Chemical Diversity in Crops: Ecological Functions, Environmental Adaptation, Agricultural Impact, and Benefits for Food and Health

Chemical diversity in crops encompasses a wide array of primary and secondary metabolites that shape plant physiology, ecological interactions, and benefits to human and animal health. Primary metabolites such as carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids underpin plant growth, development and yield. In contrast, secondary metabolites—often referred to as plant chemodiversity, including phenolics, alkaloids, terpenoids, and glucosinolates—play crucial roles in the chemical language of plants. These compounds mediate defense responses against pests and pathogens, facilitate communication and signaling within ecological networks, and enhance resilience to abiotic stresses. In addition, this chemical diversity profoundly influences the nutritional, organoleptic and technological qualities of food as well as the medicinal properties derived from crops. Such multifunctional attributes provide valuable applications across the food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological industries, where crop-derived metabolites serve as natural ingredients, functional additives, and sources for novel therapeutic agents.

The ultimate goal is to advance understanding of the drivers, functions, and evolutionary significance of the chemical arsenals in crops, thereby providing a holistic framework for breeding strategies that optimize both productivity and quality, promote sustainable agriculture in the context of environmental challenges, and increase the health benefits of final products. Integrating ecological, nutritional or medicinal perspectives, particular emphasis is placed on the diversity of metabolites according to the genetic makeup, environmental conditions, and agricultural or post-harvest practices.

This research topic focuses on presenting and debating high quality original research findings or approaches (research article, review, communication, opinion, mini review, and technical note) on interdisciplinary topics regarding chemical diversity in crops. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following themes:

• Chemotaxonomy and evolutionary factors shaping the diversity and distribution of metabolites across crop species or genotypes (chemotypes)

• Chemoecology of specialized phytochemicals of plants implicated in abiotic and biotic stress adaptation

• Influence of environmental factors and farming practices, including climate change adaptation strategies on the chemodiversity of crops

• Variation in primary and secondary metabolites affecting nutritional, organoleptic and technological value of final products

• Influence of post-harvest practices (e.g., storage) on primary and secondary metabolites

• Functional uses of phytochemicals and their applications across food, agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology industries

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: crop chemicals, primary metabolites, secondary metabolites, chemodiversity, yield, food quality, environmental adaptation, ecological interactions, farming practices, post-harvest practices, climate change, sustainable agriculture, human application.

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.