The Sixth Special Issue of The Horticulture Journal—Quality Improvement of Ornamental Flowers—

 

The Japanese Society for Horticultural Science has published special issues of The Horticulture Journal (Hort. J.) to further enhance the value and attractiveness of this journal. The theme of the sixth special issue is “Quality Improvement of Ornamental Flowers”.

Ornamental flowers play a significant role in our lives, beautifying gardens, homes, and public areas with their pleasing appearance and fragrance. However, achieving excellence quality in ornamental flowers involves overcoming various challenges, ranging from genetic diversity and environmental factors to post-harvest handling and consumer preferences. The quality of ornamental flowers varies widely, encompassing traits like appearance, color, fragrance, and ornamental period such as vase life in postharvest conditions, which are important factors in increasing their value.

This special issue covers a range of topics to improve the quality of ornamental flowers, including breeding of new varieties with novel traits, innovative production system in protected horticulture, post-harvest techniques for maintaining the quality of cut flowers during storage, and efficient transportation systems for quality control. Additionally, the issue explores aspects of plant physiology, molecular biology, and biotechnology for enhancing quality. Furthermore, this issue emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of horticulture, drawing insights from genetics, physiology, chemistry, and related fields. By promoting collaboration, we aim to address these challenges and contribute to the advancement of ornamental horticultural sciences and the floral industry as a whole.

We hope that this special issue inspires further research and innovation in enhancing the quality of ornamental flowers.