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Innovative Agricultural Technologies and Practices for Improving Crop Physiology, Productivity...
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Innovative Agricultural Technologies and Practices for Improving Crop Physiology, Productivity and Quality

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Physiology and Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 August 2024) | Viewed by 6658

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yousef Alhaj Hamoud

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Interests: soil; plant and water relations; plant abiotic stress; plant physiology; crop yield and quality; irrigation and water use; heavy metals; chemigation; fertigation and salinization of soil
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hiba Shaghaleh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Interests: biopolymers; nanomaterials; hydrogel applications in agriculture; soil pollution and remediation; heavy metals; smart, chemical, and bio-fertilizers; plant biochemistry; crop quality; soil amendment; ecotoxicology; environmental safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tingting Chang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Interests: soil health and quality; soil remediation; land cover crops; manure/organic fertilizer/poultry litter; soil and water conservation; irrigation; drainage; soil amendment; crop production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture is challenged by food security and environmental safety. Meanwhile, water scarcity is growing increasingly due to climate change and environmental contamination, affecting cropping systems' productivity. Thus, cropping systems should include innovative strategies that consider crop responses to soil/water environment changes.

Soil is the key factor that determines any crop's success. Therefore, recent studies have employed approaches that enhance soil quality. For example, adding biochar, nanoparticles, bio-polymer composite materials, and nanomaterials to soil has great potential for soil remediation and fertility improvement, thus enhancing plant tolerance to different environmental stresses and improving crop productivity and quality. Furthermore, applying organic matter and biofertilizers to soils has been proposed as a feasible agricultural practice. Crop residue return to soil is also considered a novel approach to sustain cropping systems. Moreover, different irrigation management strategies should be developed to cope with the water shortage and ensure food safety.

Soil–plant–water interactions regulate plant growth physiology, and superior growth leads to higher crop production. The physiological responses of plants are also varied with soil/water environmental variations and stimulated by the availability of water and nutrients in the soil. However, the growth attributes of plants and their relations to the productivity and quality of crops, along with emerging agricultural technologies and practices, are not fully understood.

This Special Issue will focus on novel agricultural technologies and practices for improving crop physiology, productivity, and quality. This Special Issue will also emphasize the benefits of these novel technologies and practices for enhancing soil properties, crop physiology, and crop quality attributes. We invite researchers and experts to contribute with original research, reviews, and opinion pieces covering all topics related to green practice technologies for sustainable crop production. Authors are welcome to contribute reviews and articles on the most important aspects of cropping systems, including approaches that target improving crop production and enhancing soil quality and water productivity under the changing climate.

Dr. Yousef Alhaj Hamoud
Dr. Hiba Shaghaleh
Dr. Tingting Chang
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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • innovative agricultural technologies and practices
  • sustainable crop production
  • crop physiology, productivity, and quality
  • climate change
  • soil amendments
  • biomaterials, nanomaterials, and smart materials
  • fertilizers
  • crop residue
  • soil pollution and remediation
  • irrigation management

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3711 KiB  
Article
The Optimum Mixed Cropping Ratio of Oat and Alfalfa Enhanced Plant Growth, Forage Yield, and Forage Quality in Saline Soil
by Guanglong Zhu, Jiao Liu, Hao Wu, Yiming Zhu, Nimir Eltyb Ahmed Nimir and Guisheng Zhou
Plants 2024, 13(21), 3103; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13213103 - 4 Nov 2024
Viewed by 589
Abstract
The forage shortage is more aggravating than ever before, with husbandry development accelerating and meat and dairy product demand increasing. Salinized soils are important reserve land encouraged to be used for forage production in China. However, the salt-tolerant cultivation techniques for forage crops [...] Read more.
The forage shortage is more aggravating than ever before, with husbandry development accelerating and meat and dairy product demand increasing. Salinized soils are important reserve land encouraged to be used for forage production in China. However, the salt-tolerant cultivation techniques for forage crops are still inadequate. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to study the effects of the mixed cropping ratio of oat and alfalfa on plant growth and physiological traits, forage yield, and forage quality in saline soils. Oat (Avena sativa L.) variety of Canadian Monopoly and alfalfa variety of WL525HQ were used, and five mixed cropping ratios (T1 = 100% oat + 0% alfalfa, CK, T2 = 75% oat + 25% alfalfa, T3 = 50% oat + 50% alfalfa, T4 = 25% oat + 75% alfalfa, and T5 = 0% oat + 100% alfalfa) were evaluated. The results showed that plant height, chlorophyll, soluble sugar, starch, antioxidant enzymes, and crude fat were increased firstly and then decreased prominently with decreased oats and increased alfalfa sowing rate; the maximum values showed under T2 but the minimum value under T5 at evaluated growth periods. On the contrary, malondialdehyde and acid detergent fiber were significantly decreased and then increased; the lowest contents were recorded under T2 and highest under T5. Furthermore, the relative growth rate, forage yield, neutral detergent fiber, and crude ash were decreased prominently with decreased oats and increased alfalfa sowing rate, and the highest and lowest values showed under T1 and T5, respectively. Oppositely, the contents of sucrose, proline, N, P, K, relative feeding value, and crude protein were all increased, with the highest contents generated under T2 and the lowest under T1. On the whole, the mixed cropping treatment of T2 showed the best performance in improving both biomass yield and forage quality by enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, osmotic regulatory substances, and nutrient uptake and utilization. Therefore, this study indicates that 75% oat mixed cropping with 25% alfalfa can be recommended as a salt-tolerant cultivation technique for forage high-yield and high-quality production in moderately saline soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Agricultural Technologies and Practices for Improving Crop Physiology, Productivity and Quality)
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15 pages, 2583 KiB  
Article
Phosphogypsum with Rice Cultivation Driven Saline-Alkali Soil Remediation Alters the Microbial Community Structure
by Guanru Lu, Zhonghui Feng, Yang Xu, Fachun Guan, Yangyang Jin, Guohui Zhang, Jiafeng Hu, Tianhe Yu, Mingming Wang, Miao Liu, Haoyu Yang, Weiqiang Li and Zhengwei Liang
Plants 2024, 13(19), 2818; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13192818 - 8 Oct 2024
Viewed by 755
Abstract
The improvement of saline-alkali land plays a key role in ensuring food security and promoting agricultural development. Saline soils modifies the response of the soil microbial community, but research is still limited. The effects of applying phosphogypsum with rice cultivation (PRC) on soil [...] Read more.
The improvement of saline-alkali land plays a key role in ensuring food security and promoting agricultural development. Saline soils modifies the response of the soil microbial community, but research is still limited. The effects of applying phosphogypsum with rice cultivation (PRC) on soil physicochemical properties and bacterial community in soda saline-alkali paddy fields in Songnen Plain, China were studied. The results showed that the PRC significantly improved the physicochemical properties of soil, significantly reduced the salinity, increased the utilization efficiency of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and significantly increased the activities of urease and phosphatase. The activities of urease and phosphatase were significantly correlated with the contents of total organic carbon and total carbon. A redundancy analysis showed that pH, AP, ESP, HCO3−, and Na+ were dominant factors in determining the bacterial community structure. The results showed that PRC could improve soil quality and enhance the ecosystem functionality of soda saline-alkali paddy fields by increasing nutrient content, stimulating soil enzyme activity, and regulating bacterial community improvement. After many years of PRC, the soda-alkali soil paddy field still develops continuously and healthily, which will provide a new idea for sustainable land use management and agricultural development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Agricultural Technologies and Practices for Improving Crop Physiology, Productivity and Quality)
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27 pages, 11387 KiB  
Article
Successive Years of Rice Straw Return Increased the Rice Yield and Soil Nutrients While Decreasing the Greenhouse Gas Intensity
by Meikang Wu, Min Nuo, Zixian Jiang, Ruiyao Xu, Hongcheng Zhang, Xiao Lu, Liqun Yao, Man Dou, Xu Xing, Xin Meng, Dongchao Wang, Xiaoshuang Wei, Ping Tian, Guan Wang, Zhihai Wu and Meiying Yang
Plants 2024, 13(17), 2446; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13172446 - 1 Sep 2024
Viewed by 673
Abstract
Straw return has important impacts on black soil protection, food security, and environmental protection. One year of straw return (S1) reduces rice yield and increases greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the effects of successive years of straw return on rice yield, soil nutrients, [...] Read more.
Straw return has important impacts on black soil protection, food security, and environmental protection. One year of straw return (S1) reduces rice yield and increases greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the effects of successive years of straw return on rice yield, soil nutrients, and GHG emissions in the northeast rice region are still unclear. Therefore, we conducted four successive years of straw return (S4) in a positional experiment to investigate the effects of different years of straw return on rice yield, soil nutrients, and GHG emissions in the northeast rice region. The experimental treatments included the following: no straw return (S0), a year of straw return (S1), two successive years of straw return (S2), three successive years of straw return (S3), and four successive years of straw return (S4). Compared with S1, the rice yields of S2, S3, and S4 increased by 10.89%, 15.46%, and 16.98%, respectively. But only S4 increased by 4.64% compared to S0, while other treatments were lower than S0. S4 increased panicles per m2 and spikelets per panicle by 9.34% and 8.93%, respectively, compared to S1. Panicles per m2 decreased by 8.06% at S4 compared to S0, while spikelets per panicle increased by 13.23%. Compared with S0, the soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, NH4+-N, NO3−-N, available phosphorus, and available potassium of S4 increased by 11.68%, 10.15%, 24.62%, 21.38%, 12.33%, and 13.35%, respectively. Successive years of rice straw return decreased GHG intensity (GHGI). Compared with S1, the GHGI of S4, S3, and S2 decreased by 16.2%, 11.84%, and 9.36%, respectively. Thus, S4 increased rice yield and soil nutrients, reducing GHGI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Agricultural Technologies and Practices for Improving Crop Physiology, Productivity and Quality)
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23 pages, 8521 KiB  
Article
Bioassessment of Cd and Pb at Multiple Growth Stages of Wheat Grown in Texturally Different Soils Using Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films and Traditional Extractants: A Comparative Study
by Hiba Shaghaleh, Sana Rana, Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Usman, Mujahid Ali, Hesham F. Alharby, Ali Majrashi, Amnah M. Alamri, Isam M. Abu Zeid and Yousef Alhaj Hamoud
Plants 2024, 13(17), 2445; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13172445 - 1 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1014
Abstract
The bioavailability of heavy metals in soil is a crucial factor in determining their potential uptake by plants and their subsequent entry into the food chain. Various methods, including traditional chemical extractants and the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique, are employed [...] Read more.
The bioavailability of heavy metals in soil is a crucial factor in determining their potential uptake by plants and their subsequent entry into the food chain. Various methods, including traditional chemical extractants and the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique, are employed to assess this bioavailability. The bioavailability of heavy metals, particularly cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), is also influenced by soil texture and their concentrations in the soil solution. The primary objectives of this experiment were to compare and correlate the assessment of the Cd and Pb bioavailability using the DGT technique and traditional extractants across two soil textural classes: sandy clay loam (SCL) and clay loam (CL) at two contamination levels: aged contaminated (NC) and artificially contaminated (AC). The specific objectives included assessing the bioavailability of Cd and Pb at different growth stages of the wheat plant and correlating the DGT-based bioassessments of Cd and Pb with their concentrations in various plant parts at different growth stages. This study also compared the effectiveness of the DGT method and traditional extraction techniques in assessing the bioavailable fractions of Cd and Pb in soil. The regression analysis demonstrated strong positive correlations between the DGT method and various extraction methods. The results showed that the wheat plants grown in the AC soils exhibited lower root, shoot, and grain weights compared to those grown in the NC soils, indicating that metal contamination negatively impacts plant performance. The concentrations of Cd and Pb in the wheat tissues varied across different growth stages, with the highest levels observed during the grain filling (S3) and maturity (S4) stages. It is concluded that the in situ assessment of Cd and Pb though DGT was strongly and positively correlated with the Cd and Pb concentration in wheat plant parts at the maturity stage. A correlation and regression analysis of the DGT assessment and traditional extractants showed that the DGT method provides a reliable tool for assessing the bioavailability of Cd and Pb in soils and helped in developing sustainable soil management strategies to ensure the safety of agricultural products for human consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Agricultural Technologies and Practices for Improving Crop Physiology, Productivity and Quality)
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15 pages, 2052 KiB  
Article
The Concurrent Application of Phosphogypsum and Modified Biochar as Soil Amendments Influence Sandy Soil Quality and Wheat Productivity
by Mohssen Elbagory, Eman M. Shaker, Sahar El-Nahrawy, Alaa El-Dein Omara and Tamer H. Khalifa
Plants 2024, 13(11), 1492; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111492 - 28 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1152
Abstract
Sandy soil covers a significant portion of Egypt’s total land area, representing a crucial agricultural resource for future food security and economic growth. This research adopts the hypothesis of maximizing the utilization of secondary products for soil improvement to reduce ecosystem pollution. The [...] Read more.
Sandy soil covers a significant portion of Egypt’s total land area, representing a crucial agricultural resource for future food security and economic growth. This research adopts the hypothesis of maximizing the utilization of secondary products for soil improvement to reduce ecosystem pollution. The study focuses on assessing the impact of combining phosphogypsum and modified biochar as environmentally friendly soil amendments on loamy sand soil quality parameters such as soil organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, nutrient levels, and wheat yield. The treatments were T1: the recommended NPK fertilizer (control); T2: 2.5 kg phosphogypsum m−2 soil; T3: 2.5 kg rice straw biochar m−2 soil; T4: 2.5 kg cotton stalk biochar m−2 soil; T5: 2.5 kg rice-straw-modified biochar m−2 soil; T6: 2.5 kg cotton-stalk-modified biochar m−2 soil; and T7 to T10: mixed phosphogypsum and biochar treatments. The results revealed that the combined use of phosphogypsum and modified cotton stalk biochar (T10) significantly enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) by 73.66% and 99.46% in both seasons, the soil available N both seasons by 130.12 and 161.45%, the available P by 89.49% and 102.02%, and the available K by 39.84 and 70.45% when compared to the control treatment. Additionally, this treatment led to the highest grain yield of wheat (2.72 and 2.92 Mg ha−1), along with a significant increase in straw yield (52.69% and 59.32%) compared to the control treatment. Overall, the findings suggest that the combined use of phosphogypsum and modified biochar, particularly cotton-stalk biochar, holds promise for improving loamy sand-soil quality and wheat productivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Agricultural Technologies and Practices for Improving Crop Physiology, Productivity and Quality)
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18 pages, 2946 KiB  
Article
Biochar Enhances the Resistance of Legumes and Soil Microbes to Extreme Short-Term Drought
by Kang He, Qiangbo Liu, Jialei Zhang, Guanchu Zhang and Guolin Li
Plants 2023, 12(24), 4155; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12244155 - 13 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1523
Abstract
Short-term drought events occur more frequently and more intensively under global climate change. Biochar amendment has been documented to ameliorate the negative effects of water deficits on plant performance. Moreover, biochar can alter the soil microbial community, soil properties and soil metabolome, resulting [...] Read more.
Short-term drought events occur more frequently and more intensively under global climate change. Biochar amendment has been documented to ameliorate the negative effects of water deficits on plant performance. Moreover, biochar can alter the soil microbial community, soil properties and soil metabolome, resulting in changes in soil functioning. We aim to reveal the extent of biochar addition on soil nutrients and the soil microbial community structure and how this improves the tolerance of legume crops (peanuts) to short-term extreme drought. We measured plant performances under different contents of biochar, set as a gradient of 2%, 3% and 4%, after an extreme experimental drought. In addition, we investigated how soil bacteria and fungi respond to biochar additions and how the soil metabolome changes in response to biochar amendments, with combined growth experiments, high-throughput sequencing and soil omics. The results indicated that biochar increased nitrites and available phosphorus. Biochar was found to influence the soil bacterial community structure more intensively than the soil fungal community. Additionally, the fungal community showed a higher randomness under biochar addition when experiencing short-term extreme drought compared to the bacterial community. Soil bacteria may be more strongly related to soil nutrient cycling in peanut agricultural systems. Although the soil metabolome has been documented to be influenced by biochar addition independent of soil moisture, we found more differential metabolites with a higher biochar content. We suggest that biochar enhances the resistance of plants and soil microbes to short-term extreme drought by indirectly modifying soil functioning probably due to direct changes in soil moisture and soil pH. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Agricultural Technologies and Practices for Improving Crop Physiology, Productivity and Quality)
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