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Horticulturalization of the 21st Century Cities

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A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2023) | Viewed by 19203

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Dr. Mirjana Ljubojevic

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Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: invasive plant species; invasive ornamentals; biodiversity conservation; ecosystem services
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

For several decades, urbanization has been identified as a major threat to sustainable urban development. As a consequence of urbanization, the amount of green space per capita is decreasing, and new innovative ways of implementing green infrastructure, such through urban horticulture—i.e., urban allotment and community gardening, vertical greening, rooftop greening, and similar—are thus being sought. Therefore, a return to nature is inevitable, and there is a growing trend of designing urban gardens that include edible ornamental species. The area of cities is restricted, which imposes the requirement to make the most of it, which in turn necessitates adding another dimension to decorativeness—that of utilitarianism. However, urban gardening and fruit growing carry important challenges. The first is the very limited space and therefore need to cultivate dwarf, columnar, or very narrow-pyramidal forms, most often in pots and other containers, which is mainly possible due to mutations that alter tree habits or by grafting on very low-vigor rootstocks. The second is the unacceptable application of conventional pesticides due to the immediate vicinity of the residence and plant cultivation, promoting the requirement for tolerant/resistant varieties.

This Special Issue aims to explore the latest findings related to the selection of edible ornamental plants to provide aesthetic value as well as nutritious vegetative mass or fruits; rootstock-related alterations that provide size-controlled trees for urban gardens; columnar, dwarf, weeping, and tortuous growth forms that are suitable for urban horticulture; disease and pest resistant/tolerant varieties that expand cultivation possibilities; progress in biopesticide research and application to foster urban gardening; selection of fruit trees that can manage urban pollutants in an ameliorative direction as well as alternative irrigation and brown water application.

Dr. Mirjana Ljubojevic
Guest Editor

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Keywords

aromatic, medicinal and vegetable species
biopesticides
dwarf fruit trees
edible landscaping
edible flowers
food safety
fruit quality
minor fruit crops
rootstock-induced alterations
sustainable development goals
urban gardening
urban substrates

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 7826 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Life Cycle Cost Analysis—Relevant Method Supporting the Decision to Establish an Apple Orchard in an Organic System

by Ionela Mițuko Vlad, Ana Cornelia Butcaru, Gina Fîntîneru, Liliana Aurelia Bădulescu, Florin Stănică and Cosmin Alexandru Mihai

Horticulturae 2023, 9(12), 1263; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9121263 - 24 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1087

Abstract

The life-cycle cost analysis is a method used to assess long-term economic efficiency among equivalent competing processes or products. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature and level of costs for an organic orchard located in Southern Romania, using a complex approach covering the entire chain of production, through its life span. The research results, based on a dynamic analysis and an integrated evaluation of the orchard’s performance, were ranked on investment and operational costs and broken down into three categories (establishment, production, post-harvest, transport costs). The highest costs, representing 151,726 EUR/ha/20 years, about 52.72% of the total operational costs and 50.4% of the total farm costs/ha/20 years, were recorded in the exploitation stage. The scenarios for the sensitivity analysis considered different levels of average yields (40 and 60 tons/ha, respectively) with different rates of sold productions (85%, optimistic scenario; 70%, pessimistic scenario). The hot points identified at the production stage were the use of agricultural machinery, several pesticides, the costs of seedlings, anti-hail nets, plastic boxes, and labor costs, while at the post-harvest stage, there were those related to labor and energy consumption. The transport stage had important costs with respect to tractor operations and the track. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticulturalization of the 21st Century Cities)

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37 pages, 5489 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Landscaping with Fruits: Citizens’ Perceptions toward Urban Horticulture and Design of Urban Gardens

by Tijana Narandžić, Sanja Ružičić, Milica Grubač, Magdalena Pušić, Jovana Ostojić, Veljko Šarac and Mirjana Ljubojević

Horticulturae 2023, 9(10), 1152; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9101152 - 20 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1436

Abstract

Urban horticulture represents a sustainable way of dealing with the challenges of modern cities, including urbanization processes, population growth tendencies, a lack of green areas, environmental pollution and food insecurity. This study aimed to (1) investigate the perceptions of citizens of Novi Sad municipality, Republic of Serbia, toward urban horticulture and (2) assess plant materials appropriate for cultivation in urban gardens and suggest urban spaces completely designed with the use of various forms of edible fruit species, including roses. The same questionnaire was administered with a four-year time gap, in 2019 and again in 2023, before and after the coronavirus pandemic. To investigate plant materials suitable for urban gardening, relevant articles in Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science platforms were searched. The questionnaires’ results showed significant differences between the two years concerning respondents’ attitudes toward urban horticulture’s impact on food safety, socialization and personal health and development, which could have been influenced by the pandemic. Vegetables were grown by most respondents, commonly in household yards and gardens. The main motivations for participating in community urban gardens were to grow food for their own consumption and to make charitable contributions, followed by the motivation ‘to socialize and relax’. Exemplary designs of an urban pocket, kindergarten yard and atrium courtyard are presented, providing insights into numerous possibilities for landscaping with fruits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticulturalization of the 21st Century Cities)

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23 pages, 3321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Morphological Characters, Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activities of Novel Garden Roses Edible Cultivars

by Nataša Simin, Marija Lesjak, Nemanja Živanović, Biljana Božanić Tanjga, Dejan Orčić and Mirjana Ljubojević

Horticulturae 2023, 9(10), 1082; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9101082 - 27 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1348

Abstract

Modern roses (Rosa × hybrida) are among the most important and economically profitable horticultural plants. Besides their beauty and remarkable fragrance, they are also rich sources of biologically active compounds with potential health benefits. The aim of this study was to valorize the prospective of six new genotypes of edible roses to be utilized as functional foods. Rose flowers were subjected to detailed characterization of morphological traits, fragrance analysis, GC-MS analysis of aroma carriers, determination of phenolic profile and vitamin C content, and evaluation of biological activities. The results showed that all the investigated cultivars have a favorable aroma for human consumption (pear-like, strawberry-like or fruity), high contents of phenolics and vitamin C, strong antioxidant content and moderate neuroprotective activity. They are characterized by large amounts of quercetin 3-O-glycosydes and quinic acid. The genotype ‘Marija Frayla’ stands out from others due to facilitated flower morphology, the highest level of total phenolics (217 mg of galic acid equivalents/g of dry extract) and the strongest antioxidant activity (in the DPPH assay, IC₅₀ = 9.24 µg/mL; and antioxidant potential in the FRAP assay was 220 mg ascorbic acid equivalents/g of dry extract), thus represents the most valuable amendment to the development of novel functional food products. The ‘Eveline Wild’ genotype has the highest neuroprotective activity (68.5 ng of eserine equivalents/g of dry extract), thus might be applied in the prevention of dementia. The ‘Pear’ cultivar with the lowest phenolics content and biological activity has a mild, fruity aroma, thus can be used in everyday eating. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticulturalization of the 21st Century Cities)

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12 pages, 960 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occurrence and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn., Sapindaceae) Fruit Samples

by Arwa A. AL-Huqail, Rattan Singh, Ivan Širić, Pankaj Kumar, Sami Abou Fayssal, Vinod Kumar, Rakesh Kumar Bachheti, Željko Andabaka, Madhumita Goala and Ebrahem M. Eid

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 989; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9090989 - 1 Sep 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1177

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the occurrence of eight heavy metals in lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) fruit samples collected from orchards of the Dehradun and Haridwar districts in Uttarakhand, India. Lychee fruit samples were collected from ten (10) sampling locations from May to June 2023 and analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Results showed that lychee fruit samples showed varying levels of selected heavy metals, i.e., Cd (0.009–0.095 mg/kg), Cr (0.079–0.960 mg/kg), Cu (0.095–0.258 mg/kg), Fe (0.254–0.531 mg/kg), Pb (0.000–0.011 mg/kg), Mn (0.862–1.903 mg/kg), Ni (0.166–0.310 mg/kg), and Zn (0.076–0.149 mg/kg). It was observed that lychee fruit sampling sites near urban and industrial areas had higher concentrations of heavy metals as compared to those in rural and agricultural areas. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) and clustered heatmap dendrogram results showed that several sites had significant similarities in terms of heavy metal availability. Overall, the levels of all heavy metals were below the safe limits as suggested by health risk studies. The selected indices such as daily intake of metals (DIM), health risk index (HRI), and target hazard quotient (THQ) did not exceed the standard limit which indicated consumption of lychee fruit was safe at all sampling sites. The results of this study emphasize the need to regularly monitor lychee heavy metal levels and implement sustainable agricultural and environmental practices to reduce contamination sources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticulturalization of the 21st Century Cities)

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24 pages, 1339 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quality and Yield of Edible Vegetables from Landscape Design

by Ana-Maria-Roxana Istrate, Mirela Cojocariu, Gabriel-Ciprian Teliban, Alexandru Cojocaru and Vasile Stoleru

Horticulturae 2023, 9(6), 615; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9060615 - 24 May 2023

Viewed by 1122

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of raised beds on crop production and quality in home gardens. The crops were grown using optimal management techniques and crop rotation principles based on organic farming. Three experimental versions were compared: V₁ with 40-centimetre-high raised beds, V₂ with 20-centimetre-high raised beds, and V₃ with ground-level beds as the control. The results showed consistent dry weight and moisture content across all three versions for most vegetable varieties. The sweet pepper ‘Barbara’ stood out significantly, as V₃ had the highest dry weight percentage (10.28%) and V₂ had the highest moisture content percentage (93.40%). Nutrient analysis revealed no significant differences in lipid, ash, protein, nitrogen, or caloric value among the different versions of most vegetables. However, version V₃ of the tomato ‘Tigerella’ showed the highest crude fibre content. Variations were observed in lycopene, ß-carotene, and calcium content among different versions of specific vegetables. Anti-nutritive compounds and average yield varied among the experimental versions for certain plant species. These findings have implications for dietary choices and can guide sustainable food production. It is recommended to consider raised beds, particularly V₃, for cultivating sweet pepper ‘Barbara’, and further research is encouraged to explore the potential health benefits of version V₃ of tomato ‘Tigerella’. These insights provide valuable vegetable science and nutrition information and can guide agricultural practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticulturalization of the 21st Century Cities)

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18 pages, 2318 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Study on the Behavior of Some Old Apple Varieties before and after Their Grafting, with Potential for Use in Urban Horticulture

by Olimpia Alina Iordănescu, Isidora Radulov, Ionuț Dascălu, Adina Berbecea, Dorin Camen, Manuela Dora Orboi, Cristian Constantin Călin and Tamara Edina Gal

Horticulturae 2023, 9(3), 353; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9030353 - 7 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1473

Abstract

Urban horticulture has to respond to several challenges, including reducing the growth vigor of the scion/rootstock combination, adapting the cultivated species/variety to the pedoclimatic conditions—more varied in recent years, and increasing tolerance to diseases and pests that cause extensive qualitative and quantitative damage to fruit production. For this experiment, 15 old apple varieties were chosen, all known and cultivated in the Banat area, which were grafted on the MM106 rootstock. Several parameters were analyzed that can be used for a relevant classification for planting them in limited spaces, such as in a private garden. Our research started 10 years ago and has already resulted in a doctoral thesis that extensively presents the data taken from the initial biological material and the first two years after grafting the trees; the research continued and is still ongoing in the experimental orchard. From the multitude of aspects studied, we have chosen to present some results related to the vigor of the scion/rootstock combination, the quality of the fruits, their content in acidity as well as the behavior with respect to diseases and pests—results that can be useful to those who want to grow old apple varieties in their own garden. Growth vigor was reduced in most varieties, but the highest influence of the rootstock on growth was observed in the ‘Bănățenesc’ variety, followed by ‘Jonathan de Munte’ and ‘Caslere’. Grafting and agrotechniques had a positive influence on the fruit mass in all cultivars, except ‘Crețesc’, with an experimental average of 163.35 g, namely 60.56 g higher on average than that of the original biological material. After grafting, the SSC was between 10.05 °Brix in the ‘Curcubătoase’ variety and 18.48 °Brix in ‘Parmen Auriu’, with an experimental average of 14.96 °Brix. The fruit acidity oscillated between 0.13 g/100 g in ‘Florănești’ and ‘Pătul’ varieties and 0.46 g/100 g in ‘Domnesc’, with an experimental average of 0.25 g/100 g. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticulturalization of the 21st Century Cities)

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18 pages, 1378 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mapping the Preferences of Apple Consumption in Romania

by Ionela Mițuko Vlad, Ana Cornelia Butcaru, Gina Fîntîneru, Liliana Bădulescu, Florin Stănică and Elena Toma

Horticulturae 2023, 9(1), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9010035 - 30 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2541

Abstract

The fruit sector in Romania and, particularly, the apple production sector, is considered to have been in decline in recent decades. Changes in the behavior and consumption habits of the population, together with climate change and the increase in fruit imports, have caused shortages in this sector. Apples are regarded as a national fruit in Romania, but recently, there have been significant transformations in apple production and consumption. In order to practically observe the recorded information published in a database for this sector, we developed a questionnaire, which was completed by people in Romania. The aim of this paper was to identify the types of apple consumer profiles in Romania. The reason for choosing this specific fruit was linked to the investigated objective of the projects to which this article is related. Regarding the approached methodology, the paper focused on analyzing descriptive statistics, frequencies and clustering, by which means we designed a pattern of the apple consumer profiles in Romania. Furthermore, the profiles of respondents from two regions of Romania (South-Muntenia and South-East Regions) were explored in more detail. The findings of this research indicate a young, educated consumer profile and a distinct pattern revealed by the three clusters from the specific regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticulturalization of the 21st Century Cities)

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15 pages, 1376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Horticulture Practices to Predict Consumer Attitudes towards Green Hotel Visit Intention: Moderating the Role of an Environmental Gardening Identity

by Ibrahim A. Elshaer, Alaa M. S. Azazz, Faleh A. Ameen and Sameh Fayyad

Horticulturae 2023, 9(1), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9010031 - 27 Dec 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2610

Abstract

A successful expansion and intensification of the links between tourism and horticulture is needed for tourism to contribute to economic diversification. Without inter-sectoral coordination and the cultivation of sustainable links between tourism demand and other sectors in the destination’s economy, tourism will be unable to function as a driver of tourist attraction. Therefore, tourism needs to establish ties with other industries, such as agriculture, to positively contribute to the surrounding area’s economy and improve the quality of life in rural and urban areas. The current study explores the sustainable gardening practices (SGP) in hotels and their impact on predicting tourist revisit intention with the mediating role of tourist attitudes (ATT) toward green hotels and assessing the environmental gardening identity (EGID) as a moderator. Dyadic data were collected from 286 guests and hotel gardeners and was analyzed by PLS-SEM. The results revealed that sustainable gardening practices positively (R² = 0.581) and significantly (p > 0.05) improve tourist revisit intention through the mediating role of tourist attitudes toward green hotels. At the same time, the empirical results supported the moderation effects of the EGID on the links between SGP and ATT. Several practical and theoretical implications were discussed and elaborated upon. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticulturalization of the 21st Century Cities)

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18 pages, 1800 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Selection of Garden Roses to Improve the Ecosystem Services They Provide

by Biljana Božanić Tanjga, Mirjana Ljubojević, Aleksandar Đukić, Mirjana Vukosavljev, Olivera Ilić and Tijana Narandžić

Horticulturae 2022, 8(10), 883; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8100883 - 27 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2401

Abstract

With pronounced morphological and phenological diversity, garden roses have always been part of urban plantings. The significance of roses in ornamental and utilitarian (edible) horticulture can significantly be amended with novel ecosystem services, by shifting their breeding targets towards more than aesthetic and nutritional value. Thus the aim of this paper was to investigate the possibilities of newly bred (within the past decade) garden roses from the ‘Mella’ series as a possible ornamental, disease tolerant and bee attracting cultivars to be recommended in urban ecosystems, adding values to their current ecosystem services. Research goals were to determine the morphological characteristics; honey and wild bees’ abundance and its correlation with rose morphological and floral characteristics; disease resistance/tolerance to main rose fungal diseases; and suitability of ‘Mella’ roses in urban greenery providing multiple ecosystem services. Plant material included seven garden rose cultivars from the ‘Mella’ series. Analyses included complete morphological—qualitative and quantitative characterization of plant and flower traits, fragrance panel scoring and volatile components analyses, counts of honey bees visiting flowers and counts of different wild bee species as potential pollinators. Based on the obtained results significant variability in vegetative and generative plant characteristics was noted in investigated ‘Mella’ roses. With their ‘naturalistic’ overall appearance, comparable with wild roses, ‘Mella’ cultivars differed in plant height and habitus, number and type of flowers, leaf coloration and glossiness, but ‘Barbie Mella’ and ‘Ruby Mella’ positioned as the most decorative ones. ‘Barbie Mella’ was highly scored for overall fragrance, with the most divergent panel records for fragrance components and mixed volatile compounds, characterized by the balanced ratio (almost 1:1:1) between aromatic alcohol + terpenoids, straight-chain alkanes and long-chain alkanes. In relation to the honey bee’s attraction, a combination of plant height, fragrance, flower type (single, simple), flower diameter and accessibility seems to be crucial, rather than any characteristic solely. As an outstanding bee-attractor ‘Barbie Mella’ should be promoted as an ornamental disease-tolerant rose cultivar. Due to their aesthetic values, disease tolerance and bees visitations, ‘Mella’ roses ‘Barbie’, ‘Ruby’, ‘Ducat’ and ‘Exotic’ should be planted as a part of urban semi-natural gardens/landscapes, concomitantly contributing to the multiple ecosystem services—provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting. Until their worldwide availability, other ‘Mella’-like wild and cultivated roses should be investigated and promoted likewise. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticulturalization of the 21st Century Cities)

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25 pages, 11733 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Conventional Economic Viability as a Potential Barrier to Scalable Urban Agriculture: Examples from Two Divergent Development Contexts

by Arun Kafle, James Hopeward and Baden Myers

Horticulturae 2022, 8(8), 691; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8080691 - 31 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2335

Abstract

Urban Agriculture (UA) is the widespread practice of food production within available city space using non-commercial, commercial and hybrid production technologies. The economic viability of UA remains a concern among UA practitioners. To investigate UA’s viability; land, labour and distribution cost are analyzed, and margin and benefit–cost ratio (BCR) under vacant lot, rooftop/backyard and discretionary labour UA are calculated. We present a straightforward approach to gauge the economic viability of UA taking examples from 40 distinct locations of two divergent development contexts of Adelaide, South Australia and Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. UA seems potentially viable by selecting high-value crops in Adelaide but showed little chance of viability under low-value crop scenarios in both contexts. The high cost of land is shown to be the primary driver of cost for UA. Labour cost appears to be a critical difference between the two cities, being an important constraint for the economic viability in Adelaide, where the wage rate is high. To improve economic viability, the respective governments and planners should consider better ways to avail subsidised land through policy intervention and volunteer or subsidised labour arrangement mechanisms. Home food gardens accessing available land and labour as a discretionary/spare time activity with zero distribution cost may represent the best way to produce food without exceeding market costs in cities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticulturalization of the 21st Century Cities)

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