Research on Cultivation and Biological Activity of Medicinal Plants in Horticultural Production

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinals, Herbs, and Specialty Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 1489

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Plant and Fungal Diversity and Resources, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: plant embryology; higher plants plant biotechnology; in vitro micropropagatio

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Guest Editor
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 23 Acad. G. Bonchev Street, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: phenolic compounds; exudate flavonoids; essential oils; chemoecology; pesticide action; antioxidants; pharmacological activity; GC/MS analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Collection from wild and agricultural medicinal plants remains the most important method of obtaining active plant-derived substances. However, collection from the wild, especially for species in high demand, can cause the loss of genetic diversity and habitat destruction due to over-collection. To meet the increasing demand for these plants, it is becoming vital that we conserve them, through domestication and cultivation or other ex-situ or in situ conservation measures, to guarantee their sustainable use. An emphasis on the cultivation of wild forms, rather than collection from the wild, would also protect plants’ botanical identity and ensure their genetic improvement, quality, and continuity of supply. This cultivation would need to be initiated under well-defined conditions, taking into account the requirements of different species.

This Special Issue will present findings in the field of the identification of the biologically active substance (BAS) content of cultivated medicinal plants. Also within our scope are the effects of cultivation practices on the bioactivity of medicinal plants, such as the influence of abiotic factors (irrigation regimes, soil, light) and cultivation methods (in vitro propagation, hydroponics, greenhouse, open-field) on the BAS content in medicinal plants. Articles related to the effectiveness of BASs from medicinal plants as biocides and pesticides, as well as phenological variations in their content during cultivation, are also welcome.

Dr. Elina Yankova-Tsvetkova
Dr. Milena Nikolova
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • allelopathic properties
  • chemoecology
  • biocide activity
  • bioactive compound identification
  • sustainable use
  • propagation
  • ex situ growth
  • biodiversity conservation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 10078 KB  
Article
Suspension Culture Optimization and Transcriptome-Guided Identification of Candidate Regulators for Militarine Biosynthesis in Bletilla striata
by Yang Li, Mengwei Xu, Hongwei Li, Ning Yang, Weie Wen, Lin Li, Laoxeun Yising, Sysouvong Vadsana, Vannavong Sonekeo and Delin Xu
Horticulturae 2025, 11(11), 1315; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11111315 - 2 Nov 2025
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Abstract
Background: Bletilla striata is a medicinal orchid, whose bioactive constituent militarine has therapeutic interest but limited natural availability. Suspension culture coupled with transcriptomics offers a scalable production route and a means to uncover biosynthetic regulators. Methods: Four B. striata landraces were evaluated. Single-factor [...] Read more.
Background: Bletilla striata is a medicinal orchid, whose bioactive constituent militarine has therapeutic interest but limited natural availability. Suspension culture coupled with transcriptomics offers a scalable production route and a means to uncover biosynthetic regulators. Methods: Four B. striata landraces were evaluated. Single-factor experiments and response surface methodology optimized sucrose, NH4NO3, and agitation to maximize biomass and militarine yield. Militarine and four related metabolites were quantified by HPLC-UV. For transcriptomics, RNA from high- and low-producing landraces was sequenced on Illumina HiSeq, assembled de novo, and analyzed with RSEM (FPKM) and DESeq2 to identify DEGs. Results: The landrace SMPF-NL achieved the highest militarine yield (33.06 mg/g) under optimized conditions (sucrose, 35 g/L; NH4NO3, 625 mg/L; agitation, 135 rpm; and half-strength MS medium with 1.0 mg/L of 6-BA, 3.0 mg/L of 2,4-D, and 0.5 mg/L of NAA). Transcriptomic profiling highlighted candidate biosynthetic and regulatory genes, including SuSy2, SUS, ALDO, AOC3, Comt, GOT2, MAOB, BGLU20, and BGLU22. Conclusions: We present an optimized suspension culture system and transcriptomic leads that lay the groundwork for the functional validation and scale-up of controlled militarine production. Full article
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12 pages, 425 KB  
Article
Seed Germination Inhibitory Activity of Alkaloid Fractions from Narcissus pseudonarcissus cv. Carlton and Narcissus poeticus Leaves
by Milena Nikolova, Elina Yankova-Tsvetkova, Boriana Sijimova, Rumen Denev and Strahil Berkov
Horticulturae 2025, 11(10), 1154; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11101154 - 25 Sep 2025
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Abstract
Narcissus species have been cultivated for centuries around the world and are mainly used as cut flowers. Although the bulbs of these species have been widely examined as sources of alkaloids and biological activity, the leaves have been understudied. In the present study [...] Read more.
Narcissus species have been cultivated for centuries around the world and are mainly used as cut flowers. Although the bulbs of these species have been widely examined as sources of alkaloids and biological activity, the leaves have been understudied. In the present study alkaloid fractions of leaves from Narcissus pseudonarcissus cv. Carlton and N. poeticus L. were evaluated for inhibitory activity against seed germination of Lolium perenne L. and Trifolium pratense L. Separately, the metabolic profiles from seedlings of the target species were analyzed after treatment with a lycorine solution. The composition of methanolic extracts from seedlings and alkaloid fractions of Narcissus leaves were determined using GC/MS. The N. pseudonarcissus alkaloid fraction was more active than that of N. poeticus. Complete inhibitory activity of the alkaloid fraction was established at a concentration of 1 or 2 mg/mL, depending on the target species. Lycoramine and galanthine were identified as the main alkaloids of N. pseudonarcissus. 8-O-Demethylmaritidine, maritidine and homolycorine were found to be the predominant alkaloids of N. poeticus. Increased accumulation of some amino acids, saccharides and polyols, indicating protein synthesis inhibition, was the most common response of target species seedlings treated with 0.17 µM lycorine. The results showed the promising potential of alkaloid fractions from the leaves of Narcissus species as seed germination inhibitors. The study contributes to full utilization of the resources of these species and presents, to our knowledge, for the first time data on changes in the metabolic profiles of L. perenne and T. pratense seedlings after treatment with lycorine. Full article
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