Editorial: Systems Biology of Maturation and Senescence in Horticultural Plants

Authors: LU, PEITAO - Fujian Agricultural & Forestry University; TIAN, JI - Beijing University Of Agriculture; Jiang, Cai-Zhong; BLANCO-ULATE, BARBARA - University Of California, Davis; FARCUH, MACARENA - University Of Maryland

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2022
Publication Date: 1/5/2023
Citation: Lu, P., Tian, J., Jiang, C., Blanco-Ulate, B., Farcuh, M. 2023. Editorial: Systems Biology of Maturation and Senescence in Horticultural Plants . Frontiers in Plant Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1123695.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1123695

Interpretive Summary: Plant organ maturation and senescence is a terminal and irreversible developmental process that transforms organs from nutrient assimilation to quality formation or nutrient reallocation, which is essential for the value of horticultural plants. The onset and progression of organ maturation and senescence in horticultural plants are regulated by endogenous and environmental cues. This process involves highly complex and ordered genetic programs closely coordinated by multidimensional regulation, including chromatin status, (post)transcriptional regulation, and (post)translational regulation. Over the last two decades, significant breakthroughs in revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying organ maturation and senescence have benefited from the identification and functional determination of key genes in some model plants, such as fruit ripening genes in tomato, flower senescence-associated genes (SAGs) in petunia and leaf SAGs in Arabidopsis. However, although some of the mechanisms of maturation and senescence have been dissected in model plants, these mechanisms are not always universal and are limited to the regulation of several key genes, and studies in this field are still challenging in other horticultural plants. To address these questions, we established this Research Topic, aiming to gather a broad range of genetic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic studies related to organ maturation and senescence in horticultural plants. This collection includes 8 original research articles covering multi-omics in the regulation of organ abscission in ornamental plants, functional regulation of key genes for ripening and bolting in fruit and vegetable, and functional compounds characterization in beverage and medicinal plants. These studies featured diverse horticultural plants, including rose, tea, marijuana, lettuce, strawberry, crabapple and red apple. In addition, we received one review on the internal and external factors regulating leaf senescence thereby influencing the quality and yield of horticultural plants.

Technical Abstract: Plant organ maturation and senescence is a terminal and irreversible developmental process that transforms organs from nutrient assimilation to quality formation or nutrient reallocation, which is essential for the value of horticultural plants. The onset and progression of organ maturation and senescence in horticultural plants is regulated by endogenous and environmental cues. This process involves highly complex and ordered genetic programs closely coordinated by multidimensional regulation, including chromatin status, (post)transcriptional regulation, and (post)translational regulation. Over the last two decades, significant breakthroughs in revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying organ maturation and senescence have benefited from the identification and functional determination of key genes in some model plants, such as fruit ripening genes in tomato, flower senescence-associated genes (SAGs) in petunia and leaf SAGs in Arabidopsis. However, although some of the mechanisms of maturation and senescence have been dissected in model plants, these mechanisms are not always universal and are limited to the regulation of several key genes. Therefore, studies in this field are still challenging in other horticultural plants. To address these questions, we established this Research Topic, aiming to gather a broad range of genetic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic studies related to organ maturation and senescence in horticultural plants.