# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/plant-physiology-and-cultivation-studies/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies research in the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 reveals a strong shift towards molecular and oxidative stress responses, with topics like the ascorbate-glutathione cycle and antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, catalase) rising sharply. Meanwhile, macroscopic and physical traits such as fruit softening and fruit firmness saw notable declines, indicating a deeper molecular focus in recent plant physiology research.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 7,478 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Peroxidase, ascorbic acid, catalase, reactive oxygen species, chilling injury |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 25–62 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Enhanced composite Co-MOF-derived sodium carboxymethyl cellulose visual films for real-time and in situ monitoring fresh-cut apple freshness | Zhepeng Zhang, Yang Zhang, Chen Wang, Xianjin Liu, Hesham R. El‐Seedi, Paula L. Gómez, Stella M. Alzamora, Xiaobo Zou, Zhiming Guo | Zhiming Guo | Jiangsu University, China | Food Hydrocolloids | 62 | 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2024.110475 |
| 2 | Hydrogen sulfide attenuates chilling injury in loquat fruit by alleviating oxidative stress and maintaining cell membrane integrity | Xinyan Shen, Yu Liu, Yuan Zeng, Yaqin Zhao, Yinqiu Bao, Xingfeng Shao, Zhengguo Wu, Yonghua Zheng, Peng Jin | Peng Jin | Nanjing Agricultural University, China | Food Chemistry | 44 | 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141094 |
| 3 | Advances in apple’s automated orchard equipment: A comprehensive research | Mustafa Mhamed, Zhao Zhang, Jiangfan Yu, Yifei Li, Man Zhang | Zhao Zhang | China Agricultural University, China | Computers and Electronics in Agriculture | 41 | 10.1016/j.compag.2024.108926 |
| 4 | From Salinity to Nutrient-Rich Vegetables: Strategies for Quality Enhancement in Protected Cultivation | Nazim S. Gruda, Jinlong Dong, Xun Li | Nazim S. Gruda | University of Bonn, Germany | Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences | 37 | 10.1080/07352689.2024.2351678 |
| 5 | Effects of Drought Stress on Photosynthesis and Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Blue Honeysuckle | Weijiao Yan, Yongchuan Lu, Liangchuan Guo, Yan Liu, Mingkai Li, Boyuan Zhang, Bingxiu Zhang, Lijun Zhang, Dong Qin, Junwei Huo | Boyuan Zhang, Bingxiu Zhang, Junwei Huo | Northeast Agricultural University, China | Plants | 36 | 10.3390/plants13152115 |
| 6 | Two gene clusters and their positive regulator SlMYB13 that have undergone domestication-associated negative selection control phenolamide accumulation and drought tolerance in tomato | Peng Cao, Jun Yang, Linghao Xia, Zhonghui Zhang, Zeyong Wu, Yingchen Hao, Penghui Liu, Chao Wang, Chun Li, Jie Yang, Jun Lai, Xianggui Li, Meng Deng, Shouchuang Wang | Jun Yang, Jie Yang, Shouchuang Wang | Hainan University, China | Molecular Plant | 34 | 10.1016/j.molp.2024.02.003 |
| 7 | Near-gapless and haplotype-resolved apple genomes provide insights into the genetic basis of rootstock-induced dwarfing | Wei Li, Chong Chu, Hui Li, Hengtao Zhang, Haochen Sun, Shiyao Wang, Zijun Wang, Yuqi Li, Toshi M Foster, Elena López-Girona, Jiaxin Yu, Yi Li, Yue Ma, Ke Zhang, Yongming Han, Bowen Zhou, Xingqiang Fan, Yao Xiong, Cecilia H Deng, Yi Wang, Xuefeng Xu, Zhenhai Han | Chong Chu, Cecilia Deng, Yi Wang, Zhenhai Han | China Agricultural University, China | Nature Genetics | 33 | 10.1038/s41588-024-01657-2 |
| 8 | Thymol application delays the decline of fruit quality in blueberries via regulation of cell wall, energy and membrane lipid metabolism | Shengjie Ye, Jianye Chen, Sen Cao, Donglan Luo, Liangjie Ba | Liangjie Ba | Guiyang University, China | Food Chemistry | 33 | 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.140193 |
| 9 | Exogenous brassinolides and calcium chloride synergically maintain quality attributes of jujube fruit (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) | Zhaojun Ban, Chenyu Niu, Li Li, Yizhou Gao, Lingling Liu, Jiancai Lu, Amr Farouk, Cunkun Chen | Zhaojun Ban | Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, China | Postharvest Biology and Technology | 33 | 10.1016/j.postharvbio.2024.113039 |
| 10 | <scp>MdWRKY31</scp>‐<scp>MdNAC7</scp> regulatory network: orchestrating fruit softening by modulating cell wall‐modifying enzyme <scp>MdXTH2</scp> in response to ethylene signalling | Jia-Hui Wang, Quan Sun, Chang-Ning Ma, Meng-Meng Wei, Chu-Kun Wang, Yu-Wen Zhao, Wen-Yan Wang, Da-Gang Hu | Da‐Gang Hu | Shandong Agricultural University, China | Plant Biotechnology Journal | 32 | 10.1111/pbi.14445 |
| 11 | Transcriptome analysis reveals that trehalose alleviates chilling injury of peach fruit by regulating ROS signaling pathway and enhancing antioxidant capacity | Xingxing Wang, Yingying Wei, Shu Jiang, Jianfen Ye, Yi Chen, Feng Xu, Xingfeng Shao | Xingfeng Shao | Ningbo University, China | Food Research International | 32 | 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114331 |
| 12 | Comparative metabolome and transcriptome analyses reveal the role of MeJA in improving postharvest disease resistance and maintaining the quality of Rosa roxburghii fruit | Juan Ma, Shuang Liu, Jing Zeng, Yiwen Zhang, Chang Wei, Zhao Meng, Yujia Zhou, Wen’e Zhang, Xiaochun Ding, Xuejun Pan, Xuewu Duan | Xiaochun Ding, Xuejun Pan | Guizhou University, China | Postharvest Biology and Technology | 32 | 10.1016/j.postharvbio.2024.113314 |
| 13 | Xanthan gum coatings augmented with lemongrass oil preserve postharvest quality and antioxidant defence system of Kinnow fruit under low-temperature storage | Kashish Bajaj, Anil Kumar, P P S Gill, S K Jawandha, Nirmaljit Kaur | K. L. Bajaj | Punjab Agricultural University, India | International Journal of Biological Macromolecules | 30 | 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129776 |
| 14 | L-Glutamate treatment alleviates chilling injury of prune (Prunus domestica L.) fruit by regulating ROS homeostasis, GABA shunt, and energy metabolism | Yuanyuan Hou, Rui Deng, Dilireba Shataer, Jingyang Hong, Liang Wang, Peng Jin, Yating Zhao | Yuanyuan Hou, Yating Zhao | Xinjiang University, China | Food Chemistry | 28 | 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.140899 |
| 15 | 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 |
| 16 | Melatonin delays softening of postharvest pepper fruits (Capsicum annuum L.) by regulating cell wall degradation, membrane stability and antioxidant systems | Pingping Li, Ruihao Zhang, Huidan Zhou, Yunrong Mo, Shuang Wu, Xiang Zhang, Zhihe Xie, Tianyu Zhang, Kai Zhao, Junheng Lv, Minghua Deng | Junheng Lv, Minghua Deng | Yunnan Agricultural University, China | Postharvest Biology and Technology | 27 | 10.1016/j.postharvbio.2024.112852 |
| 17 | A gradient of the HD-Zip regulator Woolly regulates multicellular trichome morphogenesis in tomato | MinLiang Wu, XinXin Bian, ShouRong Hu, BenBen Huang, JingYuan Shen, YaDi Du, YanLi Wang, MengYuan Xu, HuiMin Xu, MeiNa Yang, Shuang Wu | Shuang Wu | Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, China | The Plant Cell | 27 | 10.1093/plcell/koae077 |
| 18 | Quantitative analyses of major enzyme activities in postharvest fruit | Shucheng Li, Yi Zheng, Meiling Li, Lingzhen Zeng, Yueying Sang, Qingqing Liu, Huili Zhang, Hetong Lin, Zhongqi Fan | Hetong Lin, Zhongqi Fan | Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, China | Future Postharvest and Food | 27 | 10.1002/fpf2.12021 |
| 19 | <i>De novo</i> gene integration into regulatory networks via interaction with conserved genes in peach | Yunpeng Cao, Jiayi Hong, Yun Zhao, Xiaoxu Li, Xiaofeng Feng, Han Wang, Lin Zhang, Mengfei Lin, Yongping Cai, Yuepeng Han | Yunpeng Cao | Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | Horticulture Research | 26 | 10.1093/hr/uhae252 |
| 20 | Composite coating of xanthan gum with sodium nitroprusside alleviates the quality deterioration in strawberry fruit | Anuja Gautam, P. P. S. Gill, Navprem Singh, S. K. Jawandha, Rachna Arora, Arashdeep Singh, Ajay Ajay | Anuja Gautam | Punjab Agricultural University, India | Food Hydrocolloids | 25 | 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2024.110208 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

In the Class of 2026, plant physiology and cultivation research is predominantly characterized by studies on oxidative stress and molecular antioxidant responses. The most frequent topics include peroxidase, catalase, and reactive oxygen species, reflecting an intense focus on how plants manage environmental stress at the cellular level. Additionally, metabolic indicators like ascorbic acid and soluble solids content remain highly prevalent. The prominence of these biochemical topics suggests that researchers are moving beyond basic physical assessments to investigate the fundamental metabolic pathways and stress tolerance mechanisms in crops, aiming to improve agricultural resilience through deeper molecular understanding.

*Leading research themes*

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

The transition to the Class of 2026 highlights a distinct pivot from macroscopic physical traits toward advanced molecular and biochemical assays. Topics such as the ascorbate-glutathione cycle, drought tolerance, and molecular techniques like the dual-luciferase assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay emerged rapidly. Conversely, traditionally dominant physiological topics like fruit softening and fruit firmness experienced significant declines, dropping sharply from their previous highs. This evolution underscores a broader trend in plant physiology research: a growing reliance on detailed molecular and genetic analyses to unravel complex stress responses, replacing older, more phenotype-focused methodologies.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/plant-physiology-and-cultivation-studies/2026. Accessed 2026-07-15.

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
```