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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to Improve the Sustainability of Horticultural Ecosystems
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Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to Improve the Sustainability of Horticultural Ecosystems

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2026 | Viewed by 2224

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gheorghe Cristian Popescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Applied Sciences and Environmental Engineering, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: sustainability; policies and legislation; environment; horticulture; rural development
Dr. Mehmet Yaman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38030, Türkiye
Interests: agricultural sciences; agriculture; horticultural plants; fruit breeding and breeding; genetics; phytochemicals
Dr. Monica Popescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Natural Sciences, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, University Center of Pitesti, 110040 Pitești, Romania
Interests: plant physiology; ecophysiology; postharvest physiology; sustainability
Dr. Beppe Benedetto Consentino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: Horticulture, Grafting, Biostimulants, Biofortification, vegetable crops
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The horticulture sector faces a series of challenges related to environmental protection, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and the achievement of healthy, sustainable, and competitive productions. Adopting nature-based solutions (NBSs) in horticulture may be an innovative approach to address current challenges.

Therefore, horticultural ecosystems need environmentally friendly technologies and practices that agree with the principles of sustainable development and environmental protection.

NBS includes a wide range of tools or practices, such as the use of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF), plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), cover crops, and landscape features.

This Special Issue aims to provide valuable insight into the latest advancements using nature-based solutions to improve the sustainability of horticultural ecosystems. All types of articles, such as original research papers, reviews, and opinions, are welcome.

Dr. Gheorghe Cristian Popescu
Dr. Mehmet Yaman
Dr. Monica Popescu
Dr. Beppe Benedetto Consentino
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF)
  • innovative approach
  • sustainability
  • plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB)
  • natural processes
  • nature-based solutions
  • horticulture

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 8488 KiB  
Article
Edible Micro-Sized Composite Coating Applications on Post-Harvest Quality of Sweet Cherry Fruits
by Ercan Yıldız, Fatih Hancı, Mehmet Yaman, Gheorghe Cristian Popescu, Monica Popescu and Ahmet Sümbül
Horticulturae 2025, 11(3), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11030303 - 11 Mar 2025
Viewed by 831
Abstract
Active packaging using an edible coating could be an essential and sustainable alternative solution to preserve the properties of fruits and to prevent food loss and food waste. Fruits generate significant food wastes and losses. Reducing food waste is a global priority. For [...] Read more.
Active packaging using an edible coating could be an essential and sustainable alternative solution to preserve the properties of fruits and to prevent food loss and food waste. Fruits generate significant food wastes and losses. Reducing food waste is a global priority. For this research, nature-based solutions (NBSs) were applied, using micro-sized chitosan (CsMPs) and selenium microparticles (SeMPs), which are green-synthesized from black tea leaf extracts, and thyme essential oil. In this study, the effects of the new generation active food preservative coating agents formed from combinations of micro-sized chitosan (CsMPs) and selenium (SeMPs), and thyme essential oil (Oil) on the quality of “0900 Ziraat” sweet cherry fruits after harvest were investigated. After the fruits were coated with edible colloid solution, they were stored at 4 °C and 21 °C for 20 days, and quality parameter analyses were performed on days 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20. As a result of this study, it was determined that the application of CsMPs + SeMPs and the subsequent application of CsMPs + SeMPs + Oil from colloid solution coatings reduced weight loss, respiration, and decay rates. Also, it was determined that these applications were the most effective in preserving color values (L*, chroma, and hue), fruit firmness, total soluble solid (TSS) amount, acidity content and total phenolics, anthocyanin, and antioxidant capacity. These results show that CsMPs + SeMPs and CsMPs + SeMPs + Oil applications can be used as edible coatings to preserve the quality of sweet cherry fruits and extend their shelf life after harvest. This study’s results will contribute to obtaining micro-sized composite coating agents/agents produced with new technology to extend the shelf life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to Improve the Sustainability of Horticultural Ecosystems)
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19 pages, 3073 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Genetic Diversity of Mulberry (Morus alba) Genotypes Growing Naturally in Northeastern Türkiye (Kelkit Valley) Using Morphological, Biochemical, and Molecular Markers
by Ahmet Sümbül
Horticulturae 2025, 11(3), 298; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11030298 - 10 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 806
Abstract
Türkiye has a unique position globally as it connects the Asian and European continents. In this study, the genetic diversity of a total of 27 mulberry (Morus alba) genotypes collected from northeastern Türkiye was evaluated in terms of morphological, biochemical, and [...] Read more.
Türkiye has a unique position globally as it connects the Asian and European continents. In this study, the genetic diversity of a total of 27 mulberry (Morus alba) genotypes collected from northeastern Türkiye was evaluated in terms of morphological, biochemical, and molecular characteristics. In the fruits of the mulberry genotypes, the fruit weight (FW) ranged from 2.00 to 5.13 g, fruit width (Fw) ranged from 12.64 to 16.93 mm, and fruit length (FL) ranged from 20.89 to 32.34 mm. Total soluble solids (TSS) ranged from 16.56% to 26.00%, fruit pH ranged from 3.87 to 5.10, total phenolic content (TPC) ranged from 72.69 to 171.34 mg GAE/100 g, total flavonoid content (TFC) ranged from 75.55 to 86.85 mg QE 100/g, and antioxidant activity (AA) ranged from 42.35% to 74.93%. According to principal component analysis (PCA), the first three principal components (eigenvalue ≥ 1.00) explain 54.05% of the total variation. In general, the fruit and leaf characteristics were more effective in the first two principal components, while the biochemical traits were more effective in the third principal component. As a result of molecular analysis using 13 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers, 94.23% of the total of 76 bands was polymorphic. Molecular variance analysis (AMOVA) showed that within the population, genetic variation was 79%, and among the populations, the variation was 21%. The similarities of the genotypes in the UPGMA dendrogram created according to the results of the molecular analysis varied between 0.74 and 0.98, and the genotypes were divided into two main groups. This study guides breeders in future studies by evaluating mulberry genotypes from morphological, biochemical, and molecular perspectives and explaining the wide variation among genotypes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to Improve the Sustainability of Horticultural Ecosystems)
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