# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Horticultural and Viticultural Research Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/horticultural-and-viticultural-research/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Horticultural and Viticultural Research research in the Class of 2026?

Anthocyanin biosynthesis, volatile organic compounds, transcriptional regulation, and hyperspectral imaging define the Class of 2026 horticultural cohort. Research shifted strongly toward MYB-bHLH transcriptional complexes, structural genomic variants, and non-destructive optical sensing, while traditional precision viticulture and empirical fermentation studies receded among top-cited papers.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Horticultural and Viticultural Research |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 5,847 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Anthocyanins, Volatile organic compounds, Transcriptional regulation, Structural variants, Vitis vinifera |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 26–86 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Grapevine pangenome facilitates trait genetics and genomic breeding | Zhongjie Liu, Nan Wang, Ying Su, Qiming Long, Yanling Peng, Lingfei Shangguan, Fan Zhang, Shuo Cao, Xu Wang, Mengqing Ge, Hui Xue, Zhiyao Ma, Wenwen Liu, Xiaodong Xu, Chaochao Li, Xuejing Cao, Bilal Ahmad, Xiangnian Su, Yuting Liu, Guizhou Huang, Mengrui Du, Zhenya Liu, Yu Gan, Lei Sun, Xiucai Fan, Chuan Zhang, Haixia Zhong, Xiangpeng Leng, Yanhua Ren, Tianyu Dong, Dan Pei, Xinyu Wu, Zhongxin Jin, Yiwen Wang, Chonghuai Liu, Jinfeng Chen, Brandon Gaut, Sanwen Huang, Jinggui Fang, Hua Xiao, Yongfeng Zhou | Jinggui Fang, Hua Xiao, Yongfeng Zhou | Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China | Nature Genetics | 86 | 10.1038/s41588-024-01967-5 |
| 2 | Advancements in deep learning for accurate classification of grape leaves and diagnosis of grape diseases | İsmail Kunduracıoğlu, İshak Paçal | İsmail Kunduracıoğlu | Igdir University, Turkey | Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection | 69 | 10.1007/s41348-024-00896-z |
| 3 | The transcription factors ERF105 and NAC72 regulate expression of a sugar transporter gene and hexose accumulation in grape | Lizhen Lu, Serge Delrot, Peige Fan, Zhan Zhang, Die Wu, Fengqin Dong, Pedro García-Caparros, Shaohua Li, Zhanwu Dai, Zhenchang Liang | Lizhen Lu | Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | The Plant Cell | 37 | 10.1093/plcell/koae326 |
| 4 | Comparison of different computer vision methods for vineyard canopy detection using UAV multispectral images | Massimo Vincenzo Ferro, Claus Aage Grøn Sørensen, Pietro Catania | Massimo Vincenzo Ferro | University of Palermo, Italy | Computers and Electronics in Agriculture | 34 | 10.1016/j.compag.2024.109277 |
| 5 | MdbHLH162 connects the gibberellin and jasmonic acid signals to regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis in apple | Jian-Ping An, Rui-Rui Xu, Xiao-Na Wang, Xiao-Wei Zhang, Chun-Xiang You, Yuepeng Han | Jian‐Ping An, Chun‐Xiang You, Yuepeng Han | Shandong Agricultural University, China | Journal of Integrative Plant Biology | 33 | 10.1111/jipb.13608 |
| 6 | The transcription factor VvMYB44-1 plays a role in reducing grapevine anthocyanin biosynthesis at high temperature | Xiangpeng Leng, Chen Li, Peipei Wang, Yiran Ren, Jianqing Chen, Guangchao Liu, Abdul Hakeem, Yuting Liu, Xiaoya Shi, Ting Hou, Muhammad Salman Haider, Gengsen Liu, Jinggui Fang | Xiangpeng Leng, Jinggui Fang | Qingdao Agricultural University, China | PLANT PHYSIOLOGY | 33 | 10.1093/plphys/kiae657 |
| 7 | VvFHY3 links auxin and endoplasmic reticulum stress to regulate grape anthocyanin biosynthesis at high temperatures | Yanzhao Sun, Yanyan Zheng, Wenyuan Wang, Heng Yao, Zain Ali, Mengwei Xiao, Zhaodong Ma, Jingjing Li, Wenfei Zhou, Jing Cui, Kun Yu, Yang Liu | Yang Liu | China Agricultural University, China | The Plant Cell | 30 | 10.1093/plcell/koae303 |
| 8 | A Comparative Analysis of XGBoost and Neural Network Models for Predicting Some Tomato Fruit Quality Traits from Environmental and Meteorological Data | Oussama M'hamdi, Sándor Takács, Gábor Palotás, Riadh Ilahy, Lajos Helyes, Zoltán Pék | Sándor Takács | Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Hungary | Plants | 29 | 10.3390/plants13050746 |
| 9 | WRKY33 negatively regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis and cooperates with PHR1 to mediate acclimation to phosphate starvation | Han Tao, Fei Gao, Linying Li, Yuqing He, Xueying Zhang, Mengyu Wang, Jia Wei, Yao Zhao, Chi Zhang, Qiaomei Wang, Gaojie Hong | Qiaomei Wang, Gaojie Hong | Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China | Plant Communications | 29 | 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.100821 |
| 10 | Characterization of differences in physicochemical properties, volatile organic compounds and non-volatile metabolites of prune wine by inoculation of different lactic acid bacteria during malolactic fermentation | Jianqiao Jiang, Yun Xie, Miao Cui, Xiaomei Ma, Ruonan Yin, Yiwen Chen, Yongkang Li, Yue Hu, Weidong Cheng, Feifei Gao | Weidong Cheng, Feifei Gao | Shihezi University, China | Food Chemistry | 29 | 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139616 |
| 11 | Integrative genomics reveals the polygenic basis of seedlessness in grapevine | Xu Wang, Zhongjie Liu, Fan Zhang, Hua Xiao, Shuo Cao, Hui Xue, Wenwen Liu, Ying Su, Zhenya Liu, Haixia Zhong, Fuchun Zhang, Bilal Ahmad, Qiming Long, Yingchun Zhang, Yuting Liu, Yu Gan, Ting Hou, Zhongxin Jin, Xinyu Wu, Guotian Liu, Yiwen Wang, Yanling Peng, Yongfeng Zhou | Yongfeng Zhou | Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China | Current Biology | 29 | 10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.022 |
| 12 | Dynamic transformation in flavor during hawthorn wine fermentation: Sensory properties and profiles of nonvolatile and volatile aroma compounds coupled with multivariate analysis | Huaixiang Tian, Juanjuan Xiong, Jiashu Sun, Fenglin Du, Guofang Xu, Haiyan Yu, Chen Chen, Xinman Lou | Xinman Lou | Shanghai Institute of Technology, China | Food Chemistry | 28 | 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139982 |
| 13 | Effect of sequential fermentation with indigenous non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae combinations and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the chemical composition and aroma compounds evolution of kiwifruit wine | Wangsheng Sun, Xiaowen Chen, Sinuo Feng, Pengfei Bi, Jia Han, Shiqi Li, Xu Liu, Zhe Zhang, Fangyu Long, Jing Guo | Jing Guo | Northwest A & F University, China | Food Chemistry | 28 | 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.140758 |
| 14 | Climate change impact on Mediterranean viticultural regions and site-specific climate risk-reduction strategies | João Prada, Lia‐Tânia Dinis, Elia Soriato, Elodie Vandelle, Oğuzhan Soletkin, Şener Uysal, Abdelhi Dihazi, Conceição Santos, João A. Santos | João Prada | University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal | Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change | 28 | 10.1007/s11027-024-10146-0 |
| 15 | Population comparative genomics discovers gene gain and loss during grapevine domestication | Qiming Long, Shuo Cao, Guizhou Huang, Xu Wang, Zhongjie Liu, Wenwen Liu, Yiwen Wang, Hua Xiao, Yanling Peng, Yongfeng Zhou | Yanling Peng, Yongfeng Zhou | Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China | PLANT PHYSIOLOGY | 27 | 10.1093/plphys/kiae039 |
| 16 | The <i>LncNAT11</i>–MYB11<i>–</i>F3'H/FLS module mediates flavonol biosynthesis to regulate salt stress tolerance in <i>Ginkgo biloba</i> | Sian Liu, Hanyue Zhang, Zhaolong Meng, Zhichao Jia, Fangfang Fu, Biao Jin, Fuliang Cao, Li Wang | Fuliang Cao, Lı Wang | Yangzhou University, China | Journal of Experimental Botany | 27 | 10.1093/jxb/erae438 |
| 17 | Allelic variation of BBX24 is a dominant determinant controlling red coloration and dwarfism in pear | Guangyan Yang, Manyi Sun, Lester Brewer, Zikai Tang, Niels Nieuwenhuizen, Janine Cooney, Shaozhuo Xu, Jiawen Sheng, Christelle Andre, Cheng Xue, Ria Rebstock, Bo Yang, Wenjing Chang, Yueyuan Liu, Jiaming Li, Runze Wang, Mengfan Qin, Cyril Brendolise, Andrew C Allan, Richard V Espley, Kui Lin-Wang, Jun Wu | Kui Lin‐Wang, Jun Wu | Nanjing Agricultural University, China | Plant Biotechnology Journal | 26 | 10.1111/pbi.14280 |
| 18 | Comparing visible and near infrared ‘point’ spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging techniques to visualize the variability of apple firmness | Zhenjie Wang, Fangchen Ding, Yan Ge, Mengyao Wang, Changzhou Zuo, Jin Song, Kang Tu, Weijie Lan, Leiqing Pan | Weijie Lan, Leiqing Pan | Nanjing Agricultural University, China | Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy | 26 | 10.1016/j.saa.2024.124344 |
| 19 | A Functional InDel in the WRKY10 Promoter Controls the Degree of Flesh Red Pigmentation in Apple | Nan Wang, Wenjun Liu, Zhuoxin Mei, Shuhui Zhang, Qi Zou, Lei Yu, Shenghui Jiang, Hongcheng Fang, Zongying Zhang, Zijing Chen, Shujing Wu, Lailiang Cheng, Xuesen Chen | Lailiang Cheng, Xuesen Chen | Shandong Agricultural University, China | Advanced Science | 26 | 10.1002/advs.202400998 |
| 20 | Polyphenolic Screening and the Antioxidant Activity of Grape Pomace Extracts of Romanian White and Red Grape Varieties | Cristiana Radulescu, Radu Lucian Olteanu, Claudia Lavinia Buruleanu, Mihaela Nechifor Tudorache, Ioana Daniela Dulama, Raluca Maria Stirbescu, Ioan Alin Bucurica, Sorina Geanina Stanescu, Andreea Laura Banica | Cristiana Radulescu | Valahia University of Targoviste, Romania | Antioxidants | 26 | 10.3390/antiox13091133 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The informative word cloud across the 50 highest 18-month-cited horticultural and viticultural research papers reveals a field focused on plant secondary metabolism, transcriptional regulatory networks, and non-destructive crop monitoring technologies. Anthocyanin biosynthesis dominates the Class of 2026 cohort, appearing in 11 of 50 papers (normalized frequency 0.22), driven by studies investigating fruit pigmentation, environmental stress responses, and quality trait regulation in grapevine, apple, and horticultural crops. Volatile organic compounds (6 papers, 0.12) and transcriptional regulation (6 papers, 0.12) form a major secondary cluster, reflecting high interest in aroma profiles, fruit flavor development, and transcription factor cascades. Structural variants (5 papers, 0.10) and Vitis vinifera (5 papers, 0.10) anchor the genomic and viticultural foundation of the cohort, highlighted by grapevine pangenome reference assemblies and trait breeding tools. Mechanistic plant biology is strongly represented through MYB-bHLH complex (4 papers, 0.08), protein-protein interaction (4 papers, 0.08), and MBW complex (3 papers, 0.06), which govern flavonoid pathway activation under stress and hormonal cues. Simultaneously, technological advancements in smart horticulture are led by hyperspectral imaging (4 papers, 0.08) and visible-near-infrared spectroscopy (3 papers, 0.06) for non-destructive fruit quality assessment and disease diagnosis. Together, these topics demonstrate a dual emphasis on molecular trait regulation and precision phenotyping in modern horticultural science.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

Comparing normalized concept frequencies between the Class of 2025 (2023 publications) and Class of 2026 (2024 publications) cohorts reveals a pronounced shift toward molecular gene regulation, pangenomics, and spectral phenotyping in horticultural research. Anthocyanins registered the largest absolute expansion (+0.10 normalized frequency; 6 to 11 papers), cementing its role as the central biochemical marker of fruit quality and stress acclimation. Transcription factor complexes saw the sharpest emergence: MYB-bHLH complex (+0.08; 0 to 4 papers), protein-protein interaction (+0.08; 0 to 4 papers), Gene regulatory networks (+0.06; 0 to 3 papers), and MBW complex (+0.06; 0 to 3 papers) were newly prominent in 2024 top-cited papers, reflecting deeper mechanistic dissection of fruit color and flavor pathways. In genomics, structural variants (+0.06; 2 to 5 papers), quantitative trait loci (+0.06; 0 to 3 papers), and Genome-wide association study (GWAS) (+0.06; 0 to 3 papers) gained momentum, driven by high-impact grapevine pangenome and haplotype-resolved genomic resources. On the technology front, hyperspectral imaging (+0.06; 1 to 4 papers) and visible-near-infrared spectroscopy (+0.06; 0 to 3 papers) expanded rapidly. Conversely, traditional field-level management and empirical fermentation studies receded among top-cited papers, led by Precision Viticulture (−0.04; 4 to 2 papers), Fermentation (−0.02; 5 to 4 papers), and Non-Saccharomyces yeasts (−0.02; 3 to 2 papers). These shifts highlight an evolving discipline increasingly centered on molecular regulatory networks and high-throughput optical sensing.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Horticultural and Viticultural Research Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/horticultural-and-viticultural-research/2026. Accessed 2026-07-22.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```