The Sociedad Colombiana de Ciencas Hortícolas - SCCH (Colombian Society of Horticultural Sciences) and Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia - UPTC as institutions responsible for publication of the Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Hortícolas (Colombian Journal of Horticultural Sciences) extend their greetings to our scientific community overwhelmed by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected availability of economic resources, imposed difficulties for mobility of researchers, and contributed significantly to reducing research and scientific productivity. We also want to greet our authors and readers, who during their new mode of work and despite the many difficulties, continue to generate and disseminate the knowledge in area of horticulture and other species, thus, contributing to strengthen new schemes within the global food system and to develop studies with other important plant species in world trade.

Within this context, it is a pleasure for the editorial team of our Journal to present volume 15 issue 3 (2021) to our authors and readers, which includes 13 scientific articles in English, in digital format and with modality of continuous publication.

Our Fruit growing section includes six scientific articles on species of great national and global importance, such as strawberries, feijoa, avocado, oranges, and deciduous trees such as peaches and almonds. In strawberry, an article was developed in Brazil, where research results pointed out to the solution of a central problem of this crop related to the low availability of certified seedlings in that country and the high dependence on imported material. This is a very common problem in other countries, with the need to produce certified plant material under new, more efficient and economic production schemes. Also, relevant results related to the determination of nutrient requirements in feijoa are included. In Antillean avocado, evaluation of postharvest growth regulators is presented, along with the growth and productivity models in orange, models of fruit growth in peach and almond trees, and quantification of secondary metabolites destined for industrial use. These articles constitute new knowledge for the management of production and post-harvest of these important fruit trees.

In Vegetables section, three articles are included, one of them devoted to potato guata and related to evaluation of the genotype-environment interaction of this variety in one of the most productive areas of Colombia. A second article includes new knowledge on the protection of tomato plants with "chitosan" as a new management strategy for Fusarium oxysporum, one of the most limiting diseases in tomato production in Colombia and in the world. Finally, for peas, the article deals with the use of participatory mapping, aimed at determining the agroclimatic suitability of a productive area.

The section on Aromatic and medicinal plants includes an article on the physiological response of Stevia rebaudiana to salinity, one of the problems resulting from human intervention in these production systems.

We have also decided to continue with publication of articles that show relevant results in species not necessarily horticultural, such as industrial crops of great importance for some countries. This includes the case of quinoa in the Brazilian savannah, with the study on the growth and development of this species through the calculation of thermal time. Another article relates to the analysis of the pros and cons of the introduction and use of genetically modified organisms, such as Bt corn in Central and South America. Finally, an article shows a technique to determine soil moisture, which is very useful in the times of variability and climatic change for agricultural areas of Colombia.

These articles constitute a great contribution to the scientific knowledge of some horticultural species and other species of importance for the national and world agricultural sector. We hope that this information arrives through different means and becomes a source of permanent consulting for direct and indirect users of horticulture in our countries.

We also would like to highlight that the Sociedad Colombiana de Ciencas Hortícolas held five webinars during 2021, one for each area of horticulture, on current issues of horticulture, which were possible due to the contribution of scientific research from different national and international entities. We take this opportunity to thank such institutions as Agrosavia, Ceniflores, Colviveros, the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the University of the South of the Province of Buenos Aires, national private advisors in horticulture, and our organizing committees of these events. We cannot fail to mention, among our knowledge dissemination activities, the Primer Simposio Internacional de las Berries Cultivadas en el Trópico (First International Symposium on Berries Cultivated in the Tropics) and the VIII Congreso Colombiano de Horticultura (VIII Colombian Congress of Horticulture). As a result of these events, two books entitled "Avances en el cultivo de las berries en el trópico (Advances in the cultivation of berries in the tropics)" and "Avances de la horticultura y la mejora en la calidad de la vida (Advances in horticulture and improvement in the quality of life)" were published, available free of charge on our website.

Finally, the institutions that publish and finance the Journal would like to inform the authors that, in response to the economic impact that the agricultural sector is experiencing, the suspension of the publication fee is maintained for the articles, as a transitory measure during 2021. This temporary suspension of the publication fee implies that authors interested in publishing must submit their articles for publication in English revised and corrected in advance by certified translators.