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Plants
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Strategies for Enhancing the Production of Secondary Metabolites in Plants
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Strategies for Enhancing the Production of Secondary Metabolites in Plants

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 3933

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Daniela Trono

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Guest Editor
Research Centre for Cereal and Industrial Crops, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Foggia, Italy
Interests: plant physiology and biochemistry; functional analysis of genes; abiotic stress; oxidative stress; secondary metabolites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant secondary metabolites are small molecules produced by plants and are crucial in processes associated with plant fitness, such as adaptation to changing environments and abiotic stresses, and the defense against pathogens, herbivores, and neighboring plants. These molecules are typically classified into three types depending on their structure and metabolic biosynthetic pathway: phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and nitrogen-containing compounds, such as alkaloids and glucosinolates. In recent decades, interest in secondary metabolites has been increasing due to their applications in different industrial sectors such as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, food additives, drugs, fragrances, and biopesticides. The market demand for such bioactive compounds is growing rapidly. This has generated a significant increase in the understanding of the regulation of plant secondary metabolism and, particularly, in the development of effective strategies for improving the production of these bioactive compounds by plants. These include, but are not limited to, traditional and molecular breeding technologies, and the most recent metabolic engineering approaches, including synthetic biology. Elicitation is another important strategy based on the application to plants of physical factors or certain chemical compounds that induce physiological changes and stimulate defense or stress-induced responses in plants, including the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.

In this context, the purpose of this Special Issue is to collect the most advanced research regarding the manipulation of the biosynthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites in plants. The information provided here will be useful for the development of effective tools that will help in better meeting the market needs for bioactive-based products and in increasing the role of these metabolites in plant growth and defense. 

Dr. Daniela Trono
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.

Keywords

  • secondary metabolites
  • elicitation
  • stress response
  • plant-growth-promoting bacteria
  • arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
  • molecular breeding
  • metabolic engineering

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 2506 KiB  
Article
Effect of Combining Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on the Growth of Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Plants and the Accumulation of Phytochemicals in Their Inflorescence
by Mariarosaria Sicignano, Romina Beleggia, Luisa del Piano, Tommaso Enotrio, Serafino Suriano, Francesco Raimo and Daniela Trono
Plants 2025, 14(10), 1519; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14101519 - 19 May 2025
Viewed by 507
Abstract
The feasibility of using a combination of organic fertilizer with a reduced rate of chemical nitrogen fertilizer as an alternative to conventional inorganic fertilization was tested on the growth and biomass accumulation of hemp plants and the phytochemical accumulation in their inflorescences. To [...] Read more.
The feasibility of using a combination of organic fertilizer with a reduced rate of chemical nitrogen fertilizer as an alternative to conventional inorganic fertilization was tested on the growth and biomass accumulation of hemp plants and the phytochemical accumulation in their inflorescences. To achieve this goal, a field experiment was set up with the following nine treatments: F0, no fertilizer; NPK, mineral fertilizer with 100 kg ha−1 nitrogen; C1, compost from solid digestate (50%) + cardoon-based spent mushroom substrate (50%); C2, compost from solid digestate (50%) + straw-based spent mushroom substrate (50%); C3, C4, C5, and C6, composts from solid digestate (50%, 67%, 75%, and 84%, respectively) and cardoon waste (50%, 33%, 25%, and 16%, respectively); SD, non-composted solid digestate. C1–C6 and SD were added to the soil, along with half the rate (50 kg ha−1) of chemical nitrogen fertilizer. Taking F0 as a reference, all fertilized treatments, except C6 and SD, showed a notable increase in plant growth and biomass accumulation in the stem, inflorescence, and whole plant. Among the organic treatments, the best growth performances were detected in C1 and C5, which reached, or even exceeded, that of NPK. Compared to F0, all fertilized treatments had high phenolic acid and flavonoid yields, while high carotenoid, tocopherol, terpene, and cannabinoid (mainly CBD) yields were detected in all fertilized treatments except C6 and SD. Among the organic treatments, C1 and C5 stood out for their highest phenolic acid, flavonoid, carotenoid, and tocopherol yields, while C1, C2, and C3 stood out for their highest terpene and cannabinoid yields, which, in both cases, reached, or even exceeded, those of NPK. Overall, our findings show that 50% replacement of inorganic nitrogen fertilizer with C1 to C5 composts may represent a cost-effective and environmentally safe alternative to conventional inorganic fertilization that can sustain the growth of hemp plant and the phytochemical accumulation in its inflorescences, thus promoting the use of this crop for fiber and bioenergy production, as well as for applications in food, nutraceutical, agrochemical, and cosmetic sectors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies for Enhancing the Production of Secondary Metabolites in Plants)
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Review

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24 pages, 1659 KiB  
Review
Enhancing Withanolide Production in the Withania Species: Advances in In Vitro Culture and Synthetic Biology Approaches
by Zishan Ahmad, Shareen, Irfan Bashir Ganie, Fatima Firdaus, Muthusamy Ramakrishnan, Anwar Shahzad and Yulong Ding
Plants 2024, 13(15), 2171; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13152171 - 5 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2704
Abstract
Withanolides are naturally occurring steroidal lactones found in certain species of the Withania genus, especially Withania somnifera (commonly known as Ashwagandha). These compounds have gained considerable attention due to their wide range of therapeutic properties and potential applications in modern medicine. To meet [...] Read more.
Withanolides are naturally occurring steroidal lactones found in certain species of the Withania genus, especially Withania somnifera (commonly known as Ashwagandha). These compounds have gained considerable attention due to their wide range of therapeutic properties and potential applications in modern medicine. To meet the rapidly growing demand for withanolides, innovative approaches such as in vitro culture techniques and synthetic biology offer promising solutions. In recent years, synthetic biology has enabled the production of engineered withanolides using heterologous systems, such as yeast and bacteria. Additionally, in vitro methods like cell suspension culture and hairy root culture have been employed to enhance withanolide production. Nevertheless, one of the primary obstacles to increasing the production of withanolides using these techniques has been the intricacy of the biosynthetic pathways for withanolides. The present article examines new developments in withanolide production through in vitro culture. A comprehensive summary of viable traditional methods for producing withanolide is also provided. The development of withanolide production in heterologous systems is examined and emphasized. The use of machine learning as a potent tool to model and improve the bioprocesses involved in the generation of withanolide is then discussed. In addition, the control and modification of the withanolide biosynthesis pathway by metabolic engineering mediated by CRISPR are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies for Enhancing the Production of Secondary Metabolites in Plants)
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