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Nutrient Requirements and Fertilizer Management Strategies in Plant Cultivation
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Nutrient Requirements and Fertilizer Management Strategies in Plant Cultivation

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural Science and Ornamental Plants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 3243

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Lin Tang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
Interests: biofortification; crop science; food chemistry; forage production; fruit quality; greenhouse gases; ornamental plants; phytoremediation; plant abiotic stress; plant nutrition; plant physiology; rhizosphere microbiology; soil fertility; trace elements; wetlands
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Essential plant nutrients are critical for plant growth and reproduction; deficiencies in these nutrients may cause the plant growth cycle to fail. For plant cultivation, it is necessary to supplement productively through the addition of fertilizer to satisfy growth demand and increase or sustain yield. Nutrient diagnosis and soil testing, plant analysis, and crop canopy sensing as the main methods are legislation tools used for determining plant nutrition and crucial steps taken to manage the distribution of fertilizers to producers. Balanced fertilization refers to the application of plant nutrients in optimum quantities and in the right proportions through appropriate methods and at the right times for a specific crop’s needs and agroclimatic conditions. The development of novel and sophisticated fertilization practices is a challenge for nutrient management. Nutrient management helps to prevent deficiencies, imbalance, or overuse of fertilizers, improve plant nutrient use efficiency, and contribute to beneficial agronomic systems and environmentally safe plant cultivation.

In this Special Issue, we welcome the submission of interdisciplinary work in the format of original research papers, case studies, and review articles related to nutrient requirements and fertilizer management strategies in plant cultivation from the agronomic perspective to environmental considerations, which will improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying nutrient utilization linked to plant performance. Studies of plant nutrient requirements at the physiological, molecular, and ecological levels are welcome to be submitted. Papers performing decision-support models by artificial intelligence systems based on machine learning to simulate and recommend fertilizer management strategies for precision agriculture will also be appreciated.

Dr. Lin Tang
Guest Editor

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

  • biofortification
  • biomass and yield
  • cropping system
  • environmental sustainability
  • foliar application
  • mineral elements
  • nutrient component
  • nutrient diagnosis
  • plant breeding
  • precision agriculture

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 979 KiB  
Article
Yield and Sensorial and Nutritional Quality of Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) Fruits from Plants Grown Under Different Amounts of Irrigation in Soilless Cultivation
by Davide Raffaelli, Rohullah Qaderi, Luca Mazzoni, Bruno Mezzetti and Franco Capocasa
Plants 2025, 14(2), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14020286 - 20 Jan 2025
Viewed by 649
Abstract
Water scarcity is an ecological issue affecting over 10% of Europe. It is intensified by rising temperatures, leading to greater evaporation and reduced precipitation. Agriculture has been confirmed as the sector accounting for the highest water consumption globally, and it faces significant challenges [...] Read more.
Water scarcity is an ecological issue affecting over 10% of Europe. It is intensified by rising temperatures, leading to greater evaporation and reduced precipitation. Agriculture has been confirmed as the sector accounting for the highest water consumption globally, and it faces significant challenges relating to drought, impacting crop yields and food security. Sustainable practices, precision irrigation, and the development of drought-resistant crops are essential for the mitigation of this threat. Effective, innovative solutions are crucial for optimizing water use for intensive crops such as cultivated strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa). This study emphasizes the importance of identifying the genotypes most resilient to low water availability. Experimental trials involving reduced irrigation levels were set up to identify genotypes with a greater capacity to increase fruit quality and maintain fruit yield. Reduced water conditions positively influenced strawberry fruit quality, exhibiting improved citric acid, soluble solids, and color brightness linked to decreased water use, while firmness remained stable. Notably, the total phenolic content was most affected by stress, indicating strong antioxidant responses. With these interesting variations in fruit quality came a different response in plant yield. Plants belonging to the Lauretta and AN15,07,53 cultivars maintained a 98% fruit yield when grown under WS1 conditions. While the yield for the Francesca cultivar increased by 10% under the stressed WS1 conditions in comparison to the control conditions, water stress in the WS2 treatment caused a strong reduction in yield in all three genotypes. Overall, the findings emphasize the importance of identifying for each new cultivar the most appropriate water regime in order to amplify the quality of the fruit, thus maintaining high production standards and saving water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrient Requirements and Fertilizer Management Strategies in Plant Cultivation)
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18 pages, 2402 KiB  
Article
Application of Biochar-Immobilized Bacillus megaterium for Enhancing Phosphorus Uptake and Growth in Rice
by Keru Yu, Zhenyu Wang, Wenyan Yang, Shuai Li, Dongtao Wu, Hongtao Zheng, Zhengqian Ye, Shaona Yang and Dan Liu
Plants 2025, 14(2), 214; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14020214 - 14 Jan 2025
Viewed by 498
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for rice growth, and the presence of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) is an effective means to increase soil P content. However, the direct application of PSB may have minimal significance due to their low survival in soil. Biochar [...] Read more.
Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for rice growth, and the presence of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) is an effective means to increase soil P content. However, the direct application of PSB may have minimal significance due to their low survival in soil. Biochar serves as a carrier that enhances microbial survival, and its porous structure and surface characteristics ensure the adsorption of Bacillus megaterium. Inoculating rice husk biochar-immobilized with Bacillus megaterium (BMB) resulted in dissolved inorganic and organic P levels of 39.55 and 31.97 mL L−1, respectively. Subsequently, rice pot experiments were conducted to investigate the response of soil microbial P mobilization and P uptake in rice to fertilizer inputs. The organic fertilizer (OF) combined with BMB treatment (MOF) showed the highest soil available phosphorus (AP) at 38 days, with a value of 7.83 mg kg−1, as well as increased the pqqC abundance while decreasing the abundance of phoD bacterial communities compared with the control. Furthermore, the bioavailable P reservoir (H2O–Pi and NaHCO3–Pi) in soil was greatly increased through the fertilizer input and microbial turnover, with the highest H2O–Pi (3.66 mg kg−1) in OF treatment and the highest NaHCO3–Pi (52.65 mg kg−1) in MOF treatment. Additionally, carbon utilization analysis was applied using the commercial Biolog system, revealing that the MOF treatment significantly increased the utilization of carbohydrates, polymers, and amino acid carbon sources. Moreover, compared to the control, MOF treatment significantly increased the shoot (0.469%) and root P (0.516%) content while promoting root development and thereby supporting rice growth. Our study demonstrates that the MOF treatment displayed higher P levels in both soil and rice plants, providing a theoretical basis for further understanding the role of biochar-based bacterial agents in rice P management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrient Requirements and Fertilizer Management Strategies in Plant Cultivation)
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16 pages, 3622 KiB  
Article
Evaluating a Soil Amendment for Cadmium Mitigation and Enhanced Nutritional Quality in Faba Bean Genotypes: Implications for Food Safety
by Liping Cheng, Jiapan Lian, Xin Wang, Mehr Ahmed Mujtaba Munir, Xiwei Huang, Zhenli He, Chengjian Xu, Wenbin Tong and Xiaoe Yang
Plants 2025, 14(1), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14010141 - 6 Jan 2025
Viewed by 628
Abstract
Soil amendments combined with low cadmium (Cd)-accumulating crops are commonly used for remediating Cd contamination and ensuring food safety. However, the combined effects of soil amendments and the cultivation of faba beans (Vicia faba L.)—known for their high nutritional quality and low [...] Read more.
Soil amendments combined with low cadmium (Cd)-accumulating crops are commonly used for remediating Cd contamination and ensuring food safety. However, the combined effects of soil amendments and the cultivation of faba beans (Vicia faba L.)—known for their high nutritional quality and low Cd accumulation—in moderately Cd-contaminated soils remain underexplored. This study investigates the impact of a soil amendment (SA) on agronomic traits, seed nutrition, and Cd accumulation in 11 faba bean genotypes grown in acidic soil (1.3 mg·kg−1 Cd, pH 5.39). The SA treatment increased soil pH to 6.0 (an 11.31% increase) and reduced DTPA-Cd by 37.1%. Although the average yield of faba beans decreased marginally by 8.74%, it remained within the 10% national permissible limit. Notably, SA treatment reduced Cd concentration in seeds by 60% and significantly mitigated Mn and Al toxicity. Additionally, SA treatment enhanced levels of essential macronutrients (Ca, Mg, P, S) and micronutrients (Mo, Cu) while lowering Phytate (Phy)/Ca, Phy/Mg, and Phy/P ratios, thus improving mineral nutrient bioavailability. Among the genotypes, F3, F5, and F6 showed the most favorable balance of nutrient quality, and yield following SA application. This study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of SA for nutrient fortification and Cd contamination mitigation in Cd-contaminated farmland. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrient Requirements and Fertilizer Management Strategies in Plant Cultivation)
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20 pages, 4111 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Impact of Phosphorus and Solid Oxygen Fertilization on Snap Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): A Two-Year Field Study
by Md. Jahidul Islam Shohag, Elena Máximo Salgado, Marina Curtis Gluck and Guodong Liu
Plants 2024, 13(23), 3384; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13233384 - 1 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1006
Abstract
The snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is highly sensitive to both phosphorus (P) deficiency and hypoxic stress, which together can significantly hinder plant growth, nutrient uptake, and yield; however, limited information exists on the effect of P and oxygen (O2) [...] Read more.
The snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is highly sensitive to both phosphorus (P) deficiency and hypoxic stress, which together can significantly hinder plant growth, nutrient uptake, and yield; however, limited information exists on the effect of P and oxygen (O2) fertilization to alleviate these stresses and enhance yield. A two-year field experiment assessed the effects of P and O2 fertilization on plant growth, pod yield, and P uptake in acidic sandy soil. Using a randomized complete block design with four replications, we tested five P rates (0, 45, 90, 135, and 179 kg ha−1 of phosphorus pentoxide, P2O5) in the form of triple superphosphate (TSP) along with two rates (0 and 45 kg ha−1) of solid O2 fertilizer as calcium peroxide (CaO2). Phosphorus and O2 fertilizers improved plant growth and pod yield, with the highest yield from the combination of 135 kg ha−1 P2O5 and 45 kg ha−1 CaO2. Pearson correlation analysis indicated strong associations between plant growth, pod yield, and nutrient accumulation. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlighted notable seasonal differences in snap bean and soil characteristics. This study provides essential insights into the use of O2 fertilizers as a cost-effective approach to mitigate hypoxia, enhance P use efficiency, and improve yield in snap bean. Our findings may inspire the development of sustainable nutrient protocols for high-quality snap bean production and serve as a foundation for similar applications in other crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrient Requirements and Fertilizer Management Strategies in Plant Cultivation)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Sensorial and Nutritional Quality of Strawberry Fruits (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) from Plants Grown under Different Irrigation Supplies in Soilless Cultivation
Authors: Davide Raffaelli; Rohullah Qaderi; Luca Mazzoni; Bruno Mezzetti; Franco Capocasa
Affiliation: Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM), Via Brecce Bianche 10, 60131 Ancona, Italy

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