Potential of Neglected and Underutilized Plant Species as Future Crops under Climate Change

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 2985

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Technologies, Life Sciences University "King Michael" from Timisoara, 119 Calea Aradului, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: plant physiology; abiotic stress in plants; biodiversity; metabolomics; biomass production; chlorophyll and proline content; active compounds; horticultural crops
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Horticulture, Bioengineering of Horticultural and Viticultural Systems Department, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Bdul. Mărăşti, nr. 59, 011464 București, Romania
Interests: fruit growing technologies; planting systems; canopy and organic orchard management; breeding of kiwifruit; Chinese jujube; pawpaw; persimmon; fig; peach and apricot

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Technologies, Life Sciences University "King Michael" from Timisoara, 119 Calea Aradului, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: plant breeding; quantitative genetics; biostatistics; biodiversity; genotype x environment interactions; plants bioactive compounds

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current context generated by climate change affects the security of life on Earth from multiple aspects. For an agricultural aspect, these changes can be disastrous, affecting food security. Global food systems are known to be dominated by three cultivated species: wheat, maize and rice, which comprise almost half of plant-based foods, and together with 25 other species account for 90–95% of global food needs. This limited agricultural diversity is very risky, having severe consequences on food security and global biodiversity.

Finding new, valuable food sources rich in active compounds is essential in the context of climate pressure, and neglected and underutilized species (NUS) are a viable alternative. These are cultivated, semi-domesticated or wild plant species that tend to be underutilized regionally and globally due to low market interest.

However, NUS are characterized by essential features related to the following:

  • high nutraceutical value, representing rich sources of vitamins, micronutrients and other phytochemicals, with strategic potential in reducing food security problems;
  • ecological plasticity manifested by the ability to adapt to marginal, complex and difficult environments, a good tolerance to biotic and abiotic stressors, which significantly contributes to the diversification of agroecological niches;
  • the possibility of cultivation within traditional production systems, with inputs reduced in quantity and value;
  • a set of useful genetic traits which are extremely important for future breeding programs, by improving the content of active principles, increasing nutraceutical value and sustainable and stress-tolerant production systems.

However, these species do not exceed the barrier of their cultivation and use as niche plants, due to cultural barriers, economic and social limitations, and insufficient knowledge of their potentials under the conditions of climate change.

Through this Special Issue, we aim to bring to highlight the importance of NUS to the scientific community in the current climate context, encouraging researchers to present the results obtained through review articles, short communications and original research papers.

Prof. Dr. Șumălan Radu-Liviu
Prof. Dr. Stănică Florin
Prof. Dr. Ciulca Sorin
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • propagation
  • biodiversity
  • stress tolerance
  • landraces
  • physiology
  • cultural practices
  • active compounds
  • characterization
  • valorification

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 633 KiB  
Article
Quantitative and Qualitative Production of Species Cucumis metuliferus and the Potential for Adaptation in the Context of Current Climate Change
by Rodica Soare, Maria Dinu, Cristina Babeanu, Mariana Niculescu, Marin Soare and Mihai Botu
Plants 2024, 13(13), 1854; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13131854 - 5 Jul 2024
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Abstract
Cucumis metuliferus E. Meyer ex Naudin belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. It is an annual vegetable species known as horned melon or kiwano. Fruits are recommended for the daily diet because they provide vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals to alleviate malnutrition and improve [...] Read more.
Cucumis metuliferus E. Meyer ex Naudin belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. It is an annual vegetable species known as horned melon or kiwano. Fruits are recommended for the daily diet because they provide vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals to alleviate malnutrition and improve human health. In this study, kiwano was cultivated in the climatic conditions of Southwestern Romania, which is characterized by warm summers, lower precipitation, and high temperatures, ensuring optimal conditions for growth and development. The fruits were harvested at three stages of consumption: immature stage (green), intermediate stage (white–yellow) or the mature stage (yellow–orange). They were also subjected to analysis on the productive yield and physical–chemical properties. The results showed that the number of fruits ranged from 13.9 to 15.3 fruits/plant, and their average weight had values from 204 g to 234 g, depending on the harvest stage. The results obtained for bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity indicated significant differences (p ≤ 0.05), depending on the harvesting stage. The highest values for the antioxidant capacity (140.90 μM TE/100g DPPH) and total polyphenols (48.78 TPC mg/100 g) were recorded in the immature fruit phase, as well as for the carbohydrate content (3.56%), total protein (1.98%), ascorbic acid (4.3 mg/100 g f.w.), and carotene (0.98 mg/100 g) in the mature fruit phase. These results may stimulate interest in the introduction of this species as a niche crop and for consumption as a source of natural antioxidants for the prevention of diseases due to oxidative stress. Full article
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17 pages, 1320 KiB  
Article
Quality Characteristics of Twelve Advanced Lines of Avena magna ssp. domestica Grown in Three Contrasting Locations in Morocco
by El hadji Thiam, Michael Dunn, Eric W. Jackson, Eric N. Jellen, Mark Nelson, Will Rogers, Carol Wallace, Gene Ahlborn, Majid Mounir, Teresa Yakovac, Shane Morris and Ouafae Benlhabib
Plants 2024, 13(2), 294; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13020294 - 18 Jan 2024
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Abstract
The popularity of oats (Avena sativa) continues to increase in the cereal market due to their health benefits. The recent domestication of Avena magna, a Moroccan oat, presents an opportunity to enhance these benefits due to their higher nutritional composition. [...] Read more.
The popularity of oats (Avena sativa) continues to increase in the cereal market due to their health benefits. The recent domestication of Avena magna, a Moroccan oat, presents an opportunity to enhance these benefits due to their higher nutritional composition. As the impact of microclimates on A. magna grain composition has not been explored, this study evaluates twelve A. magna ssp. domestica lines across three Moroccan locations, providing new data into microclimate effects on key grain characteristics. Significant variability is observed among lines and sites for nutrients, with mean protein, fat, and dietary fiber contents at 23.1%, 8.38%, and 7.23%, respectively. High protein levels, reaching 27.1% in Alnif and 26.5% in El Kbab, surpass the ‘Avery’ control (21.7% and 24.2%) in these environments. Groats from Bouchane exhibited elevated fat and fiber contents (10.2% and 9.94%) compared to the control (8.83% and 7.36%). While β-glucan levels remain consistent at 2.53%, a negative correlation between protein content, fat, and starch was observed. A. magna lines exhibited higher levels of iron (7.50 × 10−3 g/100 g DM) and zinc (3.40 × 10−3 g/100 g DM) compared to other cereals. Environmental conditions significantly influence grain quality, with El Kbab yielding higher protein and ash contents, as well as Bouchane having increased fat, fiber, and starch. Stability analysis indicates that fat content was more influenced by the environment, while 25% of protein variability is influenced by genetics. Lines AT3, AT5, AT6, AT13, and AT15 consistently exceeds both the mean for protein and fiber across all sites, emphasizing their potential nutritional value. This study highlights the potential of A. magna ssp. domestica to address nutritional insecurity, particularly for protein, iron, and zinc in domestic settings. Full article
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