Innovative Strategies and Emerging Technologies for Enhancing Resilience to Multiple Abiotic Stresses in Horticultural Crops
A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Biotic and Abiotic Stress".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: horticultural crops; abiotic stress; fertilizers
Interests: horticultural crops; abiotic stress; gene editing; synthetic biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Horticultural crops are cornerstones of global food security and human nutrition, providing essential vitamins, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds. However, their productivity and quality are increasingly threatened by a cascade of abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, nutrient imbalances, and UV radiation. These pose unprecedented challenges to sustainable horticulture, particularly in resource-limited and urban agricultural systems.
To address these threats, there is an urgent need to explore innovative strategies and emerging technologies that enhance crop resilience beyond traditional approaches. This Special Issue aims at showcasing cutting-edge research in this domain, ranging from molecular advancements to field-applicable solutions.
We welcome studies on diverse innovations, including, but not limited to, gene editing and synthetic biology for stress-tolerant trait development; nanofertilizers and biostimulants that modulate stress responses; smart sensing technologies for real-time stress monitoring; precision irrigation and controlled environment agriculture (e.g., vertical farming) optimized for stress mitigation; and integrative agronomic practices (e.g., cover cropping and soil microbiome engineering) that enhance systemic resilience. Research investigating the underlying physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms of stress adaptation, as well as interdisciplinary approaches combining engineering, data science, and plant biology, is strongly encouraged.
Such contributions will advance our ability to sustain horticultural productivity under a changing climate, ensuring food security and nutritional quality for future generations. We invite original research articles, reviews, and short communications that drive this critical field forward.
Dr. Ziping Chen
Prof. Dr. Yi Han
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
- horticultural crops
- abiotic stress
- gene editing
- synthetic biology
- fertilizers
- precision irrigation
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