Horticultural crops are an excellent source of vitamins, antioxidants, and fibers that play an important role in human health. The discovery of modern genomic tools, the continuous generation of genomic data, and the application of comparative and functional genomics are high importance innovations with numerous applications in crop breeding. The utilization of all these new techniques in combination with the analysis of genomic data using bioinformatics tools, contribute to a better understanding of the function of various agronomic traits of interest as well as horticultural crops breeding. Over the last few years, novel genome editing tools such as the CRISPR-Cas9, have been developed and revolutionized molecular technologies due to their simplicity, high efficiency, and specificity. Scientific advances and modern technologies can be the springboard for a thorough understanding of the genotype-phenotype interaction. Highlighting the importance of horticultural crops and responding to the main challenges as well as the use of modern technologies in breeding is of paramount importance to meet the nutritional needs in the light of climate change and the trend for sustainable agriculture. The objectives of this article collection are to create a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art genomic tools used in horticultural crops, to highlight innovative cutting-edge research aimed at improving horticultural crops, and to enrich the knowledge of various agronomic traits and functions. Furthermore, the implementation of multi-omics approaches including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and microbiomics is of great importance in order to reveal quality changes in horticulture crops.In this Research Topic, we intend to enrich horticultural research with original research articles, reviews, and mini-reviews about horticultural crops breeding using state-of-the-art technologies. We strongly believe that this collection of high-quality publications can constitute the horticultural breeding challenges by applying emerging technologies. Furthermore, a solid theoretical basis can be developed with the aim of elucidating functional mechanisms of various traits. Genomics and genetics studies with regard to revealing the key scientific questions will enter a rapid evolution stage, giving rise to important contributions to the world’s horticultural industry. In summary, by creating a set of articles on modern advances, we aim to underline the future possibilities of modern breeding strategies in the development of horticultural crops.
Horticultural crops are an excellent source of vitamins, antioxidants, and fibers that play an important role in human health. The discovery of modern genomic tools, the continuous generation of genomic data, and the application of comparative and functional genomics are high importance innovations with numerous applications in crop breeding. The utilization of all these new techniques in combination with the analysis of genomic data using bioinformatics tools, contribute to a better understanding of the function of various agronomic traits of interest as well as horticultural crops breeding. Over the last few years, novel genome editing tools such as the CRISPR-Cas9, have been developed and revolutionized molecular technologies due to their simplicity, high efficiency, and specificity. Scientific advances and modern technologies can be the springboard for a thorough understanding of the genotype-phenotype interaction. Highlighting the importance of horticultural crops and responding to the main challenges as well as the use of modern technologies in breeding is of paramount importance to meet the nutritional needs in the light of climate change and the trend for sustainable agriculture. The objectives of this article collection are to create a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art genomic tools used in horticultural crops, to highlight innovative cutting-edge research aimed at improving horticultural crops, and to enrich the knowledge of various agronomic traits and functions. Furthermore, the implementation of multi-omics approaches including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and microbiomics is of great importance in order to reveal quality changes in horticulture crops.In this Research Topic, we intend to enrich horticultural research with original research articles, reviews, and mini-reviews about horticultural crops breeding using state-of-the-art technologies. We strongly believe that this collection of high-quality publications can constitute the horticultural breeding challenges by applying emerging technologies. Furthermore, a solid theoretical basis can be developed with the aim of elucidating functional mechanisms of various traits. Genomics and genetics studies with regard to revealing the key scientific questions will enter a rapid evolution stage, giving rise to important contributions to the world’s horticultural industry. In summary, by creating a set of articles on modern advances, we aim to underline the future possibilities of modern breeding strategies in the development of horticultural crops.