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Molecular Postharvest Biology

Guest Editor: Prof. Su-Sheng Gan
School of Integrative Plant Science Plant Biology Section, Cornell University, USA
E-mail: sg288@cornell.edu

Postharvest biology of horticultural crops is a scientific discipline of the biological processes that occur in horticultural crops after harvest. It is the foundation for practical strategies and technology for prolonging the postharvest longevity of produce. The postharvest longevity includes storage, logistics and transportation, and shelf life. It is estimated that up to 70% of produce are lost after harvest. Understanding of postharvest biological processes will allow us to devise ways to control these processes for improving the produce quality (and quantity) and reducing the economic loss.

Molecular biology and related techniques have been increasingly used in almost all aspects of horticulture research including postharvest biological studies, which has significantly advanced our understanding of molecular genetic regulatory mechanisms of the physiological and biochemical changes in horticultural crops after harvest. Significant advances have been made in this regard, and we are pleased to present a special collection named “Molecular Postharvest Biology” to reflect the advances.

The Molecular Postharvest Biology special collection consists of three review articles and five research articles that cover almost all aspects of the field, ranging from senescence of leaves and flowers, fruit ripening, to postharvest pathology. The special collection represents fore frontiers in the field, and will be excellent references for researchers and a textbook for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Articles will undergo all of the journal's standard peer review and editorial processes outlined in its submission guidelines.

We are very grateful to all authors for their excellent contributions to this special collection!

Articles published in this collection:

  2. Salicylic acid (SA) is an important plant hormone that regulates defense responses and leaf senescence. It is imperative to understand upstream factors that regulate genes of SA biosynthesis. SAG202/SARD1 is a...

    Authors: Yaxin Wang, Bin Liu, Youzhen Hu and Su-Sheng Gan
    Citation: Molecular Horticulture 2022 2:15
    Content type: Research Article Published on:

  3. Ethylene-mediated leaf senescence and the compromise of photosynthesis are closely associated but the underlying molecular mechanism is a mystery. Here we reported that apple DEHYDRATASE-ENOLASE-PHOSPHATASE-CO...

    Authors: Chu-Kun Wang, Xiu-Ming Li, Fang Dong, Cui-Hui Sun, Wen-Li Lu and Da-Gang Hu
    Citation: Molecular Horticulture 2022 2:10
    Content type: Research Article Published on:

  4. Cytokinins (CKs) are a class of adenine-derived plant hormones that plays pervasive roles in plant growth and development including cell division, morphogenesis, lateral bud outgrowth, leaf expansion and senes...

    Authors: Youzhen Hu, Bin Liu, Huazhong Ren, Liping Chen, Christopher B. Watkins and Su-Sheng Gan
    Citation: Molecular Horticulture 2021 1:12
    Content type: Research Article Published on:

  5. Petals and leaves share common evolutionary origins but have different phenotypic characteristics, such as the absence of stomata in the petals of most angiosperm species. Plant NAC transcription factor, NAP, ...

    Authors: Jing Zou, Peitao Lü, Liwei Jiang, Kun Liu, Tao Zhang, Jin Chen, Yi Yao, Yusen Cui, Junping Gao and Changqing Zhang
    Citation: Molecular Horticulture 2021 1:13
    Content type: Research Article Published on:

  6. The DNA binding with one finger (Dof) proteins are plant-specific transcription factors involved in a variety of biological processes. However, little is known about their functions in fruit ripening, a flower...

    Authors: Yuying Wang, Peiwen Wang, Weihao Wang, Lingxi Kong, Shiping Tian and Guozheng Qin
    Citation: Molecular Horticulture 2021 1:9
    Content type: Research Article Published on:

  7. Flowers are key organs in many ornamental plants, and various phases of flower development impact their economic value. The final stage of petal development is associated with flower senescence, which is an ir...

    Authors: Xiaoming Sun, Meizhu Qin, Qin Yu, Ziwei Huang, Yue Xiao, Yang Li, Nan Ma and Junping Gao
    Citation: Molecular Horticulture 2021 1:7
    Content type: Review Published on:

  8. Leaf senescence, the last stage of leaf development, is a type of postmitotic senescence and is characterized by the functional transition from nutrient assimilation to nutrient remobilization which is essenti...

    Authors: Yongfeng Guo, Guodong Ren, Kewei Zhang, Zhonghai Li, Ying Miao and Hongwei Guo
    Citation: Molecular Horticulture 2021 1:5
    Content type: Review Published on:

  9. The disease caused by pathogenic fungi is the main cause of postharvest loss of fresh fruits. The formulation of disease control strategies greatly depends on the understanding of pathogenic mechanism of funga...

    Authors: Zhan-Quan Zhang, Tong Chen, Bo-Qiang Li, Guo-Zheng Qin and Shi-Ping Tian
    Citation: Molecular Horticulture 2021 1:2
    Content type: Review Published on: