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Horticulturae
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New Advances in Nutrient Management for Enhancing the Yield and...
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New Advances in Nutrient Management for Enhancing the Yield and Quality of Horticultural Crops

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 November 2025 | Viewed by 1885

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tongyin Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
Interests: edible crop production; sustainable alternatives; season extension; fertilization; irrigation management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jun Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
AgriLife Research Dallas Center, Texas A&M University, Dallas, TX 75252, USA
Interests: controlled environment agriculture; crop production; photobiology; organic agriculture; urban agriculture
Dr. Qianwen Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station, Mississippi State University, Crystal Springs, MS 39059, USA
Interests: organic agriculture; biostimulants; controlled environment agriculture; hydroponics; analytical chemistry; crop quality evaluation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Shufang Tian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agriculture and Natural Resources Sacramento, University of California, Davis, CA 95827, USA
Interests: sustainable crop production; nutrient management; protected ag systems; soil health; integrated pest management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrient management is one of the most important cultural practices in horticultural production for improved productivity and crop quality. With the world population reaching 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.4 billion by 2100, effective nutrient and fertilization management is highly critical in various production systems, including open field, greenhouse, and vertical farming, particularly in the context of climate change. Overuse of fertilizers is not sustainable and detrimental to the environment. Numerous sources of fertilizers, chemical and organic, and application methods are available. Sustainable alternatives like biostimulants or biofertilizers have also been used to improve the nutrient use efficiency of a number of species. The purpose of this Special Issue titled “New Advances in Nutrient Management for Enhancing the Yield and Quality of Horticultural Crops” is to present the latest advancement in sustainable nutrient management in the production of horticultural crops including fruits, vegetables, medicinals, and ornamentals in various production systems.

Dr. Tongyin Li
Dr. Jun Liu
Dr. Qianwen Zhang
Dr. Shufang Tian
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

  • nutrient management
  • organic fertilizer
  • biostimulant
  • sustainable agriculture
  • productivity
  • specialty crop

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 3074 KiB  
Article
Enhancing the Growth of Artemisia abrotanum by Magnesium and Tropaeolum majus Extract in a Field Experiment Along with the Antibacterial Activity of the Isolated Essential Oils
by Mervat EL-Hefny and Abeer A. Mohamed
Horticulturae 2025, 11(3), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11030328 - 17 Mar 2025
Viewed by 305
Abstract
Enhancing the growth and productivity of ornamental and horticultural plants is a major function of plant extracts and macronutrient elements. The growth properties of Artemisia abrotanum plants were evaluated in two successive seasons as affected by the magnesium (Mg) fertilizer added to the [...] Read more.
Enhancing the growth and productivity of ornamental and horticultural plants is a major function of plant extracts and macronutrient elements. The growth properties of Artemisia abrotanum plants were evaluated in two successive seasons as affected by the magnesium (Mg) fertilizer added to the soil in the form of magnesium sulfate at four concentrations of 0 (as a control), 4, 6, and 8 g/L as well as Tropaeolum majus aqueous leaf extract (ALE) at concentrations of 0 (as a control), 4, 6, and 8 g/L as a foliar application. The chemical components of A. abrotanum essential oils (EOs) were analyzed using the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) apparatus. The studied parameters, including plant height, total fresh weight, number of branches/plant, EO percentages, chlorophyll-a content, chlorophyll-b content, and carotenoid content, were enhanced by the application of Mg or T. majus ALE or their combinations. The highest plant heights, 48.83 cm, and 48.5 cm, were observed in the plants treated with Mg (8 g/L)+T. majus ALE (8 g/L) and Mg (6 g/L)+T. majus ALE (4 g/L), in both seasons, respectively. The highest values of total fresh weight, 54.80 and 60.59 g, were recorded in plants treated with Mg (8 g/L)+T. majus ALE (4 g/L) and Mg (8 g/L)+T. majus ALE (4 g/L), in both seasons, respectively. The highest number of branches/plant, 60.33 and 73.33, were measured in plants treated with Mg (8 g/L)+T. majus LAE (8 g/L), in both seasons, respectively. The highest EO percentages, 0.477% and 0.64%, were measured in plants treated with Mg (8 g/L)+T. majus ALE (8 g/L), in both seasons, respectively. The total fresh weight in both seasons (r = 0.96), the number of branches/plant in both seasons (r = 0.97), the number of branches/plant in the first season, and the number of branches/plant in both seasons (r = 0.96), the total fresh weight in the second season and the number of branches/plant in the first season (r = 0.95) and the second season (r = 0.94), and the number of branches/plant and the carotenoids in the first season (r = 0.90) were all found to be significantly and positively correlated. The major compounds in the EOs were 7-methoxy-4-methylcoumarin (4-methylherniarin), cedrol, endo-borneol, and 7-epi-silphiperfol-5-ene. The antibacterial activity of the EOs was evaluated against the growth of Pectobacterium atrosepticum and Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum, which causes soft rot of potato tubers. The EOs were found to be effective against P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum with the inhibition zones ranging from 1 to 5 mm at the concentration of 100 μg/mL, and no inhibitions were found against P. atrosepticum at the studied concentrations. The minimum inhibitory concentration against P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum was found at 75 μg/mL. In conclusion, using the combination treatments of Mg and T. majus ALE is highly suggested to enhance the growth of A. abrotanum plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nutrient Management for Enhancing the Yield and Quality of Horticultural Crops)
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20 pages, 1710 KiB  
Article
Low Nitrogen Availability in Organic Fertilizers Limited Organic Watermelon Transplant Growth
by Jun Liu, Qianwen Zhang, Joseph Masabni and Genhua Niu
Horticulturae 2024, 10(11), 1140; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10111140 - 25 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1198
Abstract
Fertilization guidelines for organic watermelon transplant production are rare. We investigated the effect of four commercial organic fertilizers and seven organic fertilizer blends, along with one conventional fertilizer (Peter’s Professional 20-20-20) on watermelon transplants. The four organic fertilizers were Nature Safe (fertilizer label: [...] Read more.
Fertilization guidelines for organic watermelon transplant production are rare. We investigated the effect of four commercial organic fertilizers and seven organic fertilizer blends, along with one conventional fertilizer (Peter’s Professional 20-20-20) on watermelon transplants. The four organic fertilizers were Nature Safe (fertilizer label: 7-7-7), Miracle-Gro (8-8-8), Dr. Earth fertilizer tea (4-4-4), and Drammatic (2-4-1). The seven blended organic fertilizers were created by supplementing Drammatic with nitrogen (N)-rich and/or potassium (K)-rich fertilizers to balance its N:phosphorus (P):K ratios. Watermelon ‘Jubilee’ was sown in organic substrate, and fertilizer treatments were applied weekly with a total of 0.4 g nitrogen/L substrate. Miracle-Gro and Drammatic had the highest N mineralization rate after 21 days and the highest inorganic N concentration, respectively, and resulted in the highest shoot dry weight among organic fertilizers. Miracle-Gro also resulted in the highest root dry weight. Dr. Earth fertilizer tea supplied the lowest N and P, and resulted in stunted transplants. Our results indicated that nitrate concentration was the most important factor influencing both shoot and root growth. Supplementing Drammatic with N-rich and/or K-rich fertilizers to balance its N:P:K ratio did not affect shoot and root dry weight. Combined, we concluded that nitrogen availability rather than nutrient balance is the key factor influencing watermelon transplant growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nutrient Management for Enhancing the Yield and Quality of Horticultural Crops)
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