Protected Cultivation of Horticultural Crops

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural Science and Ornamental Plants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 3230

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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy
Interests: plant biology; horticulture; fruit science; fruit quality; plant physiology; hydroponics; antioxidants; post-harvest physiology; vegetable production; horticulture research; post-harvest biology; fruit crop production processing; post-harvest handling; post-harvest technology; pomology; horticulture engineering; nutrients
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Guest Editor
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Biotechnology and Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29-Listopada 54, 31-425 Krakow, Poland
Interests: plant eco-physiology; biotic and abiotic stresses; biofortification and biostimulation of horticultural crops and cultivated mushrooms; functional food
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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
Interests: selenium; plant nutrition; secondary plant metabolism; antioxidants; medicinal plants; functional food; microalgae; crop systems; quality indicators
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Guest Editor
Department of Horticulture Sciences, Faculty of Horticulture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Interests: organic food science; management of vegetable growing; plant nutrition; conventional production systems; horticulture biodiversity
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vegetable crops are widespread worldwide and characterized by management systems differing from each other regarding the farming and post-harvest practices performed. However, all the systems should be managed to make them sustainable, both under production and environmental safeguard perspectives. The crucial role of either farming, post-harvest, or environmental factors on vegetable chains has received the scientific community’s attention and stimulated its research interests.

Among farming practices, fertilization plays a major role, as all essential macro- and micro-nutrients should be supplied to fulfill plant requirements for growth and development, thus boosting crop yield and improving produce quality. The use of beneficial microorganisms interacting with those naturally present in the plants, such as nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacteria, may enhance plant nutrient absorption, growth, yield, and quality, and affect antioxidant synthesis and activity.

Post-harvest management may regard all the possible types of product conditioning and/or processing and, in this respect, the final yield, quality, antioxidant compounds and activity, mineral composition, and waste valorization should be addressed.

Indeed, the several bibliographic reports relevant to the present topics have not resolved all the issues that have arisen and, therefore, in this interesting field of research, plenty of challenges should be addressed. In this respect, remarkable attention should be paid to the interactive dynamics among nutrient uptake, plant development, and the synthesis of antioxidants. The latter are essential plant secondary metabolites acting in plant growth as well as in plant–microbe, plant–plant, and plant-environment relationships, whose presence in significant concentrations also allows the production of vegetables labeled as functional foods.

In this Special Issue, we warmly welcome articles (original research, reviews, modeling approaches, perspectives, and opinions) that focus on factors affecting yield, quality, antioxidant compounds and activity, mineral composition, and the waste valorization of vegetable chains in the greenhouse cropping phase and/or in post-harvest management, carried out in investigations regarding the agronomical, biochemical, physiological, and genetic aspects of plants, soil, the microbiome, nutrients, and hormone interactions in any vegetable species, including those that are industry-oriented (legumes, tomato, and potato).

Prof. Dr. Gianluca Caruso
Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Sękara
Dr. Alessio Vincenzo Tallarita
Prof. Dr. Vasile Stoleru
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • protected cultivation
  • circular economy
  • sustainable production
  • quality, antioxidant properties
  • mineral composition
  • waste valorization

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1235 KiB  
Article
Effect of Selenium and Garlic Extract Treatments of Seed-Addressed Lettuce Plants on Biofortification Level, Seed Productivity and Mature Plant Yield and Quality
by Nadezhda Golubkina, Viktor Kharchenko, Anastasia Moldovan, Marina Antoshkina, Olga Ushakova, Agnieszka Sękara, Vasile Stoleru, Otilia Cristina Murariu, Alessio Vincenzo Tallarita, Maura Sannino and Gianluca Caruso
Plants 2024, 13(9), 1190; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13091190 - 25 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 794
Abstract
The enhancement of the plant seed yield and quality represents the basis of the successful productivity of the deriving crop. The effect of single and combined foliar treatments of lettuce plants with sodium selenate and garlic bulb extract on seed yield and quality [...] Read more.
The enhancement of the plant seed yield and quality represents the basis of the successful productivity of the deriving crop. The effect of single and combined foliar treatments of lettuce plants with sodium selenate and garlic bulb extract on seed yield and quality and on mature plant biochemical characteristics was investigated using four lettuce cultivars (Bouquet, Picnic, Moskovsky parnikovy and Cavalier). The seed production of plants treated with Se increased by 20–41%, compared to the untreated control plants, while the augmentation was as much as 10–23% and 17–27% under garlic extract and the joint application of Se and garlic, respectively. Garlic extract stimulated the accumulation of Se in lettuce seeds, which rose by 1.21–1.29 times compared to the Se-treated plants. The proline levels in lettuce seeds exceeded the corresponding values recorded in the control ones by 1.32–1.64 times in the case of the Se supply, 1.10–1.47 times upon garlic extract application and 1.09–1.31 times under the combined Se/garlic treatment. All the treatments given to lettuce plants increased the leaf weight by 1.10–1.30 times, compared to the untreated control. The seed Se levels positively correlated with the leaf weight (r = 0.621; p < 0.005), chlorophyll (r = 0.672, p < 0.002) and total antioxidant activity (AOA; r = 0.730, p < 0.001) of plants grown from these seeds. Positive correlations were also recorded between the seed proline content and lettuce plant leaf weight, chlorophyll and AOA (r = 0.868, 0.811 and 0.815, respectively, at p < 0.001). Lettuce yield was positively correlated with the leaf AOA, chlorophyll and ascorbic acid content (r = 0.942, 0.921 and 0.665, respectively, at p < 0.001). The results indicate high prospects of Na2SeO4 and garlic extract application to seed-addressed lettuce plants, to improve seed productivity and quality, as well as lettuce yield and quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protected Cultivation of Horticultural Crops)
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Review

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27 pages, 10447 KiB  
Review
Challenges and Opportunities in the Sustainable Improvement of Carrot Production
by Antonello Paparella, Prasada Rao Kongala, Annalisa Serio, Chiara Rossi, Liora Shaltiel-Harpaza, Amjad M. Husaini and Mwafaq Ibdah
Plants 2024, 13(15), 2092; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13152092 - 28 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1107
Abstract
From an agricultural perspective, carrots are a significant tap root vegetable crop in the Apiaceae family because of their nutritional value, health advantages, and economic importance. The edible part of a carrot, known as the storage root, contains various beneficial compounds, such as [...] Read more.
From an agricultural perspective, carrots are a significant tap root vegetable crop in the Apiaceae family because of their nutritional value, health advantages, and economic importance. The edible part of a carrot, known as the storage root, contains various beneficial compounds, such as carotenoids, anthocyanins, dietary fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients. It has a crucial role in human nutrition as a significant vegetable and raw material in the nutraceutical, food, and pharmaceutical industries. The cultivation of carrot fields is susceptible to a wide range of biotic and abiotic hazards, which can significantly damage the plants’ health and decrease yield and quality. Scientific research mostly focuses on important biotic stressors, including pests, such as nematodes and carrot flies, as well as diseases, such as cavity spots, crown or cottony rot, black rot, and leaf blight, caused by bacteria, fungi, and oomycetes. The emerging challenges in the field include gaining a comprehensive understanding of the interaction between hosts and pathogens in the carrot–pathogen system, identifying the elements that contribute to disease development, expanding knowledge of systemic treatments, exploring host resistance mechanisms, developing integrated control programs, and enhancing resistance through breeding approaches. In fact, the primary carrot-growing regions in tropical and subtropical climates are experiencing abiotic pressures, such as drought, salinity, and heat stress, which limit carrot production. This review provides an extensive, up-to-date overview of the literature on biotic and abiotic factors for enhanced and sustainable carrot production, considering the use of different technologies for the shelf-life extension of carrots. Therefore, it addresses the current issues in the carrot production chain, opening new perspectives for the exploration of carrots both as a food commodity and as a source of natural compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protected Cultivation of Horticultural Crops)
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