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Agronomy
Special Issues
Recent Advances in Research and Production of Ornamental Plants
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Recent Advances in Research and Production of Ornamental Plants

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2020) | Viewed by 38812

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anastasios Darras

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Assistant Professor-Director of Floriculture Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, University of Peloponnese, 24100 Kalamata, Greece
Interests: postharvest physiology of cut flowers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global ornamental production has faced serious challenges the past 10 years but still remains dominant within the agricultural sector. Floriculture businesses always seek new, innovative trends and niches that would guide the product sale increases. New and innovative products are always developed via academic research and experimental procedures. In this Special Issue (SI), we aim to record the most recent and novel findings in ornamental production (open field or greenhouse cultivation), propagation, irrigation, fertilization, PGR application, substrate mixtures, plant protection, sustainable and environmental friendly production at low CO2 footprints, postharvest handling and quality. Scientific research data on new species (e.g. endemic, aromatic plants, etc.) with potential ornamental value will provide the prospect of new product development. New ornamental species such as pot plants (ornamental or aromatic), cut flowers or cut foliage would be ideal. Contributions to this SI may focus on, but not be limited to, five major topics: (1) propagation of ornamental plants (e.g. in-vitro, stem cuttings, bulbs, etc), (2) innovative cultivation practices and techniques for cut flower and pot plant production (e.g. irrigation, fertilization, pest and disease management, environmental control, PGR treatments, etc), (3) new ornamental species for exploitation by the floriculture industry (endemic and aromatic plants), (4) sustainable, environmental friendly ornamental production (e.g. cultivation at low CO2 footprints, life cycle assessments, etc), and (5) postharvest handling, quality and trade (e.g. postharvest treatments, packaging, sales, etc).

Dr. Anastasios Darras
Guest Editor

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. Agronomy 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 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

  • Ornamental production
  • Greenhouse cultivation
  • New ornamental species
  • Endemic species
  • Aromatic plants
  • in vitro propagation
  • Stem cuttings
  • Seed plugs
  • Bulbous ornamental plants
  • Herbaceous perennials
  • Woody ornamentals
  • Flowering
  • Plant growth regulators
  • Substrate mixtures
  • Quality and postharvest handling

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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8 pages, 2366 KiB  
Communication
Propagation of Jasminum parkeri: A Critically Endangered Wild Ornamental Woody Shrub from Western Himalaya
by Ujala Kashyap, Anjali Chandel, Diksha Sharma, Sonali Bhardwaj and Bhavya Bhargava
Agronomy 2021, 11(2), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020331 - 13 Feb 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2504
Abstract
Jasminum parkeri Dunn is a narrowly endemic, critically endangered woody ornamental shrub confined to sub-temperate zone of Western Himalayas, and rediscovered from its type locality after a lapse of about 100 years. In the present study, a propagation technique of J. parkeri, [...] Read more.
Jasminum parkeri Dunn is a narrowly endemic, critically endangered woody ornamental shrub confined to sub-temperate zone of Western Himalayas, and rediscovered from its type locality after a lapse of about 100 years. In the present study, a propagation technique of J. parkeri, using stem cuttings, was established for the first time through application of auxins, namely, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), at varying concentrations ranging from 1000 to 4000 ppm. The highest rooting percentage (98.33% (85.68% ± 4.32)), number of primary roots (36), root length (29.68 cm) and survival percentage (96.67% (83.85% ± 6.16)) were recorded for cuttings treated with 3000 ppm NAA. The phenological comparison between pot plants propagated through seeds and stem cuttings in a naturally ventilated polyhouse revealed a reduction in vegetative and flowering phases in cutting raised plants. Additionally, a noteworthy adaptive behavior of two weeks of early flowering and four weeks of extended flowering (February to October) was observed in plants raised under polyhouse conditions. This method will help in protecting the species from population decline, thereby significantly increasing its potential to be harnessed as an ornamental plant in India. Furthermore, plants grown ex situ will be reintroduced in natural populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Research and Production of Ornamental Plants)
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24 pages, 3146 KiB  
Article
Propagation of Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia Genotypes and Determination of Their Ornamental Traits Combined with a Genetic Analysis Using ISSR Markers
by Stefanos Kostas, Stefanos Hatzilazarou, Elias Pipinis, Anastasios Vasileiadis, Panagiotis Magklaras, Ilias Smyrnioudis, Tilemachos Vasilakis, Michalis Chazakis, Vasiliki Anastasiadi, Fotios-Theocharis Ziogou, Aikaterini Kotoula, Amalia-Sofia Afendra, Efstathios Hatziloukas and Athanasios Economou
Agronomy 2021, 11(2), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020205 - 22 Jan 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4908
Abstract
Pistacia lentiscus L. is a dioecious shrub or small tree with high drought resistance, native in the entire Mediterranean basin. The variety ‘Chia’ (mastic tree) is cultivated for the production of mastic gum (a resin produced after wounding of the trunks and thick [...] Read more.
Pistacia lentiscus L. is a dioecious shrub or small tree with high drought resistance, native in the entire Mediterranean basin. The variety ‘Chia’ (mastic tree) is cultivated for the production of mastic gum (a resin produced after wounding of the trunks and thick branches) in the Island of Chios (Greece), but it also has a significant ornamental value. In the present study, ten male and ten female genotypes of P. lentiscus var. Chia from the natural habitats of Chios were selected and examined with respect to the rooting efficiency of their shoot cuttings. The germination ability of the seeds was also tested. The 20 plants were morphologically described, mainly with respect to traits related to their ornamental value. Furthermore, leaves were collected from the 20 genotypes, from which genomic DNA (gDNA) was isolated, followed by amplification of gDNA fragments using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers. This was done aiming both at the determination of their genetic distance and the establishment of possible correlations between the amplified bands and certain morphological traits. The results of the study showed that there were differences among the genotypes for both methods of propagation. Regarding the rooting of the shoot cuttings, the best genotype was 8M (cv. ‘Psilophyllos’), achieving a rooting rate of 62.5% in winter with the application of indolebutyric acid (potassium salt of IBA), while regarding the seed germination capacity the genotype 2F exhibited the highest germination rate (57%). Genetic analysis using ISSRs separated the plants into four groups, one group consisting of male genotypes, one of the female genotypes, one consisting of members from both genders and a fourth containing a single male genotype. The genetic analysis of the male genotypes only produced a dendrogram showing the cultivars clustering in three different groups. Regardless of the genetic analysis, it seems that there were correlations between the ISSR markers and the leaf traits and also the gender and the asexual propagation. These correlations can assist future breeding programs of P. lentiscus var. Chia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Research and Production of Ornamental Plants)
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10 pages, 2727 KiB  
Article
Changes of Growth and Inflorescence Initiation by Exogenous Gibberellic Acid3 and 6-Benzylaminopurine Application in Phalaenopsis Orchids
by Hyo Beom Lee, Nam Hyun Im, Seong Kwang An and Ki Sun Kim
Agronomy 2021, 11(2), 196; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020196 - 20 Jan 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5181
Abstract
This study was conducted to observe the effects of exogenous gibberellic acid3 (GA3) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) treatments on the growth and inflorescence initiation of Phalaenopsis and to determine whether hormonal applications can substitute for low-temperature exposure for floral transition. Phalaenopsis [...] Read more.
This study was conducted to observe the effects of exogenous gibberellic acid3 (GA3) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) treatments on the growth and inflorescence initiation of Phalaenopsis and to determine whether hormonal applications can substitute for low-temperature exposure for floral transition. Phalaenopsis Queen Beer ‘Mantefon’ clones were treated with no hormones (control), GA3 100 mg/L, GA3 200 mg/L, BAP 100 mg/L, and GA3 100 mg/L + BAP 100 mg/L by foliar spray. The treatments were carried at 28 °C for vegetative growth and 20 °C for forcing, respectively. At 28 °C of vegetative temperature, all exogenous hormonal treatments did not induce inflorescence initiation, but lateral shoots were observed in BAP-treated plants even though this plant is a monopodial orchid. GA3 significantly increased leaf length and decreased leaf width, and consequently increased length:width (L:W) ratio compared with the control and BAP alone. The trend grew as GA3 concentration increased. Also, the GA3 increased stem length and decreased stem diameter. At 20 °C of forcing temperature, L:W ratio responded similarly to 28 °C in GA3 treatments, but leaf size was smaller than for the control or BAP alone. BAP accelerated inflorescence emergence and significantly increased inflorescence numbers, whereas GA3 and GA3 + BAP slightly delayed inflorescence emergence. GA3 significantly promoted new leaf development at 20 °C of forcing condition. These results indicated that cytokinin was associated with the break of axillary vegetative and inflorescence meristems and exogenous GA3 spray did not improve inflorescence initiation in Phalaenopsis. Although exogenous hormonal application did not substitute for low-temperature exposure, it showed a possibility in promoting the growth and inflorescence initiation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Research and Production of Ornamental Plants)
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14 pages, 3916 KiB  
Article
Regeneration of Viburnum dentatum L. from Alginate-Encapsulated Shoot Explants after Short-Term Cold Storage and Assessment of Genetic Stability Using ISSR Analysis
by Stefanos Hatzilazarou, Stefanos Kostas, Maria Joachim and Athanasios Economou
Agronomy 2020, 10(11), 1660; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10111660 - 28 Oct 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2425
Abstract
The present study demonstrates an efficient protocol for alginate encapsulation, interim cold storing of artificial seeds and conversion to genetically stable plants of Viburnum dentatum L. “Lucidum Aiton”. Explants of shoot tips and first-node segments, excised from in vitro-derived viburnum microshoots, were encapsulated [...] Read more.
The present study demonstrates an efficient protocol for alginate encapsulation, interim cold storing of artificial seeds and conversion to genetically stable plants of Viburnum dentatum L. “Lucidum Aiton”. Explants of shoot tips and first-node segments, excised from in vitro-derived viburnum microshoots, were encapsulated in 2.5% sodium alginate mixed with liquid MS nutrient medium and hardened in 50 mM of calcium chloride producing solid, soft and uniform beads. These artificial seeds achieved 28.9% germination under light, forming 4.3 microshoots per bead. However, with 100 mM of calcium chloride for hardening, the beads were firm and of a uniform globular shape and suitable for handling and exhibited a germination response of 48.9%. Encapsulated shoot tip explants of viburnum, which were stored at 4 °C for 4, 8 or 12 weeks, showed a gradual decline in regeneration response (73.3, 62.2, 51.1%, respectively), while non-encapsulated explants, stored under same conditions, did not survive after the fourth week of cold storage. Microshoots from cold-stored encapsulated explants, which were rooted in solid MS nutrient medium with 0.5 μΜ of Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and transplanted to a substrate of peat-perlite (3:1, v/v), acclimatized successfully after application of 75 or 50% shading, which was gradually reduced, and were established with minimum losses in a greenhouse. For the genetic stability of the artificial seed-derived plantlets and compared with the mother plant, an assessment was conducted using Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSRs) analysis. The ISSR profiles proved the genetic uniformity and clonal stability of the regenerated plantlets and their genetic resemblance to the mother plant. The present regeneration procedure could be used as an alternative method for the micropropagation of V. dentatum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Research and Production of Ornamental Plants)
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13 pages, 1435 KiB  
Article
Changes in Growth and Physiological Parameters of ×Amarine Following an Exogenous Application of Gibberellic Acid and Methyl Jasmonate
by Piotr Salachna, Małgorzata Mikiciuk, Agnieszka Zawadzińska, Rafał Piechocki, Piotr Ptak, Grzegorz Mikiciuk, Anna Pietrak and Łukasz Łopusiewicz
Agronomy 2020, 10(7), 980; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10070980 - 8 Jul 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4829
Abstract
×Amarine hybrids are attractive ornamental geophytes grown for cut flower production. Their cultivation is limited due to lesser flowering percentages and lesser bulb weight gain. To optimize the growth and propagation of geophytes, plant growth regulators (PGRs) are used, but so far [...] Read more.
×Amarine hybrids are attractive ornamental geophytes grown for cut flower production. Their cultivation is limited due to lesser flowering percentages and lesser bulb weight gain. To optimize the growth and propagation of geophytes, plant growth regulators (PGRs) are used, but so far none have been tested in ×Amarine. We investigated the effect of gibberellic acid (GA3; 50, 100, and 200 mg dm−3) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA; 100, 500, and 1000 µmol dm−3) on growth, flowering, bulb yield, and select physiological parameters of ×A. tubergenii “Zwanenburg”. PGRs were applied as foliar sprays on the 70th and 77th day after planting. GA3 treatment at 200 mg dm−3 exhibited the greatest leaf number, leaf length, bulb weight, daughter bulb number, CO2 assimilation intensity, greenness index, total sugars, and total protein content in bulbs. GA3 application at 100 and 200 mg dm−3 accelerated flowering and at 50 and 100 mg dm−3 significantly increased the bulb flowering percentage. MeJA at all tested concentrations prolonged anthesis time and reduced the bulb flowering percentage. GA3 at all concentrations and MeJA at 500 and 1000 µmol dm−3 stimulated daughter bulbs formation. GA3, especially at 200 mg dm−3 can improve anthesis and increase ×A. tubergenii “Zwanenburg” bulb yield. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Research and Production of Ornamental Plants)
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9 pages, 1764 KiB  
Communication
Effect of Bead Composition, PVS Type, and Recovery Medium in Cryopreservation of Bleeding Heart ‘Valentine’—Preliminary Study
by Dariusz Kulus
Agronomy 2020, 10(6), 891; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10060891 - 23 Jun 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2614
Abstract
Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis (L.) Fukuhara) is a valuable ornamental and medicinal perennial. To date, there are few studies focused on cryopreservation of this species, although it could be useful in storage and breeding. This research is aimed at analyzing the effect [...] Read more.
Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis (L.) Fukuhara) is a valuable ornamental and medicinal perennial. To date, there are few studies focused on cryopreservation of this species, although it could be useful in storage and breeding. This research is aimed at analyzing the effect of bead composition, type of plant vitrification solution (PVS), and the recovery medium of cryopreservation of bleeding heart. Shoot tips of L. spectabilis ‘Valentine’ were used in the study. The explants were precultured on modified Murashige and Skoog medium (MS; 1962), supplemented with 9% sucrose, 1.0-mg·L−1 kinetin (KIN), and 2.62-mg·L−1 abscisic acid. Next, in the first experiment, the shoot tips were embedded in 3% calcium alginate, based either on an MS medium or distilled sterile water. The produced synseeds were inoculated on the recovery medium with 3.0-mg·L−1 KIN, 0.5-mg·L−1 6-benzyladenine (BA), or cytokinin–free control. Based on the results of the first study, in the second experiment, precultured shoot tips were embedded in 3% calcium alginate based on MS medium and dehydrated with PVS2 or PVS3 for various durations. The pre-treated explants were plunged in liquid nitrogen and, after rewarming, inoculated on the recovery MS medium with 0.5-mg·L−1 BA. PVS3 was more effective in securing the shoot tips than PVS2. The highest recovery level (68.3%) was reported after a 150-min pretreatment with PVS3. Explants from this experimental combination also proliferated the highest number of shoots, as well as those with the greatest length. On the other hand, a higher share of dry weight was found in PVS2-derived shoots (13.5–18.2%) compared with plants produced after PVS3 treatment (10.6–11.4%). The obtained results here can serve as a good basis for further studies related to synthetic seeds and cryopreservation of bleeding heart. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Research and Production of Ornamental Plants)
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10 pages, 1276 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Functional Partitioning of Carbohydrates and Proline among Plant Parts of the Sand Daffodil
by John Pouris, Maria-Sonia Meletiou-Christou, Chrysanthi Chimona and Sophia Rhizopoulou
Agronomy 2020, 10(4), 539; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10040539 - 9 Apr 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3195
Abstract
The sand daffodil (Pancratium maritimum) is a perennial geophyte, widely distributed and grown in a wild stage along the Mediterranean seashores. The aboveground tissues of this geophyte are exposed to harsh, ambient conditions and its large inflorescences of remarkable beauty and [...] Read more.
The sand daffodil (Pancratium maritimum) is a perennial geophyte, widely distributed and grown in a wild stage along the Mediterranean seashores. The aboveground tissues of this geophyte are exposed to harsh, ambient conditions and its large inflorescences of remarkable beauty and fragrance expand during the drought season and carry particular ornamental worth. The ecophysiological principles underlining metabolic processes of this geophyte are poorly understood. The seasonal variation of soluble sugars, starch, and proline was investigated in individuals collected from patches of P. maritimum, therefore, monthly measurements were performed in bulbs, leaves, scapes, and petals during a year. It was found that (a) sugar content showed similar seasonal trends between bulbs and leaves, as well as between petals and scapes, (b) bulbs contained enhanced starch concentrations irrespective of season, (c) proline accumulation exhibited substantial seasonal fluctuations among the considered tissues and pronounced differences were detected between maxima in petals and leaves. A substantial increase in both sugar and proline content was evident in petals during the drought season. In leaves, the accumulation of proline and, to a lesser extent, sugars was negatively correlated to the precipitation of the Mediterranean study site. It seems likely that the astonishing flowering of P. maritimum is supported by large leaf and bulb reserves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Research and Production of Ornamental Plants)
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Review

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20 pages, 1338 KiB  
Review
Implementation of Sustainable Practices to Ornamental Plant Cultivation Worldwide: A Critical Review
by Anastasios I. Darras
Agronomy 2020, 10(10), 1570; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10101570 - 15 Oct 2020
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 10724
Abstract
Ornamental production worldwide has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. A globalized scene has shifted production to new countries from Africa, Asia, and South America. Sustainability is the major challenge for ornamental production, and the life cycle assessment (LCA) provides insights on [...] Read more.
Ornamental production worldwide has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. A globalized scene has shifted production to new countries from Africa, Asia, and South America. Sustainability is the major challenge for ornamental production, and the life cycle assessment (LCA) provides insights on environmental contributions from production to handling and transportation and highlights the problematic issues that need improvement. For example, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the production costs of roses in different parts of the world may vary dramatically between different production processes (e.g., heated or non-heated greenhouses, with or without air transportation, etc.). On the other hand, the production of landscape plants has the lowest environmental impact of all floricultural products. Their long production period offers carbon sequestrations that reduce the total GHG emissions. Sustainability is achieved via critical adjustments on cultivation by minimizing fuel and electricity use, adopting integrated nutrient management (INM) and integrated pest and disease management (IPDM), and using recyclable materials and peat-alternative growing compounds. In this review, two possible scenarios were proposed for ornamental production. Scenario I suggests conventional, protected cultivation under controlled environments (i.e., greenhouses), which can be sustainable after implementing appropriate adjustments to reduce environmental outputs. Scenario II suggests the cultivation of native and specialty ornamental crops, which may serve as eco-friendly alternatives. Combinations between the two scenarios are also possible in view to implement sustainable practices and meet future consumer needs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Research and Production of Ornamental Plants)
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