiABF1, CiABF2, CiABF4), alleviating shoot toxicity. These findings indicate that CiWRKY50 enhances Cd tolerance in association with enhanced ABA-mediated signaling and redox homeostasis, providing new insights for breeding Cd-resistant plants and improving phytoremediation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Horticultural Crops Resistance to Abiotic Stresses)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop