Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.1
3.0
Journals
Horticulturae
Special Issues
Plant Secondary Metabolism and Its Applications in Horticulture
share announcement

Plant Secondary Metabolism and Its Applications in Horticulture

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Developmental Physiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 April 2026 | Viewed by 2071

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tengfei Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: secondary metabolism; plant genetics and breeding; natural products; plant biotechnology
Prof. Dr. Wanhong Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing 401331, China
Interests: phytoremediation; secondary metabolism; resistance to heavy metal pollution
Prof. Dr. Xin Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Interests: plant environmental adaptation; plant metabolism
Dr. Fei Qiu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: plant natural product biosynthesis; synthetic biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled "Plant Secondary Metabolism and Its Applications in Horticulture", aims to explore the significant role and potential applications of plant secondary metabolism in horticultural science. Plant secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids, phenolics, and terpenoids, are not only crucial for plant adaptation and stress resistance but also hold immense value in enhancing the quality of horticultural crops, improving pest and disease resistance, post-harvest preservation, and the development of functional compounds. This Special Issue will compile research on the biosynthesis, regulatory mechanisms, and practical applications of plant secondary metabolites in horticulture, covering cutting-edge topics such as metabolic engineering, plant–environment interactions, and sustainable horticultural technologies. We warmly invite researchers in related fields to submit original research articles, reviews, and perspectives to collectively advance the innovation and application of plant secondary metabolism in horticulture.

Dr. Tengfei Zhao
Prof. Dr. Wanhong Liu
Prof. Dr. Xin Zhang
Dr. Fei Qiu
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. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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

  • plant secondary metabolites
  • metabolic engineering
  • stress responses
  • bioactive compounds
  • phenolic compounds
  • terpenoids alkaloids
  • post-harvest quality
  • regulatory mechanisms

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 2188 KB  
Article
Chemical Profiling of Monoterpenes and Genome-Wide Discovery of Monoterpene Synthases in Artemisia annua
by Wuke Wei, Xinyue Lin, Zijian Le, Mengxue Wang, Xingyan Qin, Lingjiang Zeng, Yan Qian, Guoping Shu, Min Chen, Xiaozhong Lan, Bangjun Wang, Zhihua Liao, Yong Hou, Jingxin Mao and Fangyuan Zhang
Horticulturae 2025, 11(9), 1083; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11091083 - 8 Sep 2025
Viewed by 675
Abstract
Monoterpenoids serve as essential components of plant essential oils and play significant roles in plant growth, development, and insect resistance. Artemisia annua, an important medicinal plant, produces abundant terpenoids. While previous research on A. annua has predominantly focused on artemisinin biosynthesis [...] Read more.
Monoterpenoids serve as essential components of plant essential oils and play significant roles in plant growth, development, and insect resistance. Artemisia annua, an important medicinal plant, produces abundant terpenoids. While previous research on A. annua has predominantly focused on artemisinin biosynthesis and its regulation, studies on other terpenoids in this plant have significantly lagged behind. To comprehensively investigate monoterpene biosynthesis in A. annua, we analyzed monoterpenes across its different tissues using optimized extraction and chromatographic conditions developed to enhance sensitivity and resolution in our GC-MS-based analytical method. In A. annua, 31 monoterpenoid compounds were identified. Subsequently, eight candidate monoterpene synthases (mTPS) were characterized in Escherichia coli, confirming their catalytic activity in converting geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP) into distinct monoterpene products. Subcellular localization revealed these TPSs in chloroplasts, consistent with the widely reported chloroplast localization of TPS enzymes. These enzymes were functionally defined as monoterpenoid synthases, collectively responsible for synthesizing 18 monoterpenoid metabolites. Notably, AaTPS13, AaTPS19, and AaTPS20 exhibited substantial product promiscuity. Critically, the AaTPS19 was identified as the first known terpene synthase producing 2-pinanol. These findings systematically elucidate the biosynthesis of monoterpenoids in A. annua and provide key enzymatic elements for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology applications in monoterpenoid production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Secondary Metabolism and Its Applications in Horticulture)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 5881 KB  
Article
Biochemical Characterization of Ornithine Decarboxylases from Solanaceae Plants Producing Tropane Alkaloids
by Lingjiang Zeng, Tengfei Zhao, Mengxue Wang, Yifan Sun, Chengcun Liu, Xiaozhong Lan, Peng Song and Zhihua Liao
Horticulturae 2025, 11(7), 748; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11070748 - 30 Jun 2025
Viewed by 723
Abstract
Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines and plant alkaloids, including medicinal tropane alkaloids (TAs). Due to its key role, ODC has been utilized as an effective molecular tool in metabolic engineering. However, to date, only a limited [...] Read more.
Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines and plant alkaloids, including medicinal tropane alkaloids (TAs). Due to its key role, ODC has been utilized as an effective molecular tool in metabolic engineering. However, to date, only a limited number of plant ODCs have been characterized. Among the reported ODCs, Erythroxylum coca ODC (EcODC) exclusively has ODC activity, while Nicotiana glutinosa ODC (NgODC) exhibits dual ODC and lysine decarboxylase (LDC) activities. The potential LDC activity of ODCs from TA-producing plants remains unknown. Here, we characterized AlODC and DsODC from Anisodus luridus and Datura stramonium, along with two previously reported ODCs from Atropa belladonna (AbODC) and Hyoscyamus niger (HnODC), in Escherichia coli to investigate their enzyme kinetics and substrate specificity. Enzymatic assays revealed that both AlODC and DsODC catalyzed the conversion of ornithine to putrescine, confirming their ODC activity, with AlODC exhibiting a higher catalytic efficiency, comparable to established ODCs. Furthermore, all four ODCs also displayed LDC activity, albeit at significantly lower efficiency (<1% of ODC activity). This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the enzyme kinetics of ODCs from TA-producing plants, identifying promising candidate genes for metabolic engineering for the biomanufacturing of putrescine-derived alkaloids. Moreover, this is the first report of LDC activity in ODCs from Solanaceae TA-producing plants, shedding light on the evolutionary relationship between ODC and LDC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Secondary Metabolism and Its Applications in Horticulture)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop