Integrated Quality Regulation in Horticultural Crops

Dear Colleagues,

The quality of horticultural crops, encompassing traits such as nutritional value, flavor profiles, visual appeal, and postharvest longevity, is of paramount importance for both consumer satisfaction and agricultural sustainability.

This Special Issue focuses on the multifaceted regulation of quality attributes through the integration of innovative cultivation strategies and cutting-edge molecular approaches. We welcome research exploring how agronomic practices—including environmental control, nutrient management, and precision irrigation—influence plant quality traits. Concurrently, investigations into molecular pathways, such as gene expression networks, phytohormone signaling, and epigenetic modifications that underlie quality formation, are highly encouraged. Studies leveraging omics technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics) combined with classical genetic approaches to dissect quality-related traits are particularly relevant. Additionally, research addressing the impacts of abiotic/biotic stress on quality, postharvest physiology, and the interplay between primary and secondary metabolism in regulating nutritional or sensory attributes is welcome.

By bridging cultivation techniques and molecular regulation, this Issue aims to advance our understanding of how to sustainably enhance horticultural crop quality. Contributions spanning original research, reviews, and perspectives that provide theoretical insights or practical applications in quality regulation are welcomed.

Dr. Bo Xiong
Prof. Dr. Zhihui Wang
Guest Editors

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