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Agronomy
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The Quality of Vegetables Produced under Controlled Modules in Urban...
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The Quality of Vegetables Produced under Controlled Modules in Urban Environments

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 10260

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marios Kyriacou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Vegetable Crops, Agricultural Research Institute, Nicosia 1516, Cyprus
Interests: horticulture; vegetable science; grafting; microgreens; fruit and vegetable quality; ripening physiology; postharvest physiology; carbohydrate metabolism; phytochemicals; functional compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Georgios Soteriou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Vegetable Crops, Agricultural Research Institute, Nicosia 1516, Cyprus
Interests: vegetable science; hydroponics; plant nutrition; microgreens; grafting; biofortification; vegetable quality related to preharvest factors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human health has been associated with a diet rich in vegetables, mostly due to their high nutritional value and functional potential. The latter in combination with a number of physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics determines the quality of vegetables. In recent years, there has been great interest in improving the nutritional and functional value of vegetables without compromising the organoleptic characteristics of the final product. The factors that can potentially affect the quality of vegetables include genotype differentiation, microclimate factors, such as air and root-zone temperature, light conditions (quality, intensity, and photoperiod), carbon dioxide enrichment, vapour pressure deficit, and innovative management practices such as salinity eustress, nutrient solution management, and biofortification. Efficient control of these factors can only be achieved under fully controlled modules. Growth modules in agricultural and especially in urban areas could be a real alternative to traditional agriculture. Particular attention will be given to growth modules in urban areas that shorten the supply chain and substantiate the motto ‘from farm to table’. Promising crops for growing in modules could be fruit vegetables, baby leaf vegetables, edible flowers, and microgreens.

This Special Issue invites the submission of original research papers, opinions, review papers, and perspectives examining the main factors implicated in the modulation of nutritional, functional, and organoleptic quality of vegetables grown under indoor controlled modules in urban environments.

Dr. Marios Kyriacou
Dr. Georgios Soteriou
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. 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

  • biofortification
  • salinity eustress
  • functional quality
  • nutritional quality
  • indoors modules
  • urban agriculture
  • hydroponics
  • plant biostimulants
  • phytochemicals
  • microgreens
  • floating system
  • specialty crops

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1009 KiB  
Article
Morpho-Metric and Specialized Metabolites Modulation of Parsley Microgreens through Selective LED Wavebands
by Petronia Carillo, Christophe El-Nakhel, Veronica De Micco, Maria Giordano, Antonio Pannico, Stefania De Pascale, Giulia Graziani, Alberto Ritieni, Georgios A. Soteriou, Marios C. Kyriacou and Youssef Rouphael
Agronomy 2022, 12(7), 1502; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12071502 - 23 Jun 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2542
Abstract
Plant factories and high-tech greenhouses offer the opportunity to modulate plant growth, morphology and qualitative content through the management of artificial light (intensity, photoperiod and spectrum). In this study, three Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting systems, with blue (B, 460 nm), red (R, [...] Read more.
Plant factories and high-tech greenhouses offer the opportunity to modulate plant growth, morphology and qualitative content through the management of artificial light (intensity, photoperiod and spectrum). In this study, three Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting systems, with blue (B, 460 nm), red (R, 650 nm) and mixed red + green-yellow + blue (RGB) light were used to grow parsley microgreens to understand how light quality could change the phenotype and the profile of secondary metabolites. Plants showed altered morphological characteristics and higher amounts of secondary metabolites under RGB LEDs treatment. The results demonstrated that microgreens under red light showed the highest fresh yield, petiole length, coumaric acid content but also the highest nitrate content. Plants under RGB light showed the highest dry matter percentage and highest content of total and single polyphenols content, while blue light showed the highest ascorbic acid and ABTS antioxidant activity. Moreover, microgreens under red light showed more compact leaves with less intercellular spaces, while under blue and RGB light, the leaves displayed ticker spongy mesophyll with higher percentage of intercellular spaces. Therefore, the specific spectral band was able to modify not only the metabolic profile, but also it could modulate the differentiation of mesophyll cells. Light quality as a preharvest factor helps to shape the final parsley microgreens product as a whole, not only in terms of yield and quality, but also from a morpho-anatomical point of view. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Quality of Vegetables Produced under Controlled Modules in Urban Environments)
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17 pages, 1100 KiB  
Article
Plant-Derived Biostimulants Differentially Modulate Primary and Secondary Metabolites and Improve the Yield Potential of Red and Green Lettuce Cultivars
by Maria Giordano, Christophe El-Nakhel, Petronia Carillo, Giuseppe Colla, Giulia Graziani, Ida Di Mola, Mauro Mori, Marios C. Kyriacou, Youssef Rouphael, Georgios A. Soteriou and Leo Sabatino
Agronomy 2022, 12(6), 1361; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12061361 - 4 Jun 2022
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 3808
Abstract
The use of biostimulants in modern agriculture has rapidly expanded in recent years, owing to their beneficial effects on crop yield and product quality, which have come under the scope of intensive research. Accordingly, in the present study we appraised the efficacy of [...] Read more.
The use of biostimulants in modern agriculture has rapidly expanded in recent years, owing to their beneficial effects on crop yield and product quality, which have come under the scope of intensive research. Accordingly, in the present study we appraised the efficacy of two plant-derived biostimulants, the legume-derived protein hydrolysates Trainer® (PH), and the tropical plant extract Auxym® (TPE) on two lettuce cultivars (green and red salanova®) in terms of morpho-physiological and biochemical traits (primary and secondary metabolites). The two cultivars differed in their acquisition capacity for nitrate and other beneficial ions, their photosynthetic and transpiration rates, and their ability to synthetize and accumulate organic acids and protective metabolites. The biostimulant effect was significant for almost all the parameters examined but it was subjected to significant cultivar × biostimulant interactions, denoting a cultivar-dependent response to biostimulant type. Notwithstanding this interaction, biostimulant application could potentially improve the yield and quality of lettuce by stimulating plant physiological processes, as indicated by the SPAD index (leaf chlorophyll index), ACO2 (assimilation rate), E (transpiration), and WUEi (intrinsic water use efficiency), and by increasing concurrently the plant mineral content (total N, K, Ca, Mg) and the biosynthesis of organic acids (malate, citrate), phenols (caffeic acid, coumaroyl quinic acid isomer 1, dicaffeoylquinic acid isomer 1), and flavonoids (quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, quercetin-3-O-glucoside). Biostimulant action may facilitate the bio-enhancement of certain lettuce cultivars that are otherwise limited by their genetic potential, for the accumulation of specific compounds beneficial to human health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Quality of Vegetables Produced under Controlled Modules in Urban Environments)
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14 pages, 1499 KiB  
Article
Application of PGPB Combined with Variable N Doses Affects Growth, Yield-Related Traits, N-Fertilizer Efficiency and Nutritional Status of Lettuce Grown under Controlled Condition
by Beppe Benedetto Consentino, Simona Aprile, Youssef Rouphael, Georgia Ntatsi, Claudio De Pasquale, Giovanni Iapichino, Pasquale Alibrandi and Leo Sabatino
Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020236 - 19 Jan 2022
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 3148
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) fertilization is a crucial agricultural practice for boosting production traits in vegetables. However, N synthetic fertilizers—commonly adopted by farmers—have several counterproductive effects on the environment and on humans. The research was performed to assess the combined influence of plant growth promoting [...] Read more.
Nitrogen (N) fertilization is a crucial agricultural practice for boosting production traits in vegetables. However, N synthetic fertilizers—commonly adopted by farmers—have several counterproductive effects on the environment and on humans. The research was performed to assess the combined influence of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) (Azospirillum brasilense DSM 1690, A. brasilense DSM 2298 and Pseudomonas sp. DSM 25356) and various N fertilization doses (0, 30, 60 or 120 kg ha−1) on growth, yield, quality and nitrogen indices of lettuce in protected cultivation. Plant height, root collar diameter, number of leaves and fresh weight were enhanced by A. brasilense DSM 2298 inoculation and N at 30 or 60 kg ha−1. Overall, soluble solids content (SSC), ascorbic acid, total phenolics, carotenoids, total chlorophyll and total sugars were augmented by the combined effect of A. brasilense strains and 30, 60 or 120 kg N ha−1. Furthermore, PGBP inoculation improved potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) concentrations in leaf tissues. PGPB inoculation increased N leaf concentration; however, it hastened N indices. These results suggest that the PGPB tested can be considered an eco-friendly tool to improve lettuce yield, particularly when combined with N at 30 or 60 kg ha−1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Quality of Vegetables Produced under Controlled Modules in Urban Environments)
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