Quality Formation in Horticultural Plants: Metabolic Pathways, Environmental Regulation, and Processing-Induced Transformations

The field of horticultural plant quality focuses on unraveling the complex determinants of traits such as aroma, taste, color, nutritional value, and bioactivity. Recent years have witnessed significant progress in understanding how the interplay between metabolic pathways, genetic factors, environmental signals, and postharvest or processing treatments shapes these quality attributes. Advanced methods in metabolomics, transcriptomics, and flavor chemistry have shed light on the biosynthesis and modulation of key metabolites, while plant physiological studies continue to reveal the dynamic regulation involved. Despite these advances, critical knowledge gaps persist regarding how plants integrate environmental cues and processing conditions to influence quality, and how these factors can be manipulated to optimize desirable traits in diverse horticultural species.

This Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive platform for exploring the biochemical, molecular, physiological, and processing-induced mechanisms underlying quality formation in horticultural plants. It seeks to bridge fundamental plant metabolism, environmental and hormonal regulation, and processing science to clarify how plant quality is developed, transformed, and ultimately optimized. Key questions include how primary and secondary metabolites are synthesized and regulated within different plant tissues and under various environmental or processing contexts, and how sensory qualities and nutritional or bioactive values can be enhanced through targeted interventions. Contributions investigating beverage plants, vegetables, medicinal species, fruit and vegetable crops, and other economically important horticultural plants are especially encouraged.

To gather further insights into the interconnected pathways and regulatory mechanisms contributing to quality formation in horticultural plants, we welcome articles that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

o Elucidation of specific metabolic pathways, including the biosynthesis and regulation of polysaccharides, flavonoids, terpenoids, volatiles, pigments, and other quality-related compounds

o The impact of environmental and hormonal signals, such as JA/SA/ABA/ethylene, and genotype–environment interactions on metabolite profiles and plant quality traits

o Mechanisms and outcomes of processing-induced transformations, including thermal, fermentative, or storage effects on flavor, aroma, and nutrient composition

o Germplasm diversity and its relationship with quality attributes, processing suitability, and adaptation to varied production environments

o The sensory and flavor chemistry underlying consumer perception and quality defects, as well as identification of chemical markers and predictive indicators

o Development and application of cutting-edge methods, technologies, and computational approaches for quality analysis, metabolomic profiling, and machine learning–based trait prediction

Article types and fees

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

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... 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:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Horticultural plant quality, Metabolic pathways, Environmental regulation, Processing-induced transformation, Sensory and nutritional traits

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.