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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses of Horticultural Plants: 2nd Edition
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Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses of Horticultural Plants: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Biotic and Abiotic Stress".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2026 | Viewed by 1883

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Changxia Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, 100 East University Road, Xixiangtang District, Nanning 530004, China
Interests: molecular biology of vegetable quality regulation and stress response
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yue Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Interests: stress physiology of vegetables and regulation of fruit quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the tremendous success of the first edition of the Special Issue “Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses of Horticultural Plants” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/horticulturae/special_issues/B0K917NYDS), we are eager to further advance research in this area.

Plants are continuously affected by a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses. Biotic and abiotic stress, such as increased periods of water shortage, the presence of heavy metals, higher temperatures, salinity, nutrient availability, increased CO2 concentrations, and diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, nematodes, and herbivores, can affect the growth and development of most horticultural plants. Currently, many investigations have highlighted the positive aspects of gas signal molecules as well as plant hormones, such as hydrogen gas, hydrogen sulfide, auxins, gibberellins, abscisic acid, cytokinins, ethylene, salicylic acid, and jasmonic acid, under biotic and abiotic stresses. The advent of genomic studies and gene discovery has also presented an excellent opportunity to improve the stress tolerance of horticultural plants. This Special Issue will consider the biotic and abiotic stress responses of horticultural plants. Under stress, horticultural plants generate some appropriate regulatory mechanisms, including gas signal molecules, plant hormones, genomics, metabolomics, etc., which are welcome submission topics.

Dr. Changxia Li
Dr. Yue Wu
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

  • plant hormones
  • gas signal molecules
  • plant growth and development

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3696 KB  
Article
Leucine-Rich Repeat Protein 13 Activates Immunity Against Ralstonia solanacearum and Thermotolerance in Pepper
by Jinfeng Huang, Yibin Lu, Yu Huang, Sheng Yang and Shuilin He
Horticulturae 2025, 11(12), 1485; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11121485 - 8 Dec 2025
Viewed by 294
Abstract
Pepper (Capsicum annuum), a widely cultivated vegetable of significant economic importance globally, is frequently subjected to attacks from pathogens such as Ralstonia solanacearum, as well as high-temperature stress. However, the mechanisms by which pepper combats these stresses remain poorly understood. [...] Read more.
Pepper (Capsicum annuum), a widely cultivated vegetable of significant economic importance globally, is frequently subjected to attacks from pathogens such as Ralstonia solanacearum, as well as high-temperature stress. However, the mechanisms by which pepper combats these stresses remain poorly understood. Herein, we reported that the expression of the leucine-rich repeat protein CaLRR13, which lacks a nucleotide-binding site (NBS), kinase domains, and a transmembrane region, was transcriptionally activated by both R. solanacearum inoculation and high-temperature stress. Through transient overexpression in the epidermal cells of Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, we found that CaLRR13 localized in both the cytoplasm and the nuclei. Reducing the expression of CaLRR13 via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) increased the sensitivity of pepper to R. solanacearum infection and high-temperature exposure, accompanied by reduced expression of immunity- and thermotolerance-related genes, including CaWRKY40, CaPR1, CaNPR1, CaDEF1, and CaHSP24. In contrast, transient overexpression of CaLRR13 in pepper leaves induced a like-hypersensitive response (HR) and enhanced the expression of the aforementioned immunity- and thermotolerance-related genes. Thus, we conclude that CaLRR13 plays a positive role in pepper immunity against R. solanacearum and thermotolerance, providing a new perspective on the crosstalk and management of plant responses to these two stresses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses of Horticultural Plants: 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 5161 KB  
Article
CsMYB6 Mediates the Involvement of CsABCG6 in the Transport and Biosynthesis of Anthocyanins in Chaenomeles speciosa Flowers Under Drought Conditions
by Shuangyu Zhang, Xiling Chen, Xingyue Xue, Yaping Xu, Xiaoxiao Liu and Aimei Tian
Horticulturae 2025, 11(11), 1378; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11111378 - 15 Nov 2025
Viewed by 418
Abstract
Chaenomeles speciosa, a plant species with high ornamental value, exhibited significant darkening of its petal coloration under drought conditions. This chromatic alteration primarily stems from anthocyanin biosynthesis and transport. Through integrated proteomic and transcriptomic analyses, we identified CsABCG6, a transporter of the [...] Read more.
Chaenomeles speciosa, a plant species with high ornamental value, exhibited significant darkening of its petal coloration under drought conditions. This chromatic alteration primarily stems from anthocyanin biosynthesis and transport. Through integrated proteomic and transcriptomic analyses, we identified CsABCG6, a transporter of the ABCG subfamily, as a key regulator. The molecular docking analysis preliminarily demonstrated that CsABCG6 bound to anthocyanin monomers. Functional characterization revealed a dual role of CsABCG6 in regard to anthocyanin metabolism; it displayed anthocyanin transport activity in yeast systems, whereas transient transformation assays confirmed its capacity to enhance anthocyanin biosynthesis. Stable transformation experiments in tobacco further validated the anthocyanin-promoting function of the previously identified transcription factor CsMYB6. Yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and dual-luciferase assays (LUC) established that CsMYB6 transcriptionally activates the CsABCG6 promoter, thus collectively defining the CsMYB6-CsABCG6 signaling module as a critical mechanism for the precise dynamic regulation of anthocyanin metabolism under drought stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses of Horticultural Plants: 2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 6047 KB  
Article
Methyl Jasmonate Mediates ALA-Induced Salt Tolerance in Tomato Seedlings
by Junfang Feng, Yongmei He, Peng Bai, Junwen Wang, Jiaqi Chen, Xingpan Shang, Yue Wu, Jihua Yu, Zhongqi Tang, Zeci Liu and Jianming Xie
Horticulturae 2025, 11(11), 1363; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11111363 - 13 Nov 2025
Viewed by 457
Abstract
5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a natural and environmentally friendly plant growth regulator that plays an important role in enhancing plant tolerance to a wide range of environmental stresses. Exogenous application of ALA enables rapid and efficient physiological regulation. Additionally, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) enhances [...] Read more.
5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a natural and environmentally friendly plant growth regulator that plays an important role in enhancing plant tolerance to a wide range of environmental stresses. Exogenous application of ALA enables rapid and efficient physiological regulation. Additionally, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) enhances salt tolerance in tomato seedlings by regulating ALA to promote jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation and strengthening the antioxidant defense system. To investigate how exogenous ALA alleviates salt stress physiologically, this study used ‘Condine Red’ tomato as the experimental material and examined the effects of MeJA-mediated ALA on the growth characteristics and stress tolerance mechanisms of tomato seedlings under salt stress. The results indicated that salt stress significantly inhibited tomato seedling growth, leading to marked reductions in biomass, chlorophyll content, and the enzymatic activities of POD, CAT, and APX. In contrast, SOD activity, MDA content, NPQ, soluble protein content, proline content, endogenous JA levels, and the expression of related genes were significantly increased. Under salt stress, exogenous application of ALA and MeJA alleviated the inhibitory effects on tomato seedlings. However, SHAM (salicylhydroxamic acid) aggravated salt stress damage to plants. The addition of ALA significantly mitigated these salt stress-induced injuries. These findings suggest that ALA may enhance salt tolerance in tomato seedlings by promoting JA accumulation and bolstering the antioxidant defense system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses of Horticultural Plants: 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 7364 KB  
Article
The Role of H3K27me3 in Eggplant’s Early Defense Against Frankliniella occidentalis
by Yueqin Zheng, Lanyan Huang, Houjun Tian, Qianxia Liu and Hui Wei
Horticulturae 2025, 11(10), 1269; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11101269 - 21 Oct 2025
Viewed by 481
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications are emerging as key regulators of plant stress responses. However, their role in eggplant (Solanum melongena)–western flower thrips (WFTs; Frankliniella occidentalis) interactions remains elusive. WFTs cause substantial economic losses in eggplant cultivation worldwide. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying [...] Read more.
Epigenetic modifications are emerging as key regulators of plant stress responses. However, their role in eggplant (Solanum melongena)–western flower thrips (WFTs; Frankliniella occidentalis) interactions remains elusive. WFTs cause substantial economic losses in eggplant cultivation worldwide. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying eggplants’ defense is critical for developing resistant varieties. We investigated the function of histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) in modulating the early transcriptional reprogramming of eggplants during WFT infestation. We performed ChIP-seq and RNA-seq on eggplant leaves at an early stage of WFT infestation to elucidate the epigenetic landscape and associated gene expression alterations. ChIP-seq analysis showed that genome-wide enrichment of H3K27me3 was mainly at the transcription start sites, with a notable decrease in WFT-infested plants. Concurrently, RNA-seq analysis identified 2822 genes that were upregulated following WFT infestation. Many of these genes associated with abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid pathways were upregulated, underscoring their central role in early plant defense. Integrated analysis revealed six genes with decreased H3K27me3 levels and concurrent upregulation, potentially involved in ABA and JA signaling. Thus, removal of the repressive H3K27me3 mark may facilitate the transcriptional activation of early defense genes in eggplants that are crucial in their response to insect herbivory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses of Horticultural Plants: 2nd Edition)
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