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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Advances in Phytochemical Properties and Bioactive Compounds of Horticultural Crops
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Advances in Phytochemical Properties and Bioactive Compounds of Horticultural Crops

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Developmental Physiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026 | Viewed by 1688

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Irina-Claudia Alexa

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, “Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău, 157, Calea Mărăşeşti, 600115 Bacău, Romania
Interests: bioactive compounds; extraction techniques; purification; sustainable applications; phytochemistry; antioxidants; cytotoxicity; valorization
Prof. Dr. Bianca Furdui

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Sciences and Environment, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Environment, "Dunărea de Jos" University of Galati, 111 Domneasca Street, 800201 Galati, Romania
Interests: natural compounds; biomass valorization; antimicrobials; heterocycles chemistry; organic synthesis; chromatography; spectroscopy; toxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Rodica-Mihaela Dinica

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Sciences and Environment, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Environment, “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, 47 Domneasca Street, 800008 Galati, Romania
Interests: organic compounds; synthetic and natural; plant extracts; bioactive compounds; polyphenols; essential oils; antioxidants; antimicrobials; cytotoxicity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Horticultural crops comprise a large variety of plants that include edible vegetables and fruits, alongside medicinal and ornamental plants. Representing an important source of bioactive compounds, horticultural plants possess phytochemical properties with multiple applications; these include the production of nutraceuticals, functional foods, and food additives. Moreover, numerous bioactive compounds (e.g. anthocyanidins, flavans, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, tannins, etc.) have been identified and isolated from horticultural crops, and many are responsible for pharmacological activities (antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiinflamatory, anticarcinogenic, etc.) that have a positive impact on human health.

Our interest in enhancing the cultivation and availability of horticultural plants implicitly highlights the need for the continuous evaluation of plant resources in order to accumulate information regarding their phytochemical content and properties, with the aim of utilizing plant-produced bioactive compounds in novel ways.

This Special Issue of Horticulturae aims to present a collection of original research and reviews that highlight current knowledge and future perspectives related to the chemical composition and biological activity of horticultural crops. We look forward to receiving your submissions to our Special Issue entitled “Advances in Phytochemical Properties and Bioactive Compounds of Horticultural Crops”.

Dr. Irina-Claudia Alexa
Prof. Dr. Bianca Furdui
Prof. Dr. Rodica-Mihaela Dinica
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

  • horticultural plant extracts
  • natural compounds
  • phytochemical screening
  • advanced extraction techniques
  • pharmacological activities
  • sustainability

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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

21 pages, 3056 KB  
Article
Shade and Fabric Mulching Drive Variation in Medicinal Compounds and Rhizosphere Bacterial Communities in Epimedium sagittatum
by Xiaoxuan Liu, Yuhang Xie, Zixu Jin, Jing Sun, Gang Zhang, Ying Chen, Bo Li, Wei Zhang, Feng Yan, Nan Wang and Jing Gao
Horticulturae 2025, 11(11), 1408; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11111408 - 20 Nov 2025
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Abstract
This study investigated the interactive effects of different light conditions and weed control methods on the medicinal compound composition and rhizosphere bacterial community structure of Epimedium sagittatum. A completely randomized block design was employed, incorporating four treatments: full light with manual weeding [...] Read more.
This study investigated the interactive effects of different light conditions and weed control methods on the medicinal compound composition and rhizosphere bacterial community structure of Epimedium sagittatum. A completely randomized block design was employed, incorporating four treatments: full light with manual weeding (LN), shade with manual weeding (SN), full light with weed-control fabric mulch (LG), and shade with mulch (SG). Active compound levels in two-year-old plants were quantified using HPLC, and rhizobacterial diversity was assessed via high-throughput sequencing. The results indicated that the SG treatment significantly enhanced the photosynthetic efficiency and yielded the highest levels of epimedin C and total active compounds. In contrast, the SN treatment fostered a beneficial rhizosphere environment—characterized by increased pH, ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), bacterial diversity, and the abundance of Flavobacterium—which supported the highest production of epimedin B and icariin. Redundancy analysis confirmed that these microbial shifts were primarily driven by soil pH, nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), and shading. Furthermore, while stochastic processes governed bacterial community assembly, deterministic selection intensified across the treatments from LN to SG. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that light and mulching can be strategically tailored to manipulate the plant–soil-microbe system, thereby enabling precise modulation of the medicinal quality of E. sagittatum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Phytochemical Properties and Bioactive Compounds of Horticultural Crops)
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23 pages, 1468 KB  
Article
Siberian Tarragon: A Promising Source of Flavone O-Glycosides and Methylated Flavanone Aglycones in North Asian Accessions of Artemisia dracunculus
by Daniil N. Olennikov, Nina I. Kashchenko and Nadezhda K. Chirikova
Horticulturae 2025, 11(11), 1393; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11111393 - 18 Nov 2025
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Abstract
Artemisia dracunculus L., commonly known as tarragon, is a popular culinary herb and a valuable source of bioactive extracts and phytocompounds. Its wide distribution across regions of the Northern Hemisphere demonstrates the species’ high adaptability to diverse growing conditions and has led to [...] Read more.
Artemisia dracunculus L., commonly known as tarragon, is a popular culinary herb and a valuable source of bioactive extracts and phytocompounds. Its wide distribution across regions of the Northern Hemisphere demonstrates the species’ high adaptability to diverse growing conditions and has led to the development of chemoraces that differ in chemical composition. North Asian populations of A. dracunculus remain poorly studied, and plants growing in Siberia have not yet been examined. Given the vast areas occupied by tarragon, the species is a promising candidate for industrial use. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) profiling identified 80 compounds in Siberian tarragon samples, including hydroxycinnamates (HCys), coumarins, flavonoid aglycones (FlAs), and glycosides (FlGs). Among these, 62 phenolics were reported for the first time as A. dracunculus metabolites, highlighting the uniqueness of the North Asian accessions, particularly in their diversity of flavone O-glycosides and methylated flavanone aglycones. The highest levels of HCy, FlA, and FlG were 21.84, 52.53, and 54.44 mg/g, respectively, yielding a total phenolic content of 128.81 mg/g in the dry plant material—a high value. The concentrations of certain compounds exceeded 1%, making tarragon a noteworthy source of rare metabolites, including naringenin 7-O-methyl ester, thermopsoside, tilianin, and naringenin 7,4′-di-O-methyl ester. Thus, the existing knowledge of the chemical profile of tarragon has been expanded by new data on phenolic compounds from the North Asian populations of the species, which may be used to develop new A. dracunculus varieties with improved metabolic profiles and bioactive properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Phytochemical Properties and Bioactive Compounds of Horticultural Crops)
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