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Postharvest and Storage of Horticultural Plants
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Postharvest and Storage of Horticultural Plants

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2026) | Viewed by 4203

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yuquan Duan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing 100193, China
Interests: postharvest physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growth rate of horticultural products has increased considerably in recent years. However, they are susceptible to environmental stresses related to postharvest and storage, resulting in quality deterioration and even decay, causing great losses of horticultural products worldwide. Scientists have carried out a lot of work on crop responses to environmental stress and have made positive progress regarding cold signaling perception and transduction, interactions between different plant hormones, transcription, and metabolic regulation. The study of postharvest and storage of horticultural plants products must now consider the metabolite perspective. It is necessary to carry out systematic research from physiological, molecular, genetic, multi-omics, and other perspectives to explore the response mechanism mediated by phytohormones in plant products.

Dr. Yuquan Duan
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 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. 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

  • postharvest
  • storage
  • horticultural plants
  • physiology
  • mechanism

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 2337 KB  
Article
Melatonin Improves Storage Quality of Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) by Inhibiting Sprouting, Weight Loss, and Lignification and Elevating Sweetness
by Jiawang Li, Jingjing Kou, Yong-Hua Liu and Guopeng Zhu
Plants 2026, 15(5), 839; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15050839 - 9 Mar 2026
Viewed by 472
Abstract
It has been well established that exogenous melatonin (MT) improves storage quality of many agricultural products. However, contrasting results have been reported in the regulation of MT with respect to several postharvest parameters, e.g., germination/sprouting and lignification, indicating that roles of MT may [...] Read more.
It has been well established that exogenous melatonin (MT) improves storage quality of many agricultural products. However, contrasting results have been reported in the regulation of MT with respect to several postharvest parameters, e.g., germination/sprouting and lignification, indicating that roles of MT may vary with plant species or storage environment. Previous studies mainly focus on above-ground organs including fruits, leaves, seedlings and flowers without addressing underground organs such as the storage root (SR) of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas). This study showed that spraying 0.5 mM MT solution improved postharvest quality of sweetpotato SRs during 40 d of storage at 15 °C. First, MT treatment inhibited SR sprouting by differentially regulating the content of germination-related hormones, i.e., increasing the content of ABA and JA but decreasing GA content. Second, MT reduced weight loss and lignification by inhibiting respiration as reflected by decreased respiration rate and hexose kinase activity. Third, MT treatment increased soluble sugar content by elevating the activity and expression of sucrose synthase (Sus) since the activities and expressions of invertases (CWIN, CIN and VIN) were inhibited by MT. Simultaneously, inhibited respiration by MT also contributed to increased content of soluble sugar by reducing their expenditure via glycolysis. Additionally, MT increased starch content by inhibiting β-amylase activity and possibly also by increasing Sus activity, which provides a substrate for starch biosynthesis. Finally, MT upregulated the activities of SOD, POD and CAT, which may improve storage quality of SRs by inhibiting senescence and lignification. This study provides an alternative option to maintain the storage quality of sweetpotato. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest and Storage of Horticultural Plants)
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Review

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33 pages, 1298 KB  
Review
Edible Coatings for Fresh Fruits: Functional Roles, Optimization Strategies, and Analytical Perspectives
by Siphumle Owen Jama, Robert Lufu, Umezuruike Linus Opara, Elke Crouch and Alemayehu Ambaw Tsige
Plants 2026, 15(1), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010132 - 2 Jan 2026
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1221
Abstract
Fresh fruits are inherently prone to postharvest deterioration due to loss of moisture, respiration, mechanical damage, and microbial decay, making quality preservation a persistent challenge across fresh fruit supply chains. While conventional plastic packaging offers barrier protection and cost-efficiency, its environmental footprint, particularly [...] Read more.
Fresh fruits are inherently prone to postharvest deterioration due to loss of moisture, respiration, mechanical damage, and microbial decay, making quality preservation a persistent challenge across fresh fruit supply chains. While conventional plastic packaging offers barrier protection and cost-efficiency, its environmental footprint, particularly poor biodegradability and increasing incidence of plastic waste necessitates a transition toward more sustainable alternatives. Among these, the use of edible coatings, primarily based on natural biopolymers, have emerged as a versatile strategy capable of modulating transpiration, gas exchange, microbial activity, and sensory quality while addressing environmental concerns. Unlike biodegradable plastic films, edible coatings directly interface with the fruit surface and offer multifunctional roles extending beyond passive protection. This review synthesizes recent advances in edible coatings for fresh fruits, with emphasis on material classes, functional performance, optimization strategies, and analytical evaluation methods. Key findings indicate that polysaccharide-based coatings provide adequate gas permeability but limited moisture resistance, while nanocomposite and multi-component systems enhance water-vapor barrier performance without compromising respiration compatibility. Incorporation of bioactive agents such as essential oils, nanoparticles, and plant extracts further extends shelf life through antimicrobial and antioxidant mechanisms, though formulation trade-offs and sensory constraints persist. The review also highlights critical limitations, including variability in barrier and mechanical properties, challenges in industrial-scale application, insufficient long-term validation under commercial cold-chain conditions, and regulatory uncertainty for active formulations. Future research priorities are identified, including mechanistic transport–physiology integration, standardized performance metrics, scalable application technologies, and life-cycle-informed material design. Addressing these gaps is essential for transitioning edible coatings from experimental sustainability concepts to robust, function-driven solutions for fresh-fruit preservation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest and Storage of Horticultural Plants)
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14 pages, 1547 KB  
Review
Advances in Cell Wall Dynamics and Gene Expression in Postharvest Fruit Softening
by Xumin Wang, Da Zhang, Tiantian Liu, Zhuo Yan, Xinmei Ji, Yusheng Li, Yaqin Wu, Hehe Cheng, Yingjie Wang, Jianchao Cui, Yongjie Wu and Long Chen
Plants 2025, 14(18), 2831; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14182831 - 10 Sep 2025
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2036
Abstract
Postharvest fruit softening is a critical determinant of fruit shelf life, significantly influencing mechanical damage susceptibility, pathogen invasion, and consumer preference. Collectively, these factors lead to substantial losses in the fruit industry. The structural modifications of cell wall and cuticle during ripening primarily [...] Read more.
Postharvest fruit softening is a critical determinant of fruit shelf life, significantly influencing mechanical damage susceptibility, pathogen invasion, and consumer preference. Collectively, these factors lead to substantial losses in the fruit industry. The structural modifications of cell wall and cuticle during ripening primarily govern fruit softening. The objective of this review is to synthesize recent advances and provide a comprehensive analysis of the molecular mechanisms underlying this process. In this review, we provide a comprehensive analysis of cell wall composition and softening-associated cell wall remodeling proteins. We examine recent advances in manipulating single or multiple genes encoding cell wall-modifying proteins that influence fruit softening, and identify key transcription factors regulating the expression of these gene networks. This review synthesizes current understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing fruit ripening, providing a foundation for future research in postharvest biology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest and Storage of Horticultural Plants)
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