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Horticulturae
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Abiotic Stress Responses of Vegetable Crops—2nd Edition
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Abiotic Stress Responses of Vegetable Crops—2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2026) | Viewed by 4072

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Haijun Gong

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: physiological and molecular basis of plants’ adaptation to abiotic stresses; plant nutrition uptake and transport
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vegetables are important horticultural crops and provide essential nutrients for humans in their daily lives. However, during their growth and development, vegetables are frequently subjected to various environmental stresses, such as extreme temperatures, drought, salinity, and heavy metal pollution, causing yield and quality reductions as well as food safety concerns. Like other plants, when vegetable crops first sense external environmental stimuli, they trigger signaling pathways, leading to alterations in gene expressions. These consequently cause adaptive responses such as morphological, physiological, and biochemical modifications. This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in our understanding of the responses and adaptation mechanisms of vegetable crops to various abiotic stresses.

Prof. Dr. Haijun Gong
Guest Editor

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

  • vegetable
  • drought
  • salinity/salt stress
  • heavy metal pollution
  • cold/freezing stress
  • heat stress
  • light stress
  • adaptive response

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 891 KB  
Article
Improving Water Use Strategies in Greenhouse Tomato with Superabsorbent Polymers: Effects on Fruit Yield Under Deficit Irrigation
by Stefania Toscano, Aurora Maio, Tommaso La Malfa, Francesca Calderone, Elisa Bonanno and Fabio Gresta
Horticulturae 2026, 12(3), 321; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12030321 - 8 Mar 2026
Viewed by 626
Abstract
Water scarcity is increasingly challenging greenhouse tomato production, particularly in Mediterranean and semi-arid regions where irrigation water availability is becoming progressively limited. This study evaluated whether a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) can support water-saving irrigation in tomato grown in coconut fibre. Plants were cultivated [...] Read more.
Water scarcity is increasingly challenging greenhouse tomato production, particularly in Mediterranean and semi-arid regions where irrigation water availability is becoming progressively limited. This study evaluated whether a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) can support water-saving irrigation in tomato grown in coconut fibre. Plants were cultivated in pots under four irrigation amounts (100, 75, 50, and 25% of crop water requirement—WC) combined with two SAP levels (0 and 2 g L−1). Irrigation was managed by a lysimetric control system. Reducing irrigation decreased total fruit yield (averaged across SAP treatments) from 100% WC (1212 g plant−1) to 50–25% WC (914 and 624 g plant−1, respectively), while non-marketable fruit number was unchanged (15.4 fruit plant−1, on average). SAP increased total yield, averaged across irrigation treatments (from 925 to 1022 g plant−1), and marketable fruit number (from 26.3 to 32.3 fruit plant−1), without affecting unitary fruit weight (20.4 g fruit−1, on average). SAP also increased net photosynthesis (from 16.0 to 17.4 µmol CO2 m−2 s−1), while stomatal conductance (0.14–0.15 mol H2O m−2 s−1) and WUE (4.0 µmol CO2 mmol−1 H2O) were not affected by SAP. Total soluble solids increased under severe deficit (7.8 °Brix at 25% WC) and were enhanced by SAP (from 6.9 to 7.6 °Brix), while colour parameters were mainly driven by irrigation. Overall, the irrigation amount was the primary driver of performance. Moderate deficit irrigation (75% WC) maintained a marketable fruit number and total fruit weight comparable to full irrigation (100% WC). SAP amendment acted as a complementary tool to improve marketable production and net photosynthesis across irrigation levels, providing an additive benefit to crop productivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress Responses of Vegetable Crops—2nd Edition)
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27 pages, 8028 KB  
Article
Effects of Cadmium Stress on Phenotypic Traits, Photosynthetic Performance, and Physiological and Biochemical Responses in Non-Heading Chinese Cabbage
by Pengyan Chang, Songliang Wang, Haobin Xu, Yongkuai Chen, Anni Wei and Shuijin Wu
Horticulturae 2026, 12(1), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12010116 - 21 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 612
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a global environmental issue that severely impacts crop growth and food safety. This study systematically investigates the accumulation characteristics and physiological responses of different varieties of non-heading Chinese cabbage under Cd stress. A Cd stress experiment was conducted using [...] Read more.
Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a global environmental issue that severely impacts crop growth and food safety. This study systematically investigates the accumulation characteristics and physiological responses of different varieties of non-heading Chinese cabbage under Cd stress. A Cd stress experiment was conducted using 79 non-heading Chinese cabbage varieties under nutrient film technique (NFT) cultivation, leading to the identification of 11 high-Cd accumulation varieties, 32 medium-Cd accumulation varieties, and 36 low-Cd accumulation varieties. The results showed that all varieties primarily accumulated Cd in the roots, with weak translocation of Cd to the aerial parts. To thoroughly analyze the physiological mechanisms of Cd accumulation, two extreme phenotypes, low accumulation (GX-61) and high accumulation (GX-05), were selected for subsequent comprehensive analysis. The low-accumulation variety (GX-61) exhibited higher sensitivity to Cd stress, with significant inhibition of leaf area, canopy area, and photosynthesis. In contrast, the high-accumulation variety (GX-05) maintained a more stable physiological state by enhancing photoprotective capacity and activating peroxidase (POD) to compensate for the functional loss of catalase (CAT). Cd stress inhibition of photosynthesis was initially limited by stomatal factors, later transitioning to non-stomatal limitations, and low concentrations of Cd induced a protective response that slightly promoted plant growth. This study, through high temporal resolution analysis at key growth stages, reveals the differential responses in growth, photosynthesis, and physiological metabolism between low- and high-Cd-accumulating non-heading Chinese cabbages, providing a theoretical basis for the selection of efficient phytoremediation materials and the safe production of non-heading Chinese cabbage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress Responses of Vegetable Crops—2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 14149 KB  
Article
Dynamic Changes in Organ Morphology and K+/Na+ Content of Pumpkin Seedlings Under Salt Stress
by Hongjiu Liu, Ding Ding, Guoxin Zhang, Yeshuo Sun, Ruiping Ma and Xiaoqing Yang
Horticulturae 2025, 11(11), 1293; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11111293 - 28 Oct 2025
Viewed by 944
Abstract
Pumpkin is widely used as a rootstock to enhance salt tolerance and improve productivity of Cucurbit crops. To date, the morphology and ion parameters of pumpkins at a certain time point under salt stress are well-known. However, the dynamic changes in organ morphology [...] Read more.
Pumpkin is widely used as a rootstock to enhance salt tolerance and improve productivity of Cucurbit crops. To date, the morphology and ion parameters of pumpkins at a certain time point under salt stress are well-known. However, the dynamic changes in organ morphology and K+/Na+ content of pumpkin under salt stress and the relationship of them remain unclear. Therefore, this study investigated biomass, root morphology, stem structure, and K+/Na+ content in salt-sensitive (JZ-1) and salt-tolerant (JYZ-1) pumpkins under 0 mM and 120 mM NaCl conditions at 2, 5, and 10 days after treatment (DAT). Our results show that at the beginning, NaCl treatment led to a sharp decrease in shoot fresh weight by 30–53% and a slight decrease in root fresh weight, plant dry weight, and total root length and affects the K+ and Na+ content both in JZ-1 and JYZ-1 at 2 DAT. Subsequently, total root volume and number of tips have changed, in which NaCl treatment resulted in a significant increase of 127% in total root volume and a significant decrease of 38.4% in number of tips in JYZ-1 at 5 DAT, but no significant difference in JZ-1 at 5 DAT was found. At the end, root fresh weight and stem structure parameters were significantly decreased by NaCl treatment at 10 DAT both in JZ-1 and JYZ-1, and stem cross-sectional area under NaCl conditions in JZ-1 and JYZ-1 at 10 DAT (2.133 and 2.316 mm3, respectively) was significantly lower than that under control conditions (2.933 and 4.441 mm3, respectively). Additionally, shoot K+ content showed a trend of first upward and then downward in JZ-1 and a slightly decreasing trend in JYZ-1, and shoot Na+ content displayed a trend of first downward and then upward in JZ-1 and a slightly increasing trend in JYZ-1. It is suggested that shoot K+ content, shoot Na+ content, and total root volume be considered as the important parameters for pumpkin salt tolerance assessment. These findings will help us better understand the mechanisms of salt tolerance and improve the efficiency of identification of salt-tolerant pumpkin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress Responses of Vegetable Crops—2nd Edition)
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21 pages, 2154 KB  
Article
Root-Specific Overexpression of the CmDUF239-1 Gene Enhances Heat Tolerance in Melon Seedlings by Upregulating Antioxidant Enzymes Activities, Proline Content, and Expression of Heat Shock Protein-Related Genes
by Yang Li, Zhanming Tan, Yanjun Liu, Yuquan Peng and Chunyan Liu
Horticulturae 2025, 11(10), 1198; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11101198 - 3 Oct 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1335
Abstract
High temperature stress is a critical factor affecting the growth and yield of melons (Cucumis melo L.), and improving heat tolerance is therefore crucial for stable production. While the overexpression of the CmDUF239-1 gene is known to improve salt tolerance in melons, [...] Read more.
High temperature stress is a critical factor affecting the growth and yield of melons (Cucumis melo L.), and improving heat tolerance is therefore crucial for stable production. While the overexpression of the CmDUF239-1 gene is known to improve salt tolerance in melons, its impact on heat tolerance remains unexplored. The role of the CmDUF239-1 gene in enhancing heat tolerance and its underlying mechanisms was investigated in this study. Melon seedlings overexpressing CmDUF239-1 (OEDUF239-1), generated via root transformation, exhibited significantly lower reductions in fresh and dry mass under heat stress compared to controls, indicating enhanced heat tolerance. One day post-stress, antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, CAT, APX, and GR) increased significantly in OEDUF239-1, while malondialdehyde (MDA) levels decreased. Additionally, proline content and the activity of its synthesizing enzyme (P5CS) rose, whereas the activity of proline dehydrogenase (ProDH) dropped. Transcriptomic and qPCR analyses revealed that CmDUF239-1 overexpression upregulated antioxidant enzyme-related genes (e.g., CmCSD1, CmPOD1) and proline-related genes (e.g., CmP5CS), as well as Heat Shock Protein (HSP) genes (e.g., CmHSP17.6II, CmHSP18.2). In summary, the enhancement of heat tolerance in melon by the CmDUF239-1 gene was mediated through the upregulation of genes involved in antioxidant defense and proline metabolism, together with increased accumulation of HSPs, providing a mechanistic basis for heat-resilient breeding programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress Responses of Vegetable Crops—2nd Edition)
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