Modern Greenhouse Cultivation Techniques and Soilless Vegetables Production
A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Protected Culture".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 473
Special Issue Editors
Interests: vegetables; greenhouse; plant physiology; artificial light; growth chamber; soilless; hydroponic; aquaponic; microgreens; sprouts; water management; nutrient solution; horticulturae; tomato; cucumber; melon; leafy vegetables; vegetables quality; agronomic technique; open field; grow media
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: horticulture; vegetable production; plant nutrition; plant physiology; abiotic stress; cultivation optimization
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Soilless cultivation systems have evolved from early greenhouse applications designed to overcome soil-related constraints into highly engineered production platforms central to controlled environment agriculture (CEA). The integration of hydroponics, aeroponics, and substrate-based systems with precise control over nutrition, climate, and lighting has enabled a substantial decoupling of crop performance from external environmental variability, thereby improving yield stability, product quality, and resource-use efficiency. In this context, the present Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of advanced soilless cultivation systems developed to optimize crop production in controlled environments, bridging fundamental plant physiology with applied agronomic and technological solutions. Particular attention is devoted to innovative nutrient and water management strategies, closed-cycle systems and circular approaches, sensor-based monitoring, automation, and decision-support tools. Cutting-edge research addressing LED lighting optimization, plant–environment interactions, real-time fertigation control, and the application of modeling, artificial intelligence, and digital agriculture tools is especially encouraged. This Special Issue invites original research articles, short communications, and critical reviews addressing greenhouse, vertical farming, and indoor cultivation systems, encompassing vegetables, herbs, ornamentals, and high-value specialty crops. Contributions should provide clear advances in system performance, sustainability, or mechanistic understanding, offering transferable knowledge for the future development of efficient, resilient, and sustainable soilless production systems.
Dr. Onofrio davide Palmitessa
Dr. Qiang Li
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.
Keywords
- soilless cultivation
- controlled environment agriculture (CEA)
- resource-use efficiency
- smart fertigation
- sustainable intensification
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