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This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact

quality --- breeding --- omics analyses --- vaccinium --- rubus --- fragaria --- postharvest --- nutraceutical

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Berry crops include, but are not limited to, the genera: Fragaria (strawberry, Rosaceae), Ribes (currant and gooseberry, Grossulariaceae), Rubus (brambles: raspberry and blackberry; Rosaceae), Vaccinium (blueberry, cranberry and lingonberry; Ericaceae) and Vitis (grapes, Vitaceae). The significant role of these fruits in maintaining human health has increased their popularity and production, dramatically, across the world. This Special Issue of Agronomy covers berry crops in the areas of breeding, genetics, germplasm, production systems, propagation, plant and soil nutrition, pest and disease management, postharvest, health benefits, marketing and economics and other related areas. The aim will be to bring together a collection of valuable articles that will serve as a foundation of innovative ideas for production and protection of health-promoting berry crops in changed environment.

ascorbic acid --- methyl anthranilate --- crispy --- fruit --- work-related musculoskeletal disorders --- abiotic stress --- frequency --- blueberry harvesting --- inflatable tubemen --- dB --- genome editing --- biomass --- Fragaria --- ethephon --- sound waves --- ergonomics intervention --- bird deterrent --- Michigan --- quantitative genetics --- Vaccinium --- ripening --- firmness --- chlormequat chloride --- cell wall --- fruit quality parameters --- molecular markers --- breeding

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As plant-based foods, both vegetables and fruits have been clearly associated with the presence of high amounts of bioactive compounds, and have been demonstrated as having a central role in the prevention of diseases. Many scientists of different research fields have lavished great effort both to characterize the bioactive compounds’ compositions and to deepen understanding regarding the mechanisms of action through which fruits and vegetables exert their health-promoting and/or disease-preventing properties. In this book, studies on the bioactive compounds’ composition of the main fruit and vegetable species, on their health effects as fresh-consumed, transformed products or applied in in vitro models, and on their mechanisms of actions against human pathologies are presented.

ABTS --- bioactive compounds --- DPPH --- flavonoids --- genetic distance --- genotypic and phenotypic correlation --- nutraceutical value --- phenolics --- UPGMA --- apricot --- methyl jasmonate --- salicylic acid --- antioxidant property --- enzyme activity --- postharvest quality --- elderberry --- reishi --- respiratory tract infections --- common cold --- influenza-like illness --- respiratory infection symptoms --- randomized controlled trial --- agrobiodiversity --- antioxidant activity --- health benefits --- medicinal properties --- Mediterranean diet --- market food trends --- sustainability --- wild edible greens --- organic farming --- conventional farming --- trace elements --- heavy metals --- risk assessment --- anthocyanins --- Fragaria × ananassa --- latitude --- temperature --- global radiation --- cultivar × environmental interaction --- phytochemical compounds --- antioxidant capacity --- Brassica spp. --- vegetables --- cultivation techniques --- glucosinolates --- apple --- royal gala --- pink lady --- red delicious --- smitten --- fuji --- phenolic compounds --- LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS --- HPLC --- garlic --- Allium sativum --- thiosulfinate --- allicin --- sepsis --- immunomodulation --- interleukins --- rats --- hydroxytyrosol --- olive extract --- olive polyphenols --- grape extract --- oleuropein --- F2-isoprostanes --- AGEs --- Gynura bicolor --- prediabetes --- phytochemical --- blood glucose --- oxidative stress --- n/a

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Over the past decade, interest in plant biostimulants has been on the rise, compelled by the growing interest of researchers, extension specialists, private industries, and farmers in integrating these products in the array of environmentally friendly tools to secure improved crop performance, nutrient efficiency, product quality, and yield stability. Plant biostimulants include diverse organic and inorganic substances, natural compounds, and/or beneficial microorganisms such as humic acids, protein hydrolysates, seaweed and plant extracts, silicon, endophytic fungi like mycorrhizal fungi, and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria belonging to the genera Azospirillum, Azotobacter, and Rhizobium. Other substances (e.g., chitosan and other biopolymers and inorganic compounds) can have biostimulant properties, but their classification within the group of biostimulants is still under consideration. Plant biostimulants are usually applied to high-value crops, mainly greenhouse crops, fruit trees and vines, open-field crops, flowers, and ornamentals to sustainably increase yield and product quality. The global biostimulant market is currently estimated at about $2.0 billion and is expected to reach $3.0 billion by 2021 at an annual growth rate of 13%. A growing interest in plant biostimulants from industries and scientists was demonstrated by the high number of published peer-reviewed articles, conferences, workshops, and symposia in the past ten years. This book compiles several original research articles, technology reports, methods, opinions, perspectives, and invited reviews and mini reviews dissecting the biostimulatory action of these natural compounds and substances and beneficial microorganisms on crops grown under optimal and suboptimal growing conditions (e.g., salinity, drought, nutrient deficiency and toxicity, heavy metal contaminations, waterlogging, and adverse soil pH conditions). Also included are contributions dealing with the effect as well as the molecular and physiological mechanisms of plant biostimulants on nutrient efficiency, product quality, and modulation of the microbial population both quantitatively and qualitatively. In addition, identification and understanding of the optimal method, time, rate of application and phenological stage for improving plant performance and resilience to stress as well as the best combinations of plant species/cultivar × environment × management practices are also reported. We strongly believe that high standard reflected in this compilation on the principles and practices of plant biostimulants will foster knowledge transfer among scientific communities, industries, and agronomists, and will enable a better understanding of the mode of action and application procedures of biostimulants in different cropping systems.

Crocus sativus L. --- biofertilization --- arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi --- antioxidant activity --- crocin --- picrocrocin --- polyphenols --- safranal --- Maize --- biostimulant --- root --- stress --- growth --- gene expression --- stem cuttings --- propagation --- root morphology traits --- indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) --- indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) --- gibberellins --- phenolic compounds --- nutrients --- nutraceutical potential --- soybean --- yield --- N organic fertilizer --- seaweed extract --- mycorrhizal inoculants --- phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms --- biofertilizers --- microorganism consortium --- biostimulants --- Crocus sativus --- Funneliformis mosseae --- glasshouse --- protected cultivation --- Rhizophagus intraradices --- substrate --- L-methionine --- L-tryptophan --- L-glycine --- lettuce --- nitrogen --- plant biostimulant --- environmental stress --- vegetables --- fruit quality --- plants biostimulants --- yielding --- Biostimulants --- Euglena gracilis --- algal polysaccharide --- β-glucan --- water stress --- tomato --- aeroponics --- Zea mays L --- lignohumate --- lignosulfonate --- biological activity --- nitrogen metabolism --- carbon metabolism --- proteins --- phenolics --- sugars --- Ascophyllum nodosum --- Solanum melongena --- heterostyly --- pollination efficiency --- soilless conditions --- abiotic stress --- alfalfa hydrolysate --- chitosan --- zinc --- ascorbic acid --- Fragaria x ananassa --- functional quality --- lycopene --- organic farming --- protein hydrolysate --- Solanum lycopersicum L. --- tropical plant extract --- fertilizer --- melatonin --- phytomelatonin --- plant protector --- plant stress --- Lactuca sativa L. --- legume-derived protein hydrolysate --- nitrate --- Septoria --- wheat --- Paraburkholderia phytofirmans --- thyme essential oil --- isotope --- phytoparasitic nematodes --- suppressiveness --- sustainable management --- anti-nutritional substances --- fat --- fibre --- morphotype --- protein --- corn --- imaging --- industrial crops --- maize --- next generation sequencing --- phenomics --- plant phenotyping --- row crops --- Bacillus subtilis --- carotenoids --- probiotics --- PGPR --- Mentha longifolia --- humic acid --- antioxidants --- arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis --- mycorrhizosphere --- AMF associated bacteria --- plant growth-promoting bacteria --- phosphate-solubilizing bacteria --- siderophore production --- soil enzymatic activity --- biological index fertility --- nitrogenase activity --- microelements fertilization (Ti, Si, B, Mo, Zn) --- seed coating --- cover crop --- vermicompost --- growth enhancement --- AM fungi --- PGPB --- water deficit --- common bean --- Glomus spp. --- organic acids --- pod quality --- seaweed extracts --- seed quality --- tocopherols --- total sugars --- bean --- amino acids --- phenols --- flavonoids --- microbial biostimulant --- non-microbial biostimulant --- Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia --- mineral profile --- physiological mechanism --- photosynthesis --- biocontrol --- plant growth promotion --- soil inoculant --- Trichoderma --- Azotobacter --- Streptomyces --- deproteinized leaf juice --- fermentation --- lactic acid bacteria --- plant nutrition --- antioxidant capacity --- ornamental plants --- N fertilization --- nitrogen use efficiency --- leaf quality --- Spinacia oleracea L. --- sustainable agriculture --- Valerianella locusta L. --- isotopic labeling --- turfgrass --- humic acids --- leaf area index (LAI) --- specific leaf area (SLA) --- Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) index --- tuber yield --- ultrasound-assisted water --- foliar spray --- Pterocladia capillacea --- bio-fertilizer --- growth parameters --- Jew’s Mallow --- CROPWAT model --- eco-friendly practices --- total ascorbic acid --- Mater-Bi® --- mineral composition --- SPAD index --- Bacillus thuringiensis --- Capsicum annuum --- microbiome --- strain-specific primer --- tracking --- sweet basil --- alfalfa brown juice --- biostimulation --- chlorophyll pigments --- histological changes --- humic substances --- protein hydrolysates --- silicon --- arbuscular mycorrhiza --- plant growth promoting rhizobacteria --- macroalgae --- microalgae --- abiotic stresses --- nutrient use efficiency --- physiological mechanisms