It is estimated that food production will have to double in the next 50 years to keep pace with population growth. All the developed and developing countries are working on global food security. Still, they have focused only on starch-rich cereals and legumes and ignored or underestimated the importance of ...
It is estimated that food production will have to double in the next 50 years to keep pace with population growth. All the developed and developing countries are working on global food security. Still, they have focused only on starch-rich cereals and legumes and ignored or underestimated the importance of horticultural crops. These crops are nutrient-dense with bioactive phytochemicals whose consumption is needed for a growing healthy population. These crops are also an excellent source of anthocyanins and other important vitamins and micronutrients. Globally, an average of 33% of vegetables and fruits in developed countries are never eaten due to poor shelf life, transport loss, bacterial and fungal diseases post-harvest. These losses are even higher in developing countries, with more than 75%. The global production of horticultural crops is insufficient to meet human nutritional requirements in the current production scenario. These crops' post-harvest losses and poor shelf life make this problem severe. Few reports are available on improved post-harvest targets and enhanced shelf life. These reports are based on traditional improvement techniques that will take too much time and labor. Several reports elaborate on the involved pathway, candidate gene, and their type of regulation to overcome this burning issue in horticultural research. However, most of the studies are based on a transgenic approach bound by several safety regulations of different countries and limited to the lab trial. These results are not fruitful for the general population as they will never release in the open market to grab this loss of fruits and vegetables and ornamentals. Genome Editing is a versatile tool to cope with this problem as most countries have already made defined regulations for this. The plant bioinformatics field grows rapidly, and the use of Next-generation sequencing and ever-expanding "omics" technologies along with CRISPR/Cas based genome editing techniques will advance the field. This will help the plant horticultural scientists take heed and focus on using this combined approach to extend the postharvest life of fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals.
Scientists have resulted in the generation of vast quantities of data on plant genomes, proteomes, transcriptomes, and more in horticultural science related to extended post-harvest life and yield improvements. These data sets can help deduce and establish the relevant pathways for investigating single genes in complex systems. The research topic will cover many unexplored areas that will present the worth of this concept. Moreover, the research topic aims to publish high-quality advanced research information, including validated data for upcoming research studies.
We welcome submissions from all articles types such as original research, methods, reviews, mini-reviews, perspective, hypothesis and theory, brief research reports, and opinion pieces, that cover (but are not limited to) the following:
•Potential and effectiveness of genome editing for post-harvest quality improvement of horticultural crops
•Development of mutant horticultural crops for enhanced food security
•Enhancement of shelf-life of fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals through genome editing
• Genome editing of a candidate gene for cell-wall modification, fruit softening, and deterioration
•Biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in horticultural crops using the CRISPR/Cas9 approach
•Computational analysis of large multidimensional numeric datasets, including gene expression; gene and protein interaction data; metabolite and small molecule profiling related to pathways associated with extended post-harvest life of horticultural crops.
•Algorithms that provide meaningful insights into biology from analyzing plant genomic data concerning extended post-harvest life.
Keywords:
Gene editing, Post-Harvest, Food Security, Shelf-Life of Fruits, Ornamentals, Abiotic, Biotic Stress, Mutant, Plant Bioinformatics, Genomics, Metabolites
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.