About this Research Topic

Background

Protected cropping shelters crops from extreme climatic conditions by modifying the internal growing conditions in their favor. The technology has widely been used for vegetable crops in different climates such as temperate, tropical, subtropical, arid, and semi-arid regions. As climate change is projected to become more severe in the near future, the resulting adverse weather conditions such as higher temperatures, more frequent heatwaves, more variable rainfall patterns, and cyclones will affect vegetable production, in turn affecting crop growth, yield, produce quality, and economic return of growers. The demand for protected cultivation will increase to ensure sustainable production and a stable supply of fresh horticultural produce.

Further research in several fields is required to prepare for the unpredictable and challenging climate and to support the protected cropping industry to advance to a higher level. This includes the synchronous research and development of greenhouse technology, crop agronomy and genetic improvement, pest and disease control, as well as related technologies such as smart farming and supportive pollination. Studies on the low-tech protected cropping options and industry extension services are also needed. This Research Topic is dedicated to the collection of the most recent advances in research and development in protected cropping for vegetable production. It will provide the readers with the most up-to-date content related to protected cultivation for vegetable production.

We welcome submissions of review articles, original research, and brief research reports on the following themes of vegetable crops under protected cultivation:

• Crop physiology and management
• Yield and pre- and post-harvest quality of vegetables grown in soil and soilless media
• Climate management and control
• Genetic improvement and breeding
• Soilless culture, growth media, water, and fertilizer use efficiency
• Smart farming and advanced phenotyping to overall improve management and production in protected cropping

Keywords: protected cropping, cultivation, pest control, smart farming, supportive pollination, crop yield, fertilizer use efficiency

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.

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