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Agronomy
Special Issues
Sustainable Agriculture for Food and Nutrition Security
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Sustainable Agriculture for Food and Nutrition Security

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2025) | Viewed by 2329

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Peter J. Gregory

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Agriculture, Policy & Development, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Reading RG6 6AD, UK
Interests: crop production; soil–plant interactions; plant nutrition; sustainable food systems; climate change; underutilized crops
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Greg Rebetzke

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Melbourne, Australia
Interests: delivery of cereal water productivity traits; statistical and quantitative genetics; phenomics in breeding; grain yield; filling period
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fundamental purpose of agriculture is to produce nutritious food for people. This production needs to be carried out in a way that it does not permanently degrade the environment or result in the loss of habitats for other organisms.

These are challenging objectives. As such, the aim of this Special Issue is to examine what ‘sustainable agriculture’ may look like in different parts of the world as the human population continues to increase, climate changes and becomes more variable, and the means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are implemented. Different views and contributions about how sustainable production systems might emerge are welcome and could include aspects of regenerative, low-input, climate-smart, net-zero, intensified, mixed or conservation production systems. Articles that include data about the nutritional value of the crops and animals to humans in addition to details about production methods and yields are particularly encouraged. We are also keen to explore how sustainable production systems can lead to a more efficient processing of products and thereby contribute to more sustainable food systems.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Foods.

Prof. Dr. Peter J. Gregory
Dr. Greg Rebetzke
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • production systems
  • sustainable intensification
  • regenerative agriculture
  • vertical farming
  • integrated pest management
  • nutritious food
  • food security
  • sustainable agriculture

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 1515 KiB  
Article
Effect of Fertilization with Ash from Biomass Combustion on the Fatty Acid Composition of Winter Rapeseed Oil
by Ewa Szpunar-Krok and Anna Wondołowska-Grabowska
Agronomy 2025, 15(1), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15010231 - 18 Jan 2025
Viewed by 549
Abstract
Bioenergy production generates huge amounts of ash from biomass combustion. One of the attempts to utilize them is to use them in agriculture as fertilizers. The response to this challenge is a three-year field experiment (2018–2021) where the effect of fertilization with ash [...] Read more.
Bioenergy production generates huge amounts of ash from biomass combustion. One of the attempts to utilize them is to use them in agriculture as fertilizers. The response to this challenge is a three-year field experiment (2018–2021) where the effect of fertilization with ash from forest biomass (approx. 70%) and agricultural biomass (approx. 30%), and soil type (Gleyic Chernozem and Haplic Luvisol), on the fatty acid (FA) profile of winter rape seeds (Brassica napus L. ssp. oleifera Metzg) was studied. Environmental factors modified the accumulation of fatty acids in winter oilseed rape seeds to the greatest extent and included all labelled unsaturated and saturated fatty acids from C12:0 to C24:0, with exceptions. In warm and dry years, C18:1n9c, C18:2n9c and C18:3n6 accumulated more, while cooler and humid years promoted an increase in the content of, among others, C20:2, C24:1, C18:3n3, C20:4 and C22:2. Cultivation of plants in Gleyic Chernozem soil promoted the accumulation of unsaturated fatty acids C18:3n3 and C18:3n6 in winter rape seeds—important from the nutritional point of view. The soil type Haplic Luvisol influenced a larger number of saturated acids and promoted an increase in their content to a greater extent than the Gleyic Chernozem soil type. Among unsaturated fatty acids, fertilization had an effect only on C18:3n3 with mineral fertilization (variant D1) and a very high K dose (variant D5) and C24:1 with the highest K dose (variant D6). No negative changes in the proportions of FAs, including omega-3 and omega-6, were demonstrated under the influence of BA application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture for Food and Nutrition Security)
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25 pages, 42941 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Matching and Influencing Factors of Grain Production and Cropland Net Primary Productivity in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China
by Quanxi Wang, Jun Ren, Maomao Zhang, Hongjun Sui and Xiaodan Li
Agronomy 2024, 14(12), 2932; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14122932 - 9 Dec 2024
Viewed by 541
Abstract
Exploring the spatiotemporal dynamics, spatial mismatch, and complex influencing mechanism of grain production and cropland productivity in the black soil region of northeast China (BSRNC) is essential for the synergistic protection and utilization of black soil cropland and sustainable grain production. The BSRNC [...] Read more.
Exploring the spatiotemporal dynamics, spatial mismatch, and complex influencing mechanism of grain production and cropland productivity in the black soil region of northeast China (BSRNC) is essential for the synergistic protection and utilization of black soil cropland and sustainable grain production. The BSRNC has realized cropland expansion and grain production increases in the past decades. This implied a substantial investment has been made in the region’s agriculture. However, at present, knowledge on the spatial mismatch and influencing factors of grain production and cropland productivity is still unclear. This study analyzed the spatial–temporal mismatch characteristics of grain production and cropland net primary productivity (CNPP) using the gravity center model, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and spatial mismatch index (SMI), and identified the spatial heterogeneity and prediction–response relationships of influencing factors based on a geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model and boosted regression tree (BRT) machine learning algorithm. The findings indicated that grain production and CNPP have been increasing, but the overall spatial pattern of cold hotspots has not changed obviously in the BSRNC from 2000 to 2020. The SMI has shown a decreasing trend, indicating that the synergistic development of grain production and CNPP has been obvious, which plays an important role in sustainable food supply capacity. Agricultural production and the natural environment have always been critical factors influencing the spatial mismatch. Specifically, the marginal impact of fertilizer application has undergone a shift. This study may provide new clues for the formulation of regional strategies for sustainable food supply and black soil cropland system protection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture for Food and Nutrition Security)
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20 pages, 5980 KiB  
Article
Classification and Evaluation of Marginal Land for Potential Cultivation in Northwest China Based on Contiguity and Restrictive Factors
by Ailin Zhang, Sheliang Wang, Zipei Zhang, Jiacheng Niu, Mengyu Guo, Huichun Ye, Xingtao Guo, Ruizhe Su and Huaizhi Tang
Agronomy 2024, 14(10), 2413; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14102413 - 18 Oct 2024
Viewed by 702
Abstract
Water, land, and other environmental conditions restrict marginal land (ML) conversion into newly cultivated land. Accurately evaluating ML’s development and utilization potential (DUP) can provide critical support for increasing new cultivated land and ensuring food security. This study focuses on Northwest China, using [...] Read more.
Water, land, and other environmental conditions restrict marginal land (ML) conversion into newly cultivated land. Accurately evaluating ML’s development and utilization potential (DUP) can provide critical support for increasing new cultivated land and ensuring food security. This study focuses on Northwest China, using spatial identification of different types of ML based on remote sensing images, and constructs a county-level DUP evaluation model through contiguous characteristics and restrictive factors to determine new cultivated-land potential, water demand, and liftable grain production. The results show that the DUP of ML in Northwest China is 12.59 million ha, with low-efficiency cultivated land (LCL) and two types of restoration land (TTRL) accounting for 3.29% and 5.95%, and other marginal land (OML) making up 90.76%. The total water demand for ML development and utilization is 69.87 billion cubic meters, which can increase grain production by 62.31 million tons. The coordinated development of water, land, and food promotes an increase in grain production, with water resources being the main restrictive factor. This model effectively evaluates DUP and provides a scientific basis for promoting the rational use of water and land resources. Further research should set up more detailed water resource utilization strategies and scenarios as well as find more development and utilization techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture for Food and Nutrition Security)
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