Physiology and Innovation in Fruit Crops: Biostimulants, Stress Responses, and Postharvest Technologies
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural Science and Ornamental Plants".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 64
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plant physiology and stress responses; biostimulants application; food quality and composition; agricultural and biological sciences; phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties; climate change adaptation; waste and by-product valorization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: plant physiology and stress responses; food quality and composition; agricultural and biological sciences; biostimulants application; bioactive compounds; waste and by-product exploitation; phenolic compounds; antioxidant properties; fatty acids; climate change adaptation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: plant physiology and stress responses; biostimulants and development of novel bio-based formulations; fruit crop production, quality, and composition; phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties; adaptation to climate change in horticultural systems; valorization of agricultural wastes and by-products; agricultural and biological sciences
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Fruit crops, many of them emblematic of Mediterranean and Atlantic regions, are increasingly challenged by the impacts of climate change, including rising average temperatures, reduced precipitation, and the growing frequency and intensity of water and heat stress episodes. These factors compromise not only plant physiology and yield but also the sensory and nutritional quality of fruits, while further complicating their postharvest preservation.
In this context, the present Special Issue, "Physiology and Innovation in Fruit Crops: Biostimulants, Stress Responses, and Postharvest Technologies", aims to bring together scientific contributions exploring innovative strategies to enhance the resilience of fruit crops under adverse environmental conditions. Particular emphasis will be placed on studies addressing the use of biostimulants and their role in modulating physiological mechanisms of stress tolerance, such as stomatal regulation, antioxidant metabolism, and osmotic adjustment.
Additionally, this Issue welcomes research on innovative postharvest preservation strategies, including the application of edible coatings, smart packaging, and natural preservatives, with the goal of extending fruit shelf life while preserving their sensory and nutritional attributes.
Dr. Sílvia Martins Afonso
Dr. Ivo Vaz de Oliveira
Dr. Berta Gonçalves
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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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
- fruit crops
- plant physiology
- climate change
- abiotic stress
- biostimulants
- stress tolerance mechanisms
- postharvest technologies
- edible coatings
- bioactive compounds
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