Fruit Development, Ripening and Quality

Dear Colleagues,

Fruit development, ripening, postharvest performance, and quality are crucial factors for consideration in any breeding program involving fruit tree species, as they allow growers to select the best genotypes depending on the desired fruit characteristics. Early developmental stages play critical roles in determining fruit size and quality. Fruit quality is typically defined by pomological traits, which are sensorially perceived by consumers and provide valuable insights into the sensory appeal of fruit. Consequently, fruit quality is closely intertwined with sensory perception, with each concept being reliant on the other for a comprehensive understanding.

Distinguishing between physiological and commercial maturity is essential for defining appropriate treatments and storage conditions, ensuring desirable postharvest behavior. Striking a balance between shelf life and fruit quality is paramount for establishing an extended marketing window for high-quality produce with superior sensory appeal. While extensive research has focused on fruit quality and ripening in stone fruit trees, understanding the molecular foundations involved in these phenotypic traits, including genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, remains a priority. Despite substantial progress being made in recent decades, unanswered questions persist regarding fruit development, ripening, quality, and postharvest performance, as well as the intricate inter-relationships between these stages. Addressing the challenges associated with the polygenic nature and quantitative inheritance, primarily attributed to the multitude of physiological processes occurring during pre- and postharvest stages, remains a key focus.

This Special Issue, dedicated to different fruit development stages, aims to provide a comprehensive overview of related traits through the collaborative efforts of talented researchers. We invite researchers to submit advanced research into pre- and postharvest management factors associated with fruit development, ripening, fruit quality, and postharvest performance. Additionally, we welcome research focusing on molecular levels to enhance our understanding of these intricate processes.  

Dr. Juan A. Salazar
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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.

• fruit trees

• fruit growing
• ripening
• postharvest
• fruit quality
• sensory quality

• Fruit Quality and Ripening in Prunus in Plants (8 articles)