Metabolomics in Agriculture Volume 2

Dear Colleagues,

During the last decade, metabolomics has developed from an emerging field to becoming an essential aspect in almost every study in plant biology. Such small molecules (primary and secondary metabolites, with molecular masses ≤ 1500 Da) constitute the end products of gene expression and define the phenotype of a cell or tissue under defined physiological conditions at the biochemical level. As a post-genomic approach, metabolomics has proven to be a powerful and indispensable tool for interrogating cellular biochemistry and investigating metabolism and its reciprocal crosstalk with cellular signaling and regulation.  The recent resurgence of interest in metabolism and increasing awareness about the physiological insights that can be obtained by measuring the total small-molecule complement of a biological system have made metabolomics a central pillar in systems biology approaches. Metabolite profile patterns can thus provide a holistic signature of the physiological state under study as well as deeper knowledge of specific biochemical processes.

This Special Issue is devoted to Metabolomics in Agriculture, and the topics that will be covered include (not exclusively) studies on the metabolomic analyses of host responses to biotic stresses such as pathogen infection and insect attacks; mechanisms of adaptation to abiotic stresses such as drought, heat and salt and the mitigating effects of bio-stimulants; and the optimization and development of crop traits to enhance diet and health.

Prof. Dr. Ian Dubery
Prof. Dr. Lizelle A. Piater
Dr. Fidele Tugizimana
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. Metabolites 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 2700 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.