Breeding and Comprehensive Utilization of Characteristic Economic Crops

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Bast Fiber Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Changsha 410205, China
Interests: bast fiber crop; genomics; genetic improvement; molecular breeding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Hangzhou 310021, China
Interests: stress physiology

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Guest Editor
School of Agriculture, Yunnan University; Kunming 650504, China
Interests: high-efficiency crop cultivation; crop system simulation model; development and application

Special Issue Information

As an important part of the regional agricultural economy, the development and technological innovation of characteristic economic crops need urgent attention. Fiber crops such as hemp, flax, kenaf, and jute, alongside specialty vegetables like okra, possess traditional cultivation value but also have enormous potential to extend the industrial chain to alternative fields, including medicine, textiles, and food processing. However, research progress on these crops has been slow, especially the development of new varieties with stress resistance, high yield, and high-quality traits and the advancement of cultivation practices and product utilization technologies. Although significant progress has been made in biological breeding, cultivation, and product utilization technologies over the past few decades, resulting in significant improvements to major crops, research remains stagnant and limited. To promote the development of characteristic economic crops and support regional economic revitalization, this Special Issue of Plants will focus on researching potential mechanisms and innovative technologies, including new varieties of breeding, cultivation practices, and product processing.

Prof. Dr. Siyuan Zhu
Dr. Xia An
Dr. Kailei Tang
Guest Editors

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

  • characteristic economic crops
  • breeding
  • cultivation practices
  • product processing
  • physiological mechanisms

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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