Genetic Resources and Ethnobotany in Aromatic and Medicinal Plants
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 2027
Special Issue Editors
2. VALORIZA-Centro de Investigação para a Valorização de Recursos Endógenos, Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre, Praça do Município 11, 7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal
Interests: plant genetic resources; medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs); ethnobotany; ethnoveterinary; plant propagation; plant breeding; forest sciences
2. CBPBI (Beira Interior Plant Biotechnology Center), 6000 Castelo Branco, Portugal
Interests: seminal and vegetative propagation; physiology; morphology and botany; phenology; secondary metabolites: essential oils, plant extracts, biodiversity conservation vegetation, and valorization of species of regional interest; ethnobotany; herbal plants; aromatic plants; insect plant agriculture biodiversity; conservation organic farming; ornamental plants; essential oils
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
There are a vast variety of plant species that are aromatic and medicinal in the world. These plants have long been recognized for their rich ethnobotanical heritage, bioactive compounds, and diverse potential applications. The usage and ingestion of landraces and wild herbs is preferred differently in different parts of the world. Actually, raw plant material is commonly extracted from natural environments to satisfy the expanding demands of the agriculture, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food flavoring, and beverage industries and other urban sectors.
Numerous conservation techniques, including both in situ and ex situ conservation, are required due to the growing interest in the usage of aromatic, medicinal, and nutraceutical plants around the world.
The current knowledge of its use worldwide, the scientific developments supporting this traditional knowledge, and strategies for conserving these species will all be covered in this Special Issue of Plants. This Special Issue provides an excellent opportunity to combine and synthesize recent research on plant breeding, ethnobotany, taxonomy, biodiversity, ecology, and conservation strategies to understand and promote the maintenance of plant diversity, as well as achieving sustainable agriculture and ecosystem management practices in the world.
Dr. Orlanda de Lurdes Viamonte Póvoa
Dr. Fernanda Delgado
Dr. Graça Pereira
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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.
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Keywords
- biodiversity
- biogeography
- climate change
- cultivation
- domestication/seeding of wild plants
- ethnobotany
- future perspectives for wild aromatic and medicinal plants
- historical and cultural botany
- in situ and ex situ conservation
- natural cosmetics
- natural pesticides
- phytotherapy
- plant associations
- plant breeding
- plant conservation
- secondary metabolites
- sustainable applications
- aromatic and medicinal plant gardens
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Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Maya Vanilla (Vanilla cribbiana Soto Arenas): a new specie in commerce
Authors: Araceli Pérez-Silva; Eduardo Peña-Mojica; Abimael Galeana Ortega; Mónica Rivera-Rivera; Ernestina Paz Gam-boa
Affiliation: TecNM/Instituto Tecnológico de Tuxtepec, Depto. de Ingeniería Química y Bioquímica. Calzada Dr. Victor Bravo Ahuja Num.561, Col. Predio el Paraiso, C.P. 68350, Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, México
Abstract: The regions with the highest vanilla production in Mexico and in the world suffer from low production due to global climate change. However, in Mexico and Guatemala, as well as in some other parts of Central America, there are genetic resources of the vanilla genus that are little known. This is the case of Vanilla cribbiana Soto Arenas from Guatemala and Mexico, known as Maya vanilla. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the physical characteristics and aromatic potential of cured vanilla pods (Vanilla cribbiana). 5 kg batch of cured vanilla pods from Coban, Guatemala were analyzed length, weight, moisture content, and the aromatic profile was evalu-ated by HPLC-DAD and GC-MS. The length of beans ranged from 6 to 16 cm and the weight from 2.2 to 8.2 g. The moisture content varied from 22 to 38.63 %. The concentration of vanillin in the cured vanilla pod ranged from 1.4 to 2.8 g/100 g dry matter. Seventy volatile compounds were identified by GC-MS, their aroma resulting from the presence of vanillinic, benzyl, phenolic and anisic compounds, the latter being characteristic of V. ×tahitensis and V. pompona. Therefore, this species represents an excellent alternative in the vanilla commerce, as a flavouring agent in the food and perfume industry. The use of Mayan vanilla is an option to increase vanilla production for the benefit of the production sector and consumers.
