Combining novel technologies with interdisciplinary basic research to enhance horticultural crops

Abstract

SUMMARY Horticultural crops mainly include fruits, vegetables, ornamental trees and flowers, and tea trees (Melaleuca alternifolia). They produce a variety of nutrients for the daily human diet in addition to the nutrition provided by staple crops, and some of them additionally possess ornamental and medicinal features. As such, horticultural crops make unique and important contributions to both food security and a colorful lifestyle. Under the current climate change scenario, the growing population and limited arable land means that agriculture, and especially horticulture, has been facing unprecedented challenges to meet the diverse demands of human daily life. Breeding horticultural crops with high quality and adaptability and establishing an effective system that combines cultivation, post‐harvest handling, and sales becomes increasingly imperative for horticultural production. This review discusses characteristic and recent research highlights in horticultural crops, focusing on the breeding of quality traits and the mechanisms that underpin them. It additionally addresses challenges and potential solutions in horticultural production and post‐harvest practices. Finally, we provide a prospective as to how emerging technologies can be implemented alongside interdisciplinary basic research to enhance our understanding and exploitation of horticultural crops.

Depicting the genetic and metabolic panorama of chemical diversity in the tea plant

“…As one of the most cultivated woody horticultural crops, the tea plant is mainly used for producing various types of tea beverage (Jiang et al ., 2022 ). The rich taste, flavour and health benefits of tea, coupled with its regional cultural significance, have made it a highly popular beverage.…”

Metabolomics to understand metabolic regulation underpinning fruit ripening, development, and quality

“…As such we are in a far better position to influence the levels of metabolites in these species. Given the fact that successful transformation protocols exist for many of these species along with the recent boom in horticultural research ( Jiang et al , 2022 ), it seems reasonable to anticipate that our knowledge gain will accelerate in the next few years. It thus seems viable that biofortification of fruits could represent a tangible and important future breeding goal.…”

Aviation Mutagenesis Alters the Content of Volatile Compounds in Dahongpao (Camellia sinensis) Leaves and Improves Tea Quality

“…Therefore, some scholars believe that the key to maintaining the sustainable development of the Wuyi Rock tea industry is to optimize the selection of high-yield and high-quality tea germplasm resources [ 10 , 11 ]. However, under natural conditions, artificial cultivation of high-quality tea germplasm resources often requires long cycles, which is still a drawback to the rapid promotion of the Wuyi Rock tea industry [ 12 ]. Aviation mutagenesis is a novel breeding technology in which plant seeds undergo significant changes in their growth, development, and physiological characteristics after being subjected to magnetic fields, gravity, and radiation in space, which is conducive to the rapid and efficient screening of high-quality germplasm resources [ 13 , 14 ].…”