Numerous biotic and abiotic stresses can significantly decrease crop growth and yields. In the context of climate change, stresses will be more frequent in the coming years and will have an even more severe impact on agricultural systems. As a result, crop production could be drastically reduced, with the consequences aggravated by the fact that the world’s growing population will require more food production. Furthermore, among abiotic stresses, the salinity of soils and water for agricultural use, as well as drought, particularly impact crops. For these reasons, sustainable measures need to be implemented to maintain/increase crop production and ensure the resilience of agricultural systems. To this end, biostimulants, materials that can increase crop productivity and the quality profile of end products, are an increasingly popular solution. The primary function of biostimulants is improving nutrient use efficiency, quality traits, and stress tolerance, as well as ensuring the bioavailability of nutrients in the soil or rhizosphere. Therefore, this Special Issue published research on the effects of biostimulants on helping crops to cope with abiotic stresses, focusing on salt and drought stress. In addition, scientific contributions on the use of biostimulants to counteract other abiotic stresses, such as potentially toxic metals and extreme temperatures, are also welcome. New substances with biostimulant action and studies investigating the mechanisms of action of biostimulants and their qualitative, economic, and environmental benefits will also be considered.

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Greenhouse horticulture is one of the most intensive agricultural systems, focusing on the production of high-value products. This book presents current research findings that cover a wide range of new technologies and novel agricultural practices, which are preconditions for successful production in a very competitive global environment.

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The growing resistance of microorganisms, especially among clinical strains, to popular antibiotics used in the treatment of infectious diseases is a huge global problem. The problem with MDR (multidrug-resistant) strains is associated with significant mortality caused by these pathogenic microorganisms, especially in hospital environments. The search for new compounds of natural origin is crucial in solving this problem. Extraction is a simple method to isolate various compounds from raw plant material. Furthermore, different plant extracts have high biological activity, comparable to that of known drugs. However, in search of novel plant-derived compounds characterized with stronger biological activity than plant extracts, chemical modifications of natural compounds are helpful. Additionally, articles that present alternative methods of obtaining natural compounds with antimicrobial activity, e.g., as a result of biotransformation using whole cells of microorganisms or pure enzymes, are also welcome. It will be interesting to compare the antimicrobial activity of natural compounds and their synthetic derivatives but also different plant extracts with pure compounds, which are dominant in plants. Plant extracts and compounds obtained by chemical modifications or biotransformations may be the future of effective treatment of infectious diseases.

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Culinary herbs and spices confer characteristic flavors or coloring to food. In this Special Issue of Foods, we aim to focus on culinary herbs and spices from a health perspective. Substances of plant origin are often regarded as harmless. The intention of this Special Issue is to provide a science-based view of the health impact of naturally occuring ingredients in plants with a particular focus on the health impact of plants used as culinary herbs and spices. In this context, different aspects will be addressed, including toxicological, analytical, and regulatory issues regarding naturally occurring ingredients in culinary herbs and spices as well as in products, such as essential oils and the food supplements based on them. For this purpose, some select examples of these compounds will be utilized to illustrate potential effects on human health, together with knowledge gaps related to hazard and exposure assessment. Moreover, safety issues related to products, such as essential oils or food supplements containing extracts of culinary herbs and spices that have become widely available to consumers through several distribution channels in the EU, will be covered.

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The aim of this reprint is to present the latest advances in plant genetic engineering and biotechnology published in Plants. In this Special Issue, several important economic and cereal crops, Brassica napus, Brassica juncea, Coffea arabica, Nasturtium officinale, Nicotiana tabacum, Oryza sativa, Passiflora edulis, Solanum betaceum, Solanum tuberosum, and Solanum lycopersicum, are included. Several important gene families, including the cytochrome P450 superfamily, the R2R3-MYB subfamily, the MYB superfamily in Brassica, and the NAC in Passiflora edulis, are extensively analyzed, and the function and potential application of several genes, such as BnCYP704B1a and BnCYP704B1b for genic male sterility, PeNAC-19 for low temperature, and the SUPERMAN-like gene for fruit size control, is determined. A set of new methods is presented for gene transformation and plant propagation. Efficient markers for CMS breeding in oilseed rape and novel reference genes in rice are also reported. In addition, advancements in carotenoid metabolism and in the flavonoid regulation of Brassica, as well as guidelines of genome editing for gene validation and trait improvement, are investigated. In this reprint, leading experts in the field share their insights, research findings, and visions for the future. Overall, this is significant in the sustainable development of crops.

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