Horticulture meets the periodic table: a century of elemental research

Not only is 2019 the 100th anniversary of the Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, but to celebrate 150 years since Dmitri Mendeleev formally proposed the system of organising the chemical elements it is also the International Year of the Periodic table of Chemical Elements. This Centenary Review highlights work that has been published in this journal across its full history, illustrating how horticultural research involving the chemical elements of the periodic table has evolved over the past 100 years. The development of understanding of mineral nutrition is particularly highlighted, along with research through the century on crop protection and post-harvest spoilage prevention. More recent areas of research such as how mineral composition of horticultural crops affects the nutritional qualities of our food as well as investigations into bio-fortification are reviewed. How research into the importance of other elements such as silicon can mediate against environmental stressors is also included.