Editorial: Advances in ripening regulation, quality formation, pre and post-harvest applications of horticultural products

Horticultural crop products, such as fruits, provide important health-supporting nutrients in human diet. The quality of fruits is closely related to consumer-liking, influences fruit consumption and the development of fruit industry. Fruit ripening is a complex process with dramatic changes in color, texture, flavor, aroma, and nutrient metabolism that determines fruit quality formation. Fruit ripening is regulated by a number of transcription factors (TFs) in conjunction with the plant hormones, epigenetic modifications, as well as exogenous environment factors. Therefore, efforts to decipher the mechanisms of ripening regulation and quality formation are crucial contributing novel strategies to improve fruit quality. This Research Topic contains 4 original research articles that shed new light on the regulation mechanism of fruit ripening and quality formation or provide effective strategies to improve fruit quality.