Grapes: global status and future potential – a call for papers

Last updated: 18 Oct, 2023

Grapes (Vitis L. - Vitaceae) are one of the world’s oldest and most widely consumed fruit crops. Globally, wine and table grapes have mainly been harvested from the domesticated European grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). However, many species in the Vitis genus are of increasing global importance for breeding V. vinifera and direct production, although they remain poorly known and under-explored. In this Special Collection of Plants, People, Planet we explore and celebrate the historical and current contributions, as well as the future potential, of Vitis.

 

 

We seek the submission of manuscripts that describe the current state of knowledge on Vitis including, but not limited to, agronomy, biodiversity, biogeography, breeding, biology, conservation status, ecology, enology, evolutionary history, genetics and genomics, microbiology, physiology, viticulture, and taxonomy, as well as historical and contemporary uses of Vitis species. We encourage manuscripts from across disciplines and around the globe, with particular interest in the diversity in North America and in eastern Asia - which is so rich at the taxon level but so poorly described. We especially welcome:

 

• Studies on the exploration and use of Vitis diversity.
• Microbial or other types of biodiversity associated with Vitis and its wild relatives.
• Conservation assessments for threatened wild species and/or cultivated varieties.
• Case studies of relevant Vitis projects in the form of Brief Reports.
• Novel experimental or computational methods, tools, protocols or analytical approaches with wide applications as Methods and Techniques papers.
• Reviews on the current state-of-the-art of exploration, breeding, and production of grapes in different regions.
• Historical uses of grapes, including of alternative species.
• Opinions on future directions for Vitis research.

 

Contributions to the Special Collection can be submitted under the Research, Review, Opinion, Methods and Techniques, or Brief Report categories. However, if you have any questions about how to categorize or format your manuscript please contact us, and we will be able to help.

 

Please note, Special Collection articles will be published in regular issues of Plants, People, Planet as they are accepted for publication, before being compiled together in a virtual collection with an overarching Editorial that discusses the papers and key themes.

 

We welcome the submission of full manuscripts no later than 30 April 2024. We encourage expressions of interest and abstracts for consideration. Please get in touch with your article ideas at ppp@lancaster.ac.uk.

 

With best wishes,

The Special Collection Editors: Allison Miller, Colin Khoury, Anne Fennell, Zoë Migicovsky, and Jun Wen

 

Guidelines

 

All manuscripts submitted for consideration in Plants, People, Planet should conform to the journal’s Author Guidelines. Submitted manuscripts will be subject to peer review and must meet the aims and scope and quality criteria of the journal. In particular, all manuscripts should consider the wider implications/impact of the work for people, society and the planet, including any implications for policy and/or practice. These aspects will be considered by the editor and reviewers when evaluating manuscripts and should be at the forefront of works, including in the 100-word Societal Impact Statement on the title page of the submission. We especially welcome:

 

Review articles, these tend be in the region of 4000 words, with up to 6 figures, however, please note that the journal has no strict limits on word length and number of figures/tables.

Research articles, which should report new and interesting insights into the relationships between plants, people and planet. Generally, research articles are in the region of 3500–4000 words, however, as above we have no strict limits.

Methods and Techniques provide a forum for novel inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches for researchers, practitioners and educators at the interface between plants and society. Methods and Techniques are generally in the region of 3500–4000 words.

Brief Reports highlight preliminary findings of research in progress, or a case report of particular interest. Brief Reports are usually in the region of 1500 words, with 20 references and 2 display items.

Opinions provide expert views on important topics of relevance to our wide readership, and should be in the region of 2000-4000 words.

 

Articles published in Plants, People, Planet are fully Open Access, meaning they are immediately freely available to read, download and share. Plants, People, Planet charges an article publication charge, however, Wiley has arrangements to cover the publication fee for authors based in certain institutions or regions, and there are some waivers and discounts available for Special Collection authors who lack funds and are not covered by either of these routes. We do not want a lack of funds to be a barrier to contributing to the Special Collection, so if you have a great article idea but lack funds or cover, please get in touch and we can discuss options to support you.

 

Manuscript submission procedure

 

Deadline for submission of full manuscripts: 30 April 2024

 

To ensure inclusion within the Special Collection all manuscripts must be submitted by the submission deadline as outlined above, and any subsequent dates set for the submission of revised manuscripts following peer review. We appreciate that the extent of revisions required for different manuscripts may vary and our publication schedule is set to accommodate this. However, whilst we will do all we can to expedite the process of those manuscripts rejected with resubmission encouraged, out of fairness to all authors and to maintain timeliness, we cannot guarantee inclusion within the Special Collection. We would of course include your article in the next available regular issue once accepted. We therefore advise you to submit your manuscript by the deadline if possible.

 

For final preparation, please refer to the full Author Guidelines of Plants, People, Planet. Please note, these guidelines contain detailed information on how to compile your manuscript, style and legal requirements for the journal.

 

Special Collection publication process

 

Papers accepted for publication will be published in regular issues of Plants, People, Planet as they become ready, before then being compiled together in a joint virtual collection with an overarching Editorial that discusses the papers and key themes.

 

Contact

 

All informal enquiries should be directed to Bennett Young, Coordinator for this Special Collection and Managing Editor, Plants, People, Planet (ppp@lancaster.ac.uk).