Strategies and prospects for melatonin to alleviate abiotic stress in horticultural plants

Melatonin is a conserved pleiotropic molecule in animals and plants.Melatonin is involved in many development processes and stress responses;thus,exploring its function in plants,particularly in horticultural plants,has become a rapidly developing field.Many studies have revealed that phytomelatonin acts as a plant biostimulant and increase its tolerance to various abiotic stressors,including extreme temperature,drought,osmotic disturbance,heavy metals,and ultraviolet(UV).Melatonin appears to have roles in the scavenging of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and other free radicals,affecting the primary and secondary metabolism of plants,regulating the transcripts of stress-related enzymes and transcription factors,and crosstalk with other hormones under different environmental conditions.This pleiotropy makes phytomelatonin an attractive regulator to improve resistance to abiotic stress in plants.The recent discovery of the potential phytomelatonin receptor CAND2/PMTR1 and the proposition of putative models related to the phytomelatonin signaling pathways makes phytomelatonin a new plant hormone.Based on relevant studies from our laboratory,this review summarizes the phytomelatonin biosynthetic and metabolic pathways in plants and the latest research progress on phytomelatonin in abiotic stress of horticultural plants.This study will provide a reference for elucidating the regulatory mechanism of phytomelatonin affecting the resistance to abiotic stress in plants.

Influences of Horticultural Therapy and Functional Recovery Training at a Day-Care Center for the Elderly and Text Mining of Care Records by AI

Background: In Japan, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, various behavioral restrictions were implemented from March 2020, resulting in an increased number of elderly people with reduced participation in care and rehabilitation. As a result, the decline in motor and cognitive functions became more pronounced. Purpose: The study examined how activities combining passive horticultural therapy, which is always introduced, with active functional recovery training, which is used in the functional recovery training of patients with hemiplegia, influence the behavior of elder people using the facility. Methods: 36 elder people with care need 1 or 2 who regularly used the day-care facilities after the pandemic ended and who agreed to participate in the study was included. The assessment data were every three months from December 2021 to December 2023 after the COVID-19 pandemic, the MMSE and Moca-J, TMIG-Index, and GDS15. AI-based text mining was used to compare changes in visit reports before and after the introduction of the Posture Chart and Red Code, and the relationship between the language used. Results: The results of MMSE and Moca-J were both significantly higher in Group B and C than in Group A. TIMG assessment, was significantly higher in Group B and C than in Group A, and Group C was significantly higher than Group B. The GDS, an assessment of depression in old age, tended to be significantly higher in Group A than in Groups B and C. In the “Co-Occurrence Network Analysis” shown after the introduction of the latest functional recovery training equipment such as the Red Cord, its results showed a high association between the words Bathing and CARE and words such as POSTURE, Red-Code, and AI, App, which are used in functional training and rehabilitation, and their analysis. Conclusion: At day-care facilities specializing in functional recovery training and rehabilitation, a combination of horticultural therapy and the latest functional training equipment found to help maintain the physical and mental health of elderly people certified as requiring nursing care. Since this is a short-term study following behavioral restrictions, long-term research should continue to study the effects of adding functional training, handled by rehabilitation professionals, to horticultural therapy.

Molecular regulatory events of flower and fruit abscission in horticultural plants

Flower and fruit abscission is a highly programmed physiological process,which is closely related to the yield of horticultural plants.The coordination of many regulatory factors associated with metabolic and signaling pathways plays a key role in the flower and fruit shedding.Hormones,peptides,carbohydrates,polyamines or cell wall modifying proteins regulate flower and fruit shedding.This article reviewed the recent studies of flower and fruit abscission,including the molecular regulation mechanism of abscission zone formation,typical structure and location of abscission zones,and other factors affecting flower and fruit abscission,such as stresses,hormones,peptides,carbohydrates,polyamines and cell wall modifying proteins.Overall,the review summarizes the developmental mechanism and the diversity of abscission zones,and the key factors affecting flower and fruit abscission of horticultural plants,aiming to provide guidance for studying the molecular regulatory mechanism of flower and fruit abscission.

Genetic relatedness and association mapping of horticulturally valuable traits for the Ceiba plants using ddRAD sequencing

Ceiba species have high ornamental value and are widely cultivated in tropical regions.However,genetic background of cultivated Ceiba plants remains unclear.To understand the genetic relatedness of cultivated Ceiba plants and genetic basis of key horticultural traits,here we explored the genetic relatedness of 153 accessions of Ceiba plants cultivated in Southern China and identified SNPs associated with five horticultural traits,based on 11704 SNPs derived from double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing(ddRAD-seq).Clustering analysis revealed that these accessions were composed of three groups:C.speciosa group,C.insignis group,and hybrid group.The GWAS identified two,four,two,three,and four SNPs related to petal color,petal striation number,flowering time,trunk shape,and prickles on the trunk and branches,respectively.One to two candidate genes were found near the SNPs strongly associated with these traits.This study revealed the genetic relatedness in the Ceiba plants cultivated in Southern China and presented the first GWAS analysis for five horticultural traits for them,laying a foundation for phenotype-related marker selection and molecular breeding.

Construction and Quality Assurance of Outstanding Applied Horticultural Talent Training Curriculum System under the Background of New Agricultural Science:A Case Study of Huaiyin Institute of Technology

Huaiyin Institute of Technology is taken as the research object.The content of horticulture curriculum system under the background of new agricultural science is constructed and elaborated,including theoretical curriculum system of"three platforms and seven curriculum groups"and practice system of"two platforms,three levels and four modules".Moreover,the quality assurance strategy of the curriculum system is discussed from three angles of enhancing professional emotion,enhancing professional practice and strengthening innovation ability,to reach the training objective of outstanding applied horticultural talents under the background of new agricultural science.

Landscape Planning and Design of Kunming Garden on the 7^(th) Jiangsu Horticultural Exposition,China

Taking Kunming Garden on the 7th Jiangsu Horticultural Exposition for an example,its landscape design concepts were disclosed as "based on A Lengthened Couplet of Kunming Daguanlou Mansion,with idyllic scenery as the background,'worthwhile seeing' as the theme",conception and layout,theme and zoning of the garden were discussed,"three scenic spots and one center" were stressed to analyze the expression of landscape creation elements,regional cultures were highlighted in discussing the present landscape design of gardens on the horticultural exposition,so as to provide references for future landscape designs of gardens in the horticultural expo park.

Carotenoid Pigment Accumulation in Horticultural Plants

Carotenoids are a group of widely distributed natural pigments.They give many horticultural plants the bright red,orange,and yellow colors,as well as the aroma and flavor.Carotenoids enhance the health value and represent an essential quality trait of horticultural products.Significant efforts have been made to correlate specific carotenoid production with pathway gene expression.Some transcription factors that directly regulate transcription of the pathway genes have been identified.Horticultural crops have evolved with complicated and multifaceted regulatory mechanisms to generate the enormous diversity in carotenoid content and composition.However,the diverse and complex control of carotenoid accumulation is still not well understood.In this review,we depict carotenoid accumulation pathways and highlight the recent progress in the regulatory control of carotenoid accumulation in horticultural plants.Because of the critical roles of chromoplasts for carotenoid hyperproduction,we evaluate chromoplast ultrastructures and carotenoid sequestrations.A perspective on carotenoid research in horticultural crops is provided.

Research Progress of Selenium-enriched Agricultural Crops and Horticultural Crops in China

Selenium（Se） is one of the essential trace elements required by humans and animals. It will cause diseases for humans and animals when Se is excessive or lack in the environment.The research status of selenium-enriched agricultural crops and selenium-enriched horticultural crops, functional mechanism and application status of selenium, and the latest progress in the study of selenium enrichment were summarized in this paper.

Genome Editing as A Versatile Tool to Improve Horticultural Crop Qualities

The quality traits of horticultural crops,including the accumulation of nutrients and flavor substances,morphology,and texture,affect the palatability and nutritional value.For many years,efforts have been made to improve the quality of horticultural crops.The recent establishment of gene editing technology,with its potential applications in horticultural crops,provides a strategy for achieving this goal in a rapid and efficient manner.Here,we summarize research efforts aimed at improving horticultural crop quality through genome editing.We describe specific genome editing systems that have been used and traits that have been targeted in these efforts.Additionally,we discuss limiting factors and future perspectives of genome editing technology in improving horticultural crop qualities in both research and plant breeding.In summary,genome editing technology is emerging as a powerful tool for efficiently and rapidly improving horticultural crop quality,and we believe that the cautious application of genome editing in horticultural crops will generate new germplasms with improved quality in the near future.

CRISPR/Cas9 technology and its application in horticultural crops

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR associated 9(CRISPR/Cas9)system has recently become one popular technology due to its efficiency,precision,and simplicity compared with other genome editing tools such as Zinc Finger Nucleases(ZFNs)and Transcription Activator Like Effector Nucleases(TALENs).Horticultural crops provide energy and health-keeping nutrients to humankind.Genome-editing technology has become widely adopted in horticultural breeding with the increasing demand for high yield and better-quality horticultural crops.Here,we describe the CRISPR/Cas9 system construction,its optimization,including sgRNA promoter,sgRNA design,Cas9 protein promoter,SpCas9 variants and orthologs,and vector delivery methods.We also summarized the application of this technology in horticultural plants for stress responses enhancement,fruit quality improvement,and cultivation traits modification.This detailed review was compiled to help establish comprehensive understanding of the CRISPR/Cas9 systems and provide a reference for further developing this technology to manipulate horticultural plant traits effectively.

Light regulation of horticultural crop nutrient uptake and utilization

Plants demonstrate dynamic changes in molecular structures under fluctuating light conditions.Accumulating evidence suggests that light plays a vital role in plant growth and morphogenesis.In particular,light has a role in the absorption and utilization of nutrients in plants.Despite significant progress in understanding the mechanism of nutrient acquisition and assimilation,how light affects and regulates ion uptake remains a question.Studies in model plants,Arabidopsis thaliana,suggest that light affects the nutrient utilization in roots through a complex regulatory network;nonetheless,the molecular mechanisms underlying the various effects of light on these processes in crop plants remain fragmentary.In this review,we discuss the light effects(light quality,light intensity,and photoperiod)on nutrient uptake and utilization in horticultural crops for optimizing crop productivity and increasing fertilizer use efficiency.

Jordanian Horticultural Export Competitiveness from Water Perspective

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the relationships between the productive process and the commercial trade with water resources used by them. For that the goal is to find out, by means of the estimation of water embodied in the exported crops which have the highest export competitiveness and lower water consumption. The finding contradicts not only the comparative advantages theory but also the resources sustainability logic. This conclusion is derived from the great exports of water via tomatoes and low profitable vegetables from producers＇ perspective but not economical from social perspectives as shown in domestic resource coefficient. The diversion between financial and economic profitability is due to heavily irrigation water subsidy. The results confirm that Jordan utilizes large amounts of water in its exports, and in turn, it does not export goods with low water requirements. The potential saving would be very significant and agricultural sector need to modify the use of water to a great extent in order to reach significant water savings and an environmental sustainability. Jordan has to implement policies that reduced, or even abandoned, the export and the production of water-intensive crops. Therefore, they have to be replaced with either imports or crops that optimize the water resources.

Construction and Exploration of Teaching Reform about the Horticultural Plant Biotechnology Course

Horticultural Plant Biotechnology is a core course of undergraduate teaching of horticulture with high practicality.For students,its contents are too complex and abstract to master.In order to strengthen the teaching effect of the course,stimulate students’interest in learning,improve students’ability to analyze and solve problems,this article makes an in-depth analysis of the complicated and abstract knowledge points,the endless emergence of new knowledge,the disconnection between practice and experimental teaching in the Horticultural Plant Biotechnology course.Based on the analysis,it puts forward the reasonable and blend methods of online teaching,to cultivate innovative and practical ability of students.

Vertical Zonation of Horticultural Farming in the Alaknanda Basin of Garhwal Himalaya, India

Horticultural practice in the Himalayas has great importance not only for economic development but also for environmental restoration. In the entire Himalayan mountain system, from Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya to Assam Himalaya, the practice of horticulture is centuries old, which includes varieties of fruits along with availability of high quality and quantity. In terms of the Alaknanda Basin, which is centrally located in the Himalayan system, the practice of horticulture does not get commercial level; only it is cultivated domestically. The climatic conditions ranging from sub-tropical (low-lying river valleys) to alpine and frigid (highly elevated regions) are suited for varieties of fruit cultivation, yet the benefit of this could not be utilized by the residents who are working in the agricultural fields. Besides, less proportion of land is devoted for fruit cultivation along with domestic production of fruits. The varieties of fruit cultivated in the basin range from mango-guava-papaya, stone-net, citrus to apple at the different elevations. Along with the cultivated fruits, varieties of wild fruits are also found in the jungle. There are four climatic zones suitable for the production of various fruits as below:? Sub-tropical zone including the lower part of the Alaknanda, Pindar, Nandakini, and Mandakini rivers is suitable for mango, guava, and papaya; ? Sub-temperate zone in the middle basin of the Alaknanda, Pindar, Nandakini and Mandakini rivers is a good place for citrus fruits, particularly orange and lemon; ? Temperate zone occupying the Dauli, Vishnu Ganga, Upper Pinder, Nandakini and Mandakini rivers is highly productive for apple, nut and stone fruits; ? Alpine meadows in the highly elevated region are known as Bugyal famous for herb culture. Each of these zones has distinct physical features, environmental conditions and socio-economic identity for fruit cultivation. The present paper aims to discuss about the vertical zonation of the horticultural farming and its nature, in terms of development, in the Alaknada Basin.

Nanotechnology-Based Advancements in Postharvest Management of Horticultural Crops

Horticulture is a branch of Agricultural science where it is defined as the science and art of cultivating and handling fruits,vegetables,ornamental plants and several plants having unique medicinal and aromatic values.Horticultural crops provide farmers with high income and have good export quality,but they have a concern about postharvest losses.Hence,increasing productivity and decreasing post-harvest losses by using scientific studies and techniques like biotechnology and nanotechnology could be the simplest possible solution to the above-mentioned problems.Using nanotechnology which is having the characteristics of nanoparticles is proven to be very useful in science and technological applications.Nanotechnology-based formulations increase the product quality and the shelf life of horticultural products and provide multiple ways of inhibiting the growth and development of microorganisms.It is precisely a new edible packaging coverage(film)that controls the exchange of gases and prevents damage from harmful rays such as ultraviolet radiation to a greater extent.Increasing strength by using nano biosensors for labeling products is considered a fundamental process to automated control of storage products.Postharvest rotting of vegetables is recognized to be an oxidative reaction and microbial deterioration as well.This review will address all such nanotechnology-based advancements for minimizing post-harvest losses of horticultural crops and enhancing the socio-economical progress of growers in particular.

Advances in Somatic Embryogenesis Research of Horticultural Plants

Advances in horticulture plant biotechnologies provide new opportunities for researchers to study the field of vegetative propagation and genetic engineering. Developments of clonal propagation methods, especially somatic embryogenesis (SE), have numerous potential applications. This paper reviewed progress of research on SE in horticultural plants in last decade;analyzed plant regeneration having both direct and indirect SE from the characteristics of occurrence means, but mainly in an indirect way;and discussed the impact factors of SE, as well as reviewed the research in the practical applications of horticulture plants SE in the practice.

Study on Compost Utilization of Horticultural Waste

This study aimed to explore the optimal material ratio for composting of horticultural waste,which was expected to improve the utilization rate of this waste.To be specific,horticultural waste and edible fungus residue were mixed with pig manure,rapeseed cake,or compound fertilizer and the carbon-nitrogen ratio of the pile was adjusted to 30∶1 for composting.The raw materials at different ratios were prepared to determine the temperature variation,maturity,germination index,and total contents of nitrogen,phosphorus,and potassium of the compost.The results showed that the high-temperature period,germination index,and total nutrient content of the compost in the three treatments all met standard of organic fertilizer.T1 presented the longest high-temperature period and highest germination index and contents of nitrogen,phosphorus,and potassium after 42 d of composting.To sum up,the three treatments all yielded composts with no toxin and standard maturity and nutrients as commercial organic fertilizer,particularly T1.In areas short of livestock manure,the rapeseed cake or compound fertilizer can also be used as a nitrogen source for the composting of horticultural waste.

Health Impact of Pesticides on Residents and Horticultural Workers in the Lake Naivasha Region, Kenya

The horticultural sector has undergone tremendous growth in Kenya and is now the second largest foreign income earning sector in the country. Lake Naivasha is the hub of large scale horticultural farming in Kenya. This growth coupled with increased use of pesticides, may increase the possibility of pesticide exposure and its associated risks to workers and residents of the region. The purpose of this study was to assess the symptoms commonly experienced by residents of Naivasha town and their possible association to pesticide exposure. Purposive sampling of residents from Kamere, Kwa Muia, Kioto and Karagita was performed, as these residential areas have significant numbers of flower farm workers. By random selection, a total of 801 community members were recruited to participate in the study and data was collected by completing the prepared questionnaire and from clinical examinations. Results indicate that several residents exhibited respiratory;skin, joints and bones;and nervous system symptoms. We found a higher frequency of symptoms among planters, weeders, harvesters than in sprayers working in horticultural farms. We recommend training to planters, weeders, harvesters who are mainly women (61.6%) in this study concerning pesticide use as do sprayers;and second, longer reentry times between the last spraying of pesticide and entry of these workers is warranted, particularly in greenhouses. In this regard, reentry times for greenhouses and fields established for specific pesticides in Europe, North America, Japan or Australia should be adapted by Kenya, and these guidelines enforced by the Government of Kenya to reduce exposure to pesticides within this vulnerable work group. These workers should also use protective clothing including gloves and masks at all times while handling chemicals or recently sprayed plants or flowers. It would also be prudent for flower farm owners to introduce an integrated pest management regime to reduce pesticide use andworker exposures. Further research is required both to identify validated biomarkers that can reliably be used to identify pesticide exposure prior to the occurrence of acute toxicity;and to follow up individual cases of known exposures for chronic health effects.

Integrated Control of Diseases and Pests of Horticultural Crops

In view of the occurrence and aggravation of diseases and pests of horticultural crops,the management process should follow the basic policy of"prevention first,comprehensive control".Starting from the ecological system,agricultural,biological,physical and chemical means should be comprehensively applied to control diseases and pests below the economic injury level.

Study on the Psychological Mechanism and Application of Horticultural Therapy

Horticultural therapy has a long history,and its application in China has been delayed for more than 20 years than that in the United States and the United Kingdom.The psychological mechanism of horticultural therapy is mainly to improve emotional cognition and emotional state,and promote physical and mental health.Based on the character of traditional Chinese medicine,combined with the modern probiotics and the environmental protection measures of sewage treatment,the research of preventing and treating insomnia and depression was carried out by using the living Chinese herbal medicine ecosystem,and good results were obtained.Based on the concepts of traditional Chinese medicine,big health and environment protection,the mechanism of horticultural therapy should be further studied.Horticultural therapy should be integrated extensively in the construction of landscaping,to construct horticultural therapy system with Chinese characteristics.