Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs): The Connection between Cultivation Practices and Biological Properties

Dear Colleagues,

Cultivation management is essential to balance the fundamental parameters for medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) as biomass and the production of high-quality essential oils and extracts with remarkable properties.

With the world’s population increasing rapidly, the production of food will have to double, biodiversity will be eliminated, and water quantity and quality will be reduced. Moreover, there will be no new croplands to cultivate, and the ones already in use will be deteriorated through over/bad fertilization. Medicinal plants and their essential oils and other extracts comprise more than just a modern fad. Apart from being a source of food, many MAP species are used as non-food industrial products, pharmaceuticals, herbal health products, cosmetics, plant protection products, etc. For their industrialization, cultivations should be standardized in a way to produce material that exhibits repeatable attributes and components. This could be accomplished by defining the proper nutrient needs for each species along with proper cultivation practices. Research activities are needed to determine the needs of each crop, industrial or edible, in order to secure plant uniformity connected to the cultivation practice applied.

Τhis Special Issue will cover research aspects related to the cultivation practices of medicinal and aromatic plants (extensive and intensive cultivations, soil, alternative substrates, hydroponics, abiotic and biotic stress, etc.) and how they can affect the biomass production (fresh or dried), nutritional value, and biological properties (antioxidant, antibacterial, insecticidal, cytotoxic, repellent, attractant, etc.) of various medicinal plant extracts. Research on the effects on essential oil quality and quantity is also welcome.

Dr. Antonios Chrysargyris
Prof. Dr. Helen D. Skaltsa
Dr. Maria Konstantopoulou
Guest Editors

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