Crop Management for Phytochemical Enhancement

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Physiology and Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 4724

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: agronomy; sustainable crop production; biodiversity; fertilization; crop quality; nutraceuticals
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since ancient times, the natural products originating from plants have been used in folk medicine due to their healthy effects on the human body. Nowadays, it is known that such beneficial properties are associated with phytochemicals. Structurally, they range from simple phenolic molecules to highly polymerized compounds, such as carotenoids, fructo-oligosaccharides, sesquiterpene lactones and polyphenols, which include phenolic acidsflavonoids, glucosinolates, stilbenes or lignans. They exhibit a wide range of physiological properties involved in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis and other diseases. Currently, the perceived inferiority of synthetic antioxidants has led to an increased interest in the recovery and exploitation of natural antioxidants from plant sources to be used not only in the food industry, but also in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors. The quantity and spectrum of phytochemicals are known to be modulated by both biotic factors, such as genotype choice and defense mechanisms against pathogens and insect pest attacks, and abiotic ones, such as crop management practices and growing environment.

In particular, this Special Issue will highlight the impact of crop management practices (e.g., fertilization, irrigation, etc.) on the quality and quantity of phytochemicals in vegetable crops and their interactions with other pre-harvest factors. All types of articles, such as original research papers, opinions and reviews, are welcome.

Dr. Gaetano Pandino
Dr. Sara Lombardo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • phytochemical compounds
  • crop management
  • biotic factors
  • antioxidant compounds
  • abiotic factors

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 6259 KiB  
Article
Study on Betaine and Growth Characteristics of Lycium chinense Mill. in Different Cultivation Environments in South Korea
by Hyejung Cho, Dong Hwan Lee, Dae Hui Jeong, Jun Hyuk Jang, Yonghwan Son, Sun-Young Lee and Hyun-Jun Kim
Plants 2024, 13(16), 2316; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13162316 - 20 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1627
Abstract
Betaine is a useful compound that has various activities and is the marker compound of Lycium chinense fruit in Korean Pharmacopoeia. we seek to support the stable production of medicinal goji berries, which have significant potential in the pharmaceutical industry due to their [...] Read more.
Betaine is a useful compound that has various activities and is the marker compound of Lycium chinense fruit in Korean Pharmacopoeia. we seek to support the stable production of medicinal goji berries, which have significant potential in the pharmaceutical industry due to their high values, and to provide foundational data for consistent quality control. This study’s purpose was to examine the correlation among betaine content, environmental variables, and the growth characteristics of L. chinense fruits. The fruits were collected from 25 cultivation sites across South Korea. We investigated five growth characteristics and betaine contents in L. chinense fruits and twelve soil physicochemical properties, and seven meteorological data at cultivation sites. The fruit’s growth characteristics included a length of 15.62–26.49 mm, a width of 7.09–11.38 mm, a fresh weight of 0.73–1.62 g, and a sugar content of 11.10–19.62 Brix°. Its betaine content ranged from 0.54% to 0.97%. The betaine content was positively correlated with electrical conductivity (0.327 **), exchangeable potassium (0.314 **), and sodium (0.259 *) and negatively correlated with annual average minimum temperature (−0.256 *) and annual average temperature (−0.242 *). Also, betaine showed a positive correlation with the length of the fruit (0.294 *) and the fresh weight of the fruit (0.238 *). These results can be used to find the best cultivation method and to manage quality control for the highly economical L. chinense fruit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Management for Phytochemical Enhancement)
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13 pages, 1760 KiB  
Article
Increased Accumulation of Ginsenosides in Panax ginseng Sprouts Cultivated with Kelp Fermentates
by Kyung-Wuk Park, Jeong-Ho Kim, Beom-Gyun Jeong, Jun-Ki Park, Ho-Yeol Jang, Yun-Seo Oh and Kyung-Yun Kang
Plants 2024, 13(3), 463; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13030463 - 5 Feb 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2359
Abstract
Currently, new agri-tech has been developed and adapted for the cultivation of crops using smart farming technologies, e.g., plant factories and hydroponics. Kelp (Laminaria japonica), which has a high industrial value, was considered as an alternative to chemicals for its eco-friendly [...] Read more.
Currently, new agri-tech has been developed and adapted for the cultivation of crops using smart farming technologies, e.g., plant factories and hydroponics. Kelp (Laminaria japonica), which has a high industrial value, was considered as an alternative to chemicals for its eco-friendly and sustainably wide use in crop cultivation. In this study, a fermented kelp (FK) was developed for use in hydroponics. The FK contained various free and protein-bound amino acid compositions produced by fermenting the kelp with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Supplementing FK as an aeroponic medium when cultivating ginseng sprouts (GSs) elevated the total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Additionally, seven ginsenosides (Rg1, Re, Rb1, Rc, Rg2, Rb2, and Rd) in GSs cultivated with FK in a smart-farm system were identified and quantified by a high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detector/mass spectrometry analysis. Administering FK significantly increased the ginsenosides in the GSs compared to the control group, which was cultivated with tap water. These results indicate the FK administration contributed to the increased accumulation of ginsenosides in the GSs. Overall, this study suggests that FK, which contains abundant nutrients for plant growth, can be used as a novel nutrient solution to enhance the ginsenoside content in GSs during hydroponic cultivation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Management for Phytochemical Enhancement)
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