Controlled Horticultural Production: Environment, Nutrition and Crop Responses

Dear Colleagues,

Horticultural production in controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) systems, including greenhouses, indoor farming systems with artificial lighting, and soilless cultivation systems, represents one of the most advanced agriculture sectors. Climate conditions, irrigation scheduling, nutrient management, and biostimulant applications interact closely to shape plant physiological and biochemical responses under both optimal and stress conditions. Understanding these interactions is essential for developing sustainable and resilient production strategies. Recent advances in sensors, automation, and AI-based decision support systems have significantly enhanced our capacity to monitor and control crop growing conditions in real time. Novel biostimulant products, ranging from microbial inoculants to bio-based extracts containing bioactive compounds, can further improve stress tolerance, stimulate plant growth and enhance resource use efficiency. These approaches can effectively address increasing concerns regarding environmental sustainability, water scarcity, and product quality demands.

This Special Issue aims to present high-quality research exploring the relationships among climate conditions, plant nutrition, stress alleviation, and crop performance in horticultural species grown in CEA systems. We welcome original research papers and reviews addressing innovative strategies that enhance productivity and sustainability, precision management technologies, plant stress responses, and water and nutrient use efficiency in controlled horticultural systems.

Dr. Evangelos Giannothanasis
Dr. Ioannis Karavidas
Dr. Dimitrios Fanourakis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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-anonymized 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 2400 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.