Bioactive compounds are extra-nutritional constituents providing health benefits beyond the basic nutritional value of the product. They are identified as potent free radical scavengers and immunity enhancers, exert anti-microbial and antiviral activities and have chemopreventive and therapeutic effects on cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, coronary heart disease, and other chronic diseases. Horticultural crops, including fruits, vegetables, ornamental, and tea plants, are natural sources of bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, glucosinolates, terpenoids, polysaccharides, and phytoestrogens, which confer beneficial physiological effects on human health. In addition, many bioactive compounds substantially contribute to building horticultural crop resilience to abiotic and biotic stresses.

Over the past decades, extensive research has focused on the identification and activity assessment of bioactive compounds in horticultural crops. Genetic modification through breeding and biotechnology, improvement in cultivation techniques, and chemical regulation are likely to contribute to fine-tuning the composition, content, and distribution of bioactive compounds in different crops. However, the metabolic regulatory processes of bioactive compounds and their roles in horticultural crops still need further investigation. Currently, our knowledge of the metabolic regulation of bioactive compounds is limited to model plants, such as Arabidopsis and tomatoes. Molecular studies on horticultural crops will not only be helpful in dissecting the metabolic network of bioactive compounds in plants but also contribute to obtaining high-quality horticultural products through artificial control, which will increase their commercial value remarkably.

We welcome submissions of original research and review papers on the function of bioactive chemicals in horticulture crops and their metabolic control along the entire food chain from farm to fork. Manuscripts on the following subthemes are particularly encouraged but not limited to:
• Role of bioactive compounds in the growth and development of horticultural crops and the underlying molecular basis.
• Physiological and molecular mechanism in metabolism and regulation of bioactive compounds in horticultural crops.
• Identification and functional analysis of new candidate genes involved in the metabolic pathway and regulatory network of bioactive compounds in horticultural crops.
• Application of novel CRISPR technologies such as base editors and CRISPR-mediated transcriptional regulation tools for metabolic engineering in horticultural crops.

Submit your idea

Impact

Frontiers in Plant Science

Participating Journals

Impact