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Agriculture
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The Next Generation of Fresh Vegetables Linking Sustainability and Produce...
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The Next Generation of Fresh Vegetables Linking Sustainability and Produce Quality Design

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 20641

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rosario Paolo Mauro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via Valdisavoia, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: agronomic management in horticulture and floriculture; breeding of horticultural crops; crop physiology; vegetables quality; secondary metabolites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Carlo Nicoletto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Interests: modeling; plant physiology; statistical analysis; genetic diversity; food chemistry; irrigation; plant biology; predictive modeling; plant breeding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the light of the challenges brought along by climate change and vast rise in global population, the role of horticulture in ensuring food security and quality has become a pivotal subject. Fresh vegetables are key constituents of the modern diet, and their consumption is recommended to promote and improve the quality of life from health and nutritional viewpoints. Current statistics confirm that the consumption of fresh vegetables is constantly increasing in many regions of the world. Consequently, concerns about the sustainability of future production, together with the greater demand for high-quality fresh products, require the development of horticultural systems that are skilled in optimizing resource utilization and providing products suitable for consumers with growing needs. For these reasons, a new scientific approach that combines these two critical features of the current global context—the need to produce fresh vegetables in a sustainable way and to improve their qualitative and functional traits—is required.

Based on these challenges, this Special Issue welcomes original research papers, short communications, and review articles that provide insight on all topics related to sustainability and product quality design in horticultural systems. The focus is on the agronomical, environmental, technological and nutritional issues involved in meeting the high demands of consumers for fresh vegetables with long-term sustainability, convenience, and economic competitiveness.

Dr. Rosario Paolo Mauro
Dr. Carlo Nicoletto
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. Agriculture 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 2600 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

  • fresh vegetables
  • sustainable production
  • resource utilization
  • horticultural systems
  • food quality
  • vegetable composition
  • cultivation techniques
  • post-harvest technologies.

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 3356 KiB  
Article
Rhizosphere Microbiome Regulates the Growth of Mustard under Organic Greenhouse Cultivation
by Ting-Chung Liu, Hui-Mei Peng, Seth Wollney and Chang-Hui Shen
Agriculture 2021, 11(10), 987; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11100987 - 10 Oct 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3045
Abstract
Organic cultivation can improve soil fertility and biodiversity through the preservation of soil organic matter. Meanwhile, greenhouse cultivation can provide a controlled environment and therefore enables the management of every aspect of plant growth. In recent years, the combination of organic and greenhouse [...] Read more.
Organic cultivation can improve soil fertility and biodiversity through the preservation of soil organic matter. Meanwhile, greenhouse cultivation can provide a controlled environment and therefore enables the management of every aspect of plant growth. In recent years, the combination of organic and greenhouse cultivation has slowly become a popular option in tropical regions to prevent the unpredictable impact of weather. Although it is known that organic cultivation significantly increases the density and species of microorganisms, the impact of soil microbiome on short-term vegetable growth under organic greenhouse cultivation is still not elucidated. In this study, we examined soil physiochemical properties as well as the rhizosphere microbiome from healthy and diseased mustard plants under organic greenhouse cultivation. Through next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis, our results revealed that the rhizosphere microbiome structure of healthy mustard plants was significantly different from those of the diseased mustard plants under organic greenhouse cultivation. Our findings suggest that soil microbiome composition can influence the growth of the vegetable significantly. As such, we have shown the impact of soil microbiome on vegetable growth under organic greenhouse cultivation and provide a possible strategy for sustainable agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Next Generation of Fresh Vegetables Linking Sustainability and Produce Quality Design)
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10 pages, 275 KiB  
Article
Cover Crops and Manure Combined with Commercial Fertilizers Differently Affect Yield and Quality of Processing Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Organically Grown in Puglia
by Mariano Fracchiolla, Massimiliano Renna, Miriana Durante, Giovanni Mita, Francesco Serio and Eugenio Cazzato
Agriculture 2021, 11(8), 757; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11080757 - 9 Aug 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2512
Abstract
Nitrogen is crucial for the productivity of agricultural systems, although there is a growing demand for alternative cultural practices that reduce the off-farm inputs of this fertilizer. Cover crops provide a suite of services; among these, they can affect soil nitrogen content. In [...] Read more.
Nitrogen is crucial for the productivity of agricultural systems, although there is a growing demand for alternative cultural practices that reduce the off-farm inputs of this fertilizer. Cover crops provide a suite of services; among these, they can affect soil nitrogen content. In addition, the use of manure can contribute to a decrease in nitrogen loads from external inputs. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in processing tomato grown under an organic system, the combined use of cover crops (i.e., Vicia faba var. minor, Triticum aestivum, and Raphanus sativus) or cattle manure, with reduced rates of commercial nitrogen fertilizers. The yield and some important qualitative characteristics of the tomato fruits were considered. V. faba was able to enhance the effects of the external input of nitrogen with respect to the yield. External inputs increased tocopherol content with respect to the control but only when it was integrated with manure. The content of carotenoids was not affected by commercial fertilizer alone; however, when it was supplied in addition to cattle manure or incorporation of R. sativus, a decrease in β-carotene was observed. Moreover, lycopene also decreased when T. aestivum or R. sativus were used as cover crops. We conclude that the sowing of nitrogen-fixing cover crops or the use of manure are good strategies for combining internal and external inputs for the sustainable production of processing tomato. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Next Generation of Fresh Vegetables Linking Sustainability and Produce Quality Design)
17 pages, 1386 KiB  
Article
Influence of Harvest Stage and Rootstock Genotype on Compositional and Sensory Profile of the Elongated Tomato cv. “Sir Elyan”
by Rosario Paolo Mauro, Valeria Rizzo, Cherubino Leonardi, Agata Mazzaglia, Giuseppe Muratore, Miriam Distefano, Leo Sabatino and Francesco Giuffrida
Agriculture 2020, 10(3), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10030082 - 16 Mar 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3875
Abstract
The present experiment addressed the effects of two harvest stages, namely breaker (S1) and turning (S2), on compositional and sensory profile of grafted, greenhouse elongated tomatoes cv. “Sir Elyan”. The rootstocks “He-Man”, “Interpro”, and “Armstrong” were used. The S [...] Read more.
The present experiment addressed the effects of two harvest stages, namely breaker (S1) and turning (S2), on compositional and sensory profile of grafted, greenhouse elongated tomatoes cv. “Sir Elyan”. The rootstocks “He-Man”, “Interpro”, and “Armstrong” were used. The S1 fruits showed a higher dry matter content, firmness and titratable acidity when compared to the S2 ones (by 6%, 3%, and 15%, respectively). They showed, also, the highest L-ascorbic acid concentration and antioxidant activity. Differently, soluble solid content, lycopene and β-carotene increased in the S2 fruits (by 4%, 92%, and 26%, respectively). Excepting methyl salicylate, all the volatiles detected peaked in the S2 fruits, which were scored by panelists as sweeter and more flavorful than the S1 ones. Among the rootstock genotypes, “He-Man” promoted fruits firmness, carotenoids concentration and antioxidant activity, irrespective of the harvest stage. “Interpro” enhanced the sensory attributes of the S1 fruits in terms of bitterness, sourness, sweetness and flavor. Differently, sweetness, sourness, and tomato flavor of the S2 fruits were promoted by “Armstrong”. The results highlight the influence of rootstock genotype on the nutraceutical and sensorial profile of “Sir Elyan” fruits harvested at early ripening stages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Next Generation of Fresh Vegetables Linking Sustainability and Produce Quality Design)
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14 pages, 965 KiB  
Article
Yield and Quality of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L. var. major) Genotypes as a Vegetable for Fresh Consumption: A Comparison between Italian Landraces and Commercial Varieties
by Francesca De Cillis, Beniamino Leoni, Maria Massaro, Massimiliano Renna and Pietro Santamaria
Agriculture 2019, 9(12), 253; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9120253 - 29 Nov 2019
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 9721
Abstract
Legumes crops play significant roles both in human diets and agriculture, and contribute to sustainable farming. In this study, we evaluated both some quality traits and yield of four landraces (Cegliese, Iambola, San Francesco, and FV5) of faba bean (Vicia faba L. [...] Read more.
Legumes crops play significant roles both in human diets and agriculture, and contribute to sustainable farming. In this study, we evaluated both some quality traits and yield of four landraces (Cegliese, Iambola, San Francesco, and FV5) of faba bean (Vicia faba L. var. major Harz) for fresh consumption in order to assess and distinguish the landraces also in comparison with two commercial varieties (Aguadulce supersimonia and Extra-early purple) by using a crop system without irrigation. Independently of the genotype, we obtained the same pods yield (1794 g m−2) without affecting the seed size. All genotypes can be considered a good source of vitamin C, although Extra-early purple and San Francesco reveal the highest content (703 and 646 mg 100 g−1 fresh weight—FW, respectively). Cegliese showed the highest L-dopa content (10.14 mg 100 g−1 FW), suggesting its use as a natural rich source of L-dopa (dopamine precursor used for Parkinson’s disease treatment) instead of using synthesized L-dopa. In conclusion, this study highlight interesting quality traits of faba bean when consumed as fresh vegetables, suggesting its positive role on human health and the possibility of its production by using local horticultural systems that are skilled in optimizing resource utilization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Next Generation of Fresh Vegetables Linking Sustainability and Produce Quality Design)
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