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Agronomy
Special Issues
Bioremediation and Management for Sustainable Agriculture
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Bioremediation and Management for Sustainable Agriculture

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2023) | Viewed by 16783

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elena Tamburini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Monserrato (CA), Italy
Interests: microbial biotechnologies; microbial ecology of terrestrial and marine anthropized environments (i.e., ports, mines, aquaculture) and interactions between microorganisms and environmental pollutants (i.e., hydrocarbons, metals); development of biotechnological processes employing microorganisms for the restoration, bioremediation, and phytoremediation of ecosystems contaminated by hydrocarbons and/or metals; microbial bioleaching of valuable elements from mining wastes (i.e., mine tailings, red muds); selection and characterization of microorganisms for the production of valuable bioproducts (i.e., surfactants, carotenoids, enzymes)
Dr. Krishan K. Verma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement/Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
Interests: bioremediation; environmental pollution; soil pollution; soil bioengineering; toxic ions; sustainable agriculture
Prof. Dr. Munna Singh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Botany, University of Lucknow, Lucknow 226007, India
Interests: environmental toxicology; soil-water contamination; heavy metal toxicology; phytoremediation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The journal Agronomy will be publishing a Special Issue entitled “Bioremediation and Management for Sustainable Agriculture”. In a worldwide context, different sites are severely contaminated due to diffusion in the environment of various chemicals, i.e., toxic heavy metal(loid)s, petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), halogenated dibenzodioxins/furans, chlorinated solvents, and pesticides. The primary sources of widespread environmental pollution are anthropogenic activities. The risk for human health and the environment in contaminated sites is a concern; thus, interest in site remediation approaches is increasing. Nowadays, contaminated soil is a global problem for the sustainable agriculture development of human beings, since the soil is a non-renewable resource. Cleaning up toxic soil and ensuring its safety are the main priorities for redeveloping land and urban regeneration in developed or agro-industrialized countries. The remediation of toxic soil and sediments via conventional approaches is not always feasible due to high costs and secondary pollutants. Therefore, phytoremediation approaches have emerged as natural, economic, and sustainable techniques, which may restore contaminated soils with the help of biological agents.

This Special Issue will focuss on phytoremediation techniques applied to toxic soil in agriculture and urban sites to recover soil fertility/quality. Advanced research, reviews, and opinion pieces covering all related areas, such as phytoremediation of contaminated agricultural and urban soils with a variety of pollutants, i.e., heavy metal ions, HCs, micro-nanoplastics, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, are welcome. Moreover, the guest editor and editorial board welcome papers on the use of plants, beneficial microorganisms or amendments in phytoremediation, assessments of microbial communities in contaminated soil, management approaches, modeling, and case studies from the field.

Dr. Elena Tamburini
Dr. Krishan K. Verma
Prof. Dr. Munna Singh
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

  • phytoremediation
  • PAHs
  • PCBs
  • phytoextraction
  • phytostabilization
  • metal(oid)s
  • soil contamination
  • fungal degradation patterns
  • metagenomic approaches
  • microbial degradation
  • soil bioengineering approaches
  • management strategies

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 634 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Management of Sewage Sludge Using Dhaincha (Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) W.Wight) Cultivation: Studies on Heavy Metal Uptake and Characterization of Fibers
by Ivan Širić, Arwa A. AL-Huqail, Pankaj Kumar, Madhumita Goala, Sami Abou Fayssal, Bashir Adelodun, Fidelis O. Ajibade, Sulaiman A. Alrumman, Saad A. M. Alamri, Mostafa A. Taher, Jogendra Singh, Vinod Kumar and Ebrahem M. Eid
Agronomy 2023, 13(4), 1066; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13041066 - 6 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2113
Abstract
In this study, the potential use of sewage sludge (SS) as a fertilizer source for cultivated Dhaincha (Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) W.Wight) crops was investigated. Field experiments were conducted using different doses of SS such as 0% (T0), 5% (T1), 10% (T2), and [...] Read more.
In this study, the potential use of sewage sludge (SS) as a fertilizer source for cultivated Dhaincha (Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) W.Wight) crops was investigated. Field experiments were conducted using different doses of SS such as 0% (T0), 5% (T1), 10% (T2), and 15% (T3) to amend the soil (w/w). The findings showed that soil amended with SS significantly (p < 0.05) improved the response parameters of S. bispinosa with an increase in the dose of SS from 0% to 15%. In particular, the T3 treatment gave the best results (mean values) for plant growth and yield parameters such as plant height (380.59 cm), fresh weight (1.47 kg/plant), dry weight (0.27 kg/plant), base diameter (3.19 cm), seed yield (44.71 g/plant), total chlorophyll (3.15 mg/g fwt), carotenoids (0.88 mg/g fwt), carbohydrates (9.40 mg/g), and phenol (0.13 mg/g) contents. Moreover, the selected proximate and fiber characteristics of the S. bispinosa crop were significantly (p < 0.05) improved by the same treatment (T3); such as ash (7.25%), crude fiber (32.70%), crude protein (15.94%), lignin (24.60%), cellulose (37.25%), fiber weight (3.06 g/plant), stick weight (32.08 g/plant), fiber: stick ratio (0.10), fiber diameter (26.97 µm), ultimate tensile strength (855.98 MPa), strength (58.92 g/tex), density (1.54 g/cm3), and luster (45.65%) compared with the control treatment (T0). The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) studies showed that the S. bispinosa plant was capable of accumulating selected heavy metals from the soil following the order: Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Cd > Cr. The study suggested a sustainable approach for efficient soil fertilization and high-quality S. bispinosa fiber production that could minimize the environmental pollution caused by the unsafe disposal of SS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioremediation and Management for Sustainable Agriculture)
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18 pages, 2261 KiB  
Article
Helichrysum microphyllum subsp. tyrrhenicum, Its Root-Associated Microorganisms, and Wood Chips Represent an Integrated Green Technology for the Remediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soils
by Melinda Mandaresu, Ludovica Dessì, Andrea Lallai, Marco Porceddu, Maria Enrica Boi, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Tiziana Pivetta, Raffaela Lussu, Riccardo Ardu, Marika Pinna, Federico Meloni, Enrico Sanjust and Elena Tamburini
Agronomy 2023, 13(3), 812; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030812 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3290
Abstract
Phytoremediation and the use of suitable amendments are well-known technologies for the mitigation of petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contaminations in terrestrial ecosystems. Our study is aimed at combining these two approaches to maximize their favorable effects. To this purpose, Helichrysum microphyllum subsp. tyrrhenicum, a [...] Read more.
Phytoremediation and the use of suitable amendments are well-known technologies for the mitigation of petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contaminations in terrestrial ecosystems. Our study is aimed at combining these two approaches to maximize their favorable effects. To this purpose, Helichrysum microphyllum subsp. tyrrhenicum, a Mediterranean shrub growing on sandy and semiarid soils, was selected. The weathered PHC-polluted matrix (3.3 ± 0.8 g kg−1 dry weight) from a disused industrial site was employed as the cultivation substrate with (WCAM) or without (UNAM) the addition and mixing of wood chips. Under the greenhouse conditions, the species showed a survival rate higher than 90% in the UNAM while the amendment administration restored the totality of the plant survival. At the end of the greenhouse test (nine months), the treatment with the wood chips significantly increased the moisture, dehydrogenase activity and abundance of the microbial populations of the PHC degraders in the substrate. Cogently, the residual amount of PHCs was significantly lower in the UNAM (3–92% of the initial quantity) than in the WCAM (3–14% of the initial quantity). Moreover, the crown diameter was significantly higher in the WCAM plants. Overall, the results establish the combined technology as a novel approach for landscaping and the bioremediation of sites chronically injured by PHC-weathered contaminations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioremediation and Management for Sustainable Agriculture)
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Review

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27 pages, 964 KiB  
Review
Application of Synthetic Consortia for Improvement of Soil Fertility, Pollution Remediation, and Agricultural Productivity: A Review
by Parul Chaudhary, Miao Xu, Lukman Ahamad, Anuj Chaudhary, Govind Kumar, Bartholomew Saanu Adeleke, Krishan K. Verma, Dian-Ming Hu, Ivan Širić, Pankaj Kumar, Simona M. Popescu and Sami Abou Fayssal
Agronomy 2023, 13(3), 643; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030643 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 64 | Viewed by 5809
Abstract
Climate change, inadequate possessions, and land degradation all pose obstacles to modern agriculture. In the current scenario, the agriculture industry is mainly dependent on the use of chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers that impact soil health and crop productivity. Moreover, water scarcity leads farmers [...] Read more.
Climate change, inadequate possessions, and land degradation all pose obstacles to modern agriculture. In the current scenario, the agriculture industry is mainly dependent on the use of chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers that impact soil health and crop productivity. Moreover, water scarcity leads farmers in drastically affected regions to use heavy metal-enriched water sources mainly originating from industrial sources for field crops irrigation. Soil pollutants can be carried into the human body via dust and water, creating negative health effects varying from simple symptoms, e.g., nausea and diarrhea and reaching death in critical cases. Thus, to clean soil contaminants, and improve soil fertility and agricultural production, alternatives to chemical fertilizers must be developed. Therefore, using beneficial microbes found in plant-associated soil microorganisms offers an effective strategy to alleviate some of these challenges, improving soil fertility, and crop yield, and protecting plants from stress conditions. Through the use of synergistic interactions, the synthetic consortium strategy seeks to improve the stability of microbial communities. In this review, synthetic consortia and their potential use in agriculture were discussed. Further, engineering new effective synthetic consortia was suggested as an effective approach in the concept of environmental bioremediation of soil pollutants and contaminants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioremediation and Management for Sustainable Agriculture)
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16 pages, 9709 KiB  
Review
Climate Change and Its Impact on Crops: A Comprehensive Investigation for Sustainable Agriculture
by Aradhna Kumari, Geetha Ajay Lakshmi, Gopinathan Kumar Krishna, Babita Patni, Soban Prakash, Malini Bhattacharyya, Santosh Kumar Singh and Krishan Kumar Verma
Agronomy 2022, 12(12), 3008; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12123008 - 29 Nov 2022
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4651
Abstract
Plants are a highly advanced kingdom of living organisms on the earth. They survive under all climatic and weather variabilities, including low and high temperature, rainfall, radiation, less nutrients, and high salinity. Even though they are adapted to various environmental factors, which are [...] Read more.
Plants are a highly advanced kingdom of living organisms on the earth. They survive under all climatic and weather variabilities, including low and high temperature, rainfall, radiation, less nutrients, and high salinity. Even though they are adapted to various environmental factors, which are variable, the performance of a crop will be compensated under sub/supra optimal conditions. Hence, current and future climate change factors pose a challenge to sustainable agriculture. Photosynthesis is the primary biochemical trait of crops that are affected by abiotic stress and elevated CO2 (eCO2). Under eCO2, the C3 legumes could perform better photosynthesis over C4 grasses. The associated elevated temperature promotes the survival of the C4 crop (maize) over C3 plants. In the American Ginseng, the elevated temperature promotes the accumulation of phytocompounds. Under less water availability, poor transpirational cooling, higher canopy temperatures, and oxidative stress will attenuate the stability of the membrane. Altering the membrane composition to safeguard fluidity is a major tolerance mechanism. For protection and survival under individual or multiple stresses, plants try to undergo high photorespiration and dark respiration, for instance, in wheat and peas. The redox status of plants should be maintained for ROS homeostasis and, thereby, plant survival. The production of antioxidants and secondary metabolites may keep a check on the content of oxidating molecules. Several adaptations, such as deeper rooting, epicuticular wax formation such as peas, and utilization of non-structural carbohydrates, i.e., wheat, help in survival. In addition to yield, quality is a major attribute abridged or augmented by climate change. The nutrient content of cereals, pulses, and vegetables is reduced by eCO2; in aniseed and Valeriana sp., the essential oil content is increased. Thus, climate change has perplexing effects in a species-dependent manner, posing hurdles in sustainable crop production. The review covers various scientific issues interlinked with challenges of food/nutritional security and the resilience of plants to climate variability. This article also glimpses through the research gaps present in the studies about the physiological effects of climate change on various crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioremediation and Management for Sustainable Agriculture)
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