Gene Expressions in Response to Diseases, Abiotic Stresses and Pest Damage of Horticultural Products

Dear Colleagues,

The international open access journal Horticulturae (SCIE-indexed, Q1-ranked in Horticulture, and is 2.331 IF in 2020) is pleased to announce a new Special Issue titled “Gene Expressions in Response to Diseases, Abiotic Stresses and Pest Damage of Horticultural Products”. We would like to invite you to be part of this Special Issue by submitting a paper.

Horticultural crops encompass a wide range of plant species worldwide. Many of these crops represent important sources of food, feed and raw substances, providing a broad spectrum of nutrients and bioactive compounds that play an essential role in resisting plant and human diseases, in accordance with the One Health approach.

It must also be pointed out that horticultural crops represent a key resource in the economy of several countries. Unfortunately, crops are continuously exposed to a broad spectrum of pathogens (viruses, bacteria and fungi), pests and abiotic damages responsible for significant yield and economic losses along the supply chain, starting in the field and up to the point of sale. In addition, the increasingly restrictive European regulations for plant protection products encourage studies on innovative tools for disease and pest control programs, such as genetic modification and analysis of alternative control means. However, over time, plants have evolved sophisticated defense mechanisms to face both pathogen and insect attacks and respond to abiotic stresses. The identification of genes involved in the defense response and stress tolerance is essential for choosing more resistant or less susceptible crops that could allow for the more sustainable management of diseases and damage.

The proposed Special Issue welcomes original and explorative articles that investigate pathways and expressed genes involved in resistance mechanisms to pests and pathogens and abiotic stress tolerance, thus opening new horizons for preserving and increasing crop production.

In the hope that this invitation receives your favorable consideration, we look forward to our future collaboration.

Dr. Giuliana Maddalena
Dr. Annamaria Mincuzzi
Dr. Francesca Garganese
Prof. Dr. Antonio Ippolito
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-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.