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Open research questions in Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies

139 gap statements mined from Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 1,370 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • Limited understanding of the effects of foliar potassium and calcium application on guava trees. Optimal nutrient management strategies for guava cultivation under subtropical conditions.

    Foliar potassium–calcium nutrition enhances fruit yield, quality and mitigates cracking in guava (Psidium guajava L.) under humid subtropical conditions · 2026 · DOI

  • The effects of foliar potassium and calcium application on guava trees under subtropical conditions are not well understood. There is a need to evaluate the influence of potassium and calcium on fruit yield and quality in guava.

    Foliar potassium–calcium nutrition enhances fruit yield, quality and mitigates cracking in guava (Psidium guajava L.) under humid subtropical conditions · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited understanding of the effects of tillage regime and mulching material on soil carbon cycling and microbial function. Need for more sustainable orchard management practices.

    Metagenomic insights into the effects of tillage regime and branch-pruning mulch on soil carbon cycling and microbial function in apple orchards · 2026 · DOI

  • The effects of tillage regime and mulching material on soil carbon cycling and microbial function are not well understood. There is a need for more research on the potential of natural grass cultivation and composted shredded-branch mulch to improve soil carbon cycling.

    Metagenomic insights into the effects of tillage regime and branch-pruning mulch on soil carbon cycling and microbial function in apple orchards · 2026 · DOI

  • The fine-scale quantification of frost tolerance in flower buds during deacclimation remains limited. Prior studies have relied on descriptive lethal thresholds such as LT₅₀ or LT₉₀ to determine frost tolerance.

    DTA-CIFE modeling for predicting freezing dynamics and frost tolerance in deciduous fruit buds · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on (i) assessing the impacts of climate change on phenology, distribution, and productivity, (ii) conserving and utilizing genetic diversity, (iii) understanding species-specific ecological functions in different environmental contexts, and (iv) identifying sustainable harvesting thresholds and management practices.

    Spontaneous Fruit Species—Ecological Functions, Biodiversity Conservation, and Ecosystem Services · 2026 · DOI

  • The current and future challenge is to sustain the intensification of fruit orchards and to preserve the integrity of the environment.

    Living mulch in fruit and olive orchards. A review · 2026 · DOI

  • Few studies have focused on the effect of living mulch on fruit tree roots, and the results are often contradictory.

    Living mulch in fruit and olive orchards. A review · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding about the relationship between carbohydrate status and fruit growth in apple. Prior studies have not examined the use of the fruitlet size distribution model to generate fruit set predictions in apple.

    Fruitlet carbohydrate status and relative growth rate explain apple abscission rates irrespective of flower position · 2026 · DOI

  • The study only considered a limited number of cultivars. The research was carried out in a specific region, which may not be representative of other areas.

    Comparative evaluation of apple cultivars under late spring frost conditions in the hilly area of Bistrița · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to evaluate the sensitivity of apple cultivars to late spring frost. The study addresses the gap in knowledge on the response of different apple cultivars to frost stress.

    Comparative evaluation of apple cultivars under late spring frost conditions in the hilly area of Bistrița · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a gap in knowledge about the botany and agrotechnics of citrus fruits in that time period. The paper aims to fill this gap by providing a scientific description of the fruit varieties, climatic adaptation, yield, and appearance.

    "BOBURNOMA"DAGI SITRUS MEVALAR TASNIFI · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of reliable methods for early detection of graft incompatibility. The need for a comprehensive understanding of the physiological, molecular, and technological approaches for detecting graft incompatibility.

    Graft incompatibility in fruit trees in early detection: integrating physiological, molecular, and technological approaches · 2026 · DOI

  • Consequently, the interactions among SA concentration, the phenological stage at which water deficit occurs, and regulated deficit irrigation remain poorly understood under field conditions, particularly in semi-arid environments.

    Foliar Salicylic Acid Modulates Watermelon Responses to Deficit Irrigation at Different Phenological Stages · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies involving different cultivars and genotypes are needed to confirm the broader applicability of these findings. Exploring alternative pre-treatment approaches, including chemical treatments, osmotic regulators, and biostimulants, may facilitate the development of more comprehensive strategies to overcome germination constraints in mango seeds.

    Studies on Different Pre-Sowing Treatments on Germination Performance and Initial Growth of Polyembryonic Mango (Mangifera indica L.) · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to evaluate the effects of different pre-sowing treatments on seed germination and early seedling growth of polyembryonic mango. The responses to the evaluated pre-sowing treatments may vary among cultivars and polyembryonic genotypes.

    Studies on Different Pre-Sowing Treatments on Germination Performance and Initial Growth of Polyembryonic Mango (Mangifera indica L.) · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited varietal innovation. Inefficient germplasm resource utilization. Trade imbalances. Technological gaps, including the lack of precision agriculture and biological control.

    A comprehensive analysis of China’s plum industry: production dynamics, trade imbalances, technological innovation, and future directions · 2026 · DOI

  • The review is limited to the 2021-2023 period, for which complete validated statistics are available. The study relies on secondary data sources, including FAOSTAT and grey literature.

    A comprehensive analysis of China’s plum industry: production dynamics, trade imbalances, technological innovation, and future directions · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to investigate the salt tolerance of apple rootstocks. The 'Hatay' clonal apple rootstock candidate has not been previously studied for its salt tolerance.

    Salt Stress Tolerance of 'Hatay' Clonal Apple Rootstock Candidate (Malus sylvestris L. Mill. Subsp. orientalis) Under in vitro Conditions · 2026 · DOI

  • The hyper-arid region of southern Xinjiang in China has limited water resources. The region's soil has high salinity and low organic matter content. The fragrant pear trees require careful water and fertilizer management to optimize yield and quality.

    Reasonable water and fertilizer ratios regulate fruit cell tissue structure and improve the quality of fragrant pear in China’s extreme arid regions · 2026 · DOI

  • Climate change is directly threatening crop production and food security. Extreme weather events and changes in abiotic conditions are aggravating production losses. Global fruit and vegetable production must increase by 50 to 150% by 2050 to meet the dietary needs of 10 billion people.

    Ethephon as a bloom-delaying agent for frost-sensitive tree crop flowers at risk from a changing climate · 2026 · DOI

  • First, combined multi-omics technologies will be further applied to reveal the molecular interaction mechanisms between host plants, rhizosphere microorganisms and nematode–microbe complexes.

    A Review: Mechanisms, Control Strategies, and Future Perspectives of Apple Replant Disease in China · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited information on organic nutrient combinations for improving guava fruit quality - Lack of effective organic nutrient sources for sustainable guava…

    Organic nutrient combinations for enhancing nutrient uptake and fruit quality in Sardar guava (Psidium guajava L.) cv. L-49 · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies should address: (1) seasonal dynamics of non-structural carbohydrates in roots, stems, and leaves to quantify carbon allocation patterns; (2) root hydraulic conductance and its correlation with scion water status; (3) hormonal signaling (particularly auxin and cytokinin) from rootstock to scion; and (4) long-term orchard profitability analysis incorporating establishment costs, maintenance…

    Growth, yield and fruit quality of ‘African Rose’ plum as affected by three rootstocks · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigation of epigenetic biomarkers for predicting graft incompatibility. Development of non-destructive sensors for early detection of graft incompatibility. Exploration of the potential of AI-based methods for improving rootstock-scion selection and orchard sustainability.

    Graft incompatibility in fruit trees in early detection: integrating physiological, molecular, and technological approaches · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The effects of foliar potassium and calcium application on guava trees under subtropical conditions are not well understood (“Foliar potassium–calcium nutrition enhances fruit yield, quality and mitigates…”, 2026); (2) The effects of tillage regime and mulching material on soil carbon cycling and microbial function are not well understood (“Metagenomic insights into the effects of tillage regime and branch-pruning…”, 2026); (3) The fine-scale quantification of frost tolerance in flower buds during deacclimation remains limited (“DTA-CIFE modeling for predicting freezing dynamics and frost tolerance in…”, 2026); (4) There is a lack of understanding about the relationship between carbohydrate status and fruit growth in apple (“Fruitlet carbohydrate status and relative growth rate explain apple abscission…”, 2026); (5) There is a need to evaluate the sensitivity of apple cultivars to late spring frost (“Comparative evaluation of apple cultivars under late spring frost conditions in…”, 2026). 139 gap statements have been mined from Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 1,370 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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