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Sustainability
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Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Cropping Systems
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Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Cropping Systems

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 5133

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Daniel Menezes-Blackburn

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
Interests: soil microbiology, rhizosphere science, plant nutrition, soil phosphorus and sulfur, soil salinity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Bingjie Jin

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
Interests: soil–plant system, earthworm gut microbiology, vermicompost, rhizosphere, soil phosphorus cycling
Dr. Dong-Xing Guan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: soil contamination and remediation; passive sampling; chemical imaging; soil-plant interaction; contaminant and nutrient bioavailability; food safety; soil health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable food production faces significant challenges due to climate change, land degradation, and the scarcity of natural resources, thereby presenting a major obstacle for modern agriculture. Enhancing soil fertility and optimizing plant nutrition are crucial steps toward developing more sustainable farming systems that can meet increasing food demands while minimizing negative environmental consequences. While soil fertility deals with the availability and plant uptake of essential nutrients, soil health expands the concept so that it includes physical, chemical, and biological soil parameters and their feedback. Both soil fertility and soil quality (health) are directly related to and dependent on sustainable cropping practices, thus surpassing solely improving crop yields by including a focus on minimizing environmental impacts and accounting for long-term effects.

This Special Issue aims to combine interdisciplinary perspectives on emerging concepts, technologies, and practices at the forefront of enhancing soil health, soil quality, nutrient cycling, and crop nutrition in diverse cropping systems. We encourage submissions of original research articles and comprehensive reviews exploring innovative strategies for soil fertility management and nutrient use efficiency in sustainable crop production. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

  • Ecologically based nutrient management strategies;
  • Feedback between plant nutrition and other aspects of sustainable farming;
  • Biological nutrient acquisition and plant–microbe interactions;
  • Innovations in organic amendments, biofertilizers, and biofortification;
  • Novel fertilizer formulations and enhanced efficiency products;
  • Nutrient management modeling and impact;
  • Breeding for nutrient use efficiency and adaptations to nutrient limitations;
  • Rhizosphere processes governing nutrient dynamics and acquisition;
  • Integration of crops with livestock for nutrient cycling;
  • Agroecological intensification and redesigning cropping systems;
  • Policy, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable nutrient management;
  • Life cycle assessments of nutrient flows and soil fertility practices.

We welcome submissions reporting original research findings from field studies, greenhouse experiments, modeling efforts, and synthesis/meta-analysis papers, which review important themes that are relevant to the scope of the Special Issue. Approaches relating to multidisciplinary systems that consider interactions among biological, technological, and socioeconomic factors are especially encouraged.

Manuscript submissions will undergo rigorous peer review. Both empirical research articles and comprehensive review papers will be considered for publication in this Special Issue. Please use the following link for more information: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/about.

Dr. Daniel Menezes-Blackburn
Dr. Bingjie Jin
Dr. Dong-Xing Guan
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • agriculture sustainability
  • soil fertility
  • plant nutrition
  • cropping systems
  • fertilizers
  • nutrient use efficiency
  • nutrient management
  • crop nutrition

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

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 1998 KiB  
Article
Soil Health Practices and Decision Drivers on Diversified Vegetable Farms in Minnesota
by Natalie Hoidal, Shane M. Bugeja, Emily Lindenfelser and Paulo H. Pagliari
Sustainability 2025, 17(3), 1192; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17031192 - 1 Feb 2025
Viewed by 370
Abstract
Soil health is at the root of agricultural sustainability, and small-scale vegetable farmers are becoming an increasingly important part of the US food system. These farmers face unique challenges when it comes to managing soil on their farms. These challenges include reliance on [...] Read more.
Soil health is at the root of agricultural sustainability, and small-scale vegetable farmers are becoming an increasingly important part of the US food system. These farmers face unique challenges when it comes to managing soil on their farms. These challenges include reliance on intensive production practices, the use of primarily organic inputs with difficult to calculate nutrient concentrations, and lack of access to formal education tailored to their needs. We surveyed farmers at 100 small-scale vegetable farms in Minnesota to (1) develop a better baseline understanding of how small-scale vegetable farmers utilize key soil health practices including nutrient management, cover crops, and tillage; (2) explore how farm demographics influence the adoption of soil health practices; and (3) determine educational priorities to better support these growers. Here, we report a lack of understanding about the nutrient contributions of compost, which is often applied at very large volumes without guidance from soil test results, with implications for nutrient loading in the environment. Farmers in our study had high rates of cover crop adoption relative to other farmers in the region despite several barriers to using cover crops. More experienced farmers were more likely to utilize more tillage, with more use of deep tillage implements on larger farms. Overall, organic certification was correlated with higher adoption of soil health practices including utilization of soil tests and cover crop use, but it was not correlated with tillage. Other demographic variables including land access arrangement and race did not meaningfully influence soil health practices. Our findings suggest a need for more research, outreach, and education targeted to vegetable farmers about how to interpret laboratory soil test results, and how to responsibly utilize organic inputs including vegetative compost and composted manure at rates appropriate for crop production in a diversified farm setting. We also report a need to compensate farmers for their labor to incentive cover crop use on small farms, and a need for more research and support for farmers in the 3–50-acre range to utilize reduced tillage methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Cropping Systems)
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15 pages, 2393 KiB  
Article
Organic Management and Intercropping of Fruit Perennials Increase Soil Microbial Diversity and Activity in Arid Zone Orchard Cropping Systems
by Rhonda R. Janke, Daniel Menezes-Blackburn, Asma Al Hamdi and Abdul Rehman
Sustainability 2024, 16(21), 9391; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219391 - 29 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1217
Abstract
Organic farming encourages soil management practices that can improve soil health and fertility by increasing soil organic matter inputs and system sustainability. This study evaluated the effect of three years of continuous organic farming and intercropping orchard treatments on soil microbial diversity, microbial [...] Read more.
Organic farming encourages soil management practices that can improve soil health and fertility by increasing soil organic matter inputs and system sustainability. This study evaluated the effect of three years of continuous organic farming and intercropping orchard treatments on soil microbial diversity, microbial enumeration, respiration, soil fertility and fruit yields. Organic management resulted in higher soil organic matter content, Olsen P, and water holding capacity, but did not affect soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), K, or Na levels. Growth parameters measured on all fruit trees were not significantly different among treatments. The enumeration of bacteria was significantly higher in organic plots when compared to conventionally managed plots. Soil respiration and substrate-induced respiration were significantly higher in the organic diverse plots in comparison to both conventional systems. The genomic analysis of prokaryotes (16S rRNA) and eukaryotes/fungi (ITS) revealed a significantly higher number of taxa, Shannon H index, and Equitability index in the organic systems for both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, in comparison to conventional farming, all of which are indicators of system sustainability. The relative abundance of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) previously reported as diazotrophs, denitrifiers, or involved in the sulfur cycle, as well as Arbuscular Mychorrizae Fungi (AMF)/glomeromycotan, were highest in the organically managed soils than in the conventional plots. A multivariate correlation network clustering revealed that the microbial communities within the organic and conventional soils had strong dissimilarities regarding soil microbial niches. Our work provides evidence that organic management can be used for increasing soil microbial diversity and soil health, leading to higher levels of sustainability in fruit orchard systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Cropping Systems)
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15 pages, 1849 KiB  
Article
The Integration of Phosphorus-Solubilizing Rhizobacteria, Eisenia fetida and Phosphorus Rock Improves the Availability of Assimilable Phosphorus in the Vermicompost
by Alfonso Andrade-Sifuentes, Gabriel de Jesús Peña-Uribe, Jorge Sáenz-Mata, Jesús Josafath Quezada-Rivera, Rubén Palacio-Rodríguez and Gisela Muro-Pérez
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7576; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177576 - 1 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1394
Abstract
Due to increasing soil degradation caused by unsustainable agricultural practices and the continued demand for quality food for the human population, it is imperative to find sustainable strategies for high-quality food production. For this reason, the objective of the present study was to [...] Read more.
Due to increasing soil degradation caused by unsustainable agricultural practices and the continued demand for quality food for the human population, it is imperative to find sustainable strategies for high-quality food production. For this reason, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the interaction between the factors of consortium of phosphorus-solubilizing rhizobacteria, addition of phosphate rock and worm load in horse manure to produce an organic fertilizer fortified with phosphorus. For this, consortia of phosphate-solubilizing rhizobacteria of the genus Bacillus (Bacillus aryabhattai, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus) isolated from the rhizosphere of Distichlis spicata were inoculated. Igneous phosphate rock (0 and 2%) was added in the vermicomposting process (with 25 and 50 g of E. fetida worms per kg of horse manure). The results obtained show that there is a significant interaction between the factors of inoculation with bacterial consortia (1 × 108 CFU mL−1), phosphate rock (2%) and earthworm biomass (50 g kg−1 of manure), and that this interaction promotes the production of assimilable forms of phosphorus for plants (such as monobasic phosphate ions H2PO4−1 or dibasic phosphate ions HPO4−2) within the vermicomposting process, having as a product an organic substrate supplemented with the optimal nutritional requirements for the development and growth of crops. This work can serve as a basis to produce high-quality organic fertilizer. However, field studies are required in order to observe the impact of vermicompost on the yield and quality of the fruits, and it can be compared with other types of fertilizers and the relevance of their use in different types of climates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Cropping Systems)
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13 pages, 3078 KiB  
Article
Effects of Nitrogen Fertilizer Application on Soil Properties and Arsenic Mobilization in Paddy Soil
by Bing Han, Wei-Qing Chen, Yong-Qiang Jiao, Rui Yang, Li-Lu Niu, Xin-Ran Chen, Chen-Yang Ji and Dai-Xia Yin
Sustainability 2024, 16(13), 5565; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135565 - 28 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1254
Abstract
Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) fertilization may substantially alter arsenic (As) behavior in the soil. However, a comprehensive understanding of how the soil As cycle responds to external N addition remains elusive. This study investigates the effects of various N fertilizers on soil properties and [...] Read more.
Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) fertilization may substantially alter arsenic (As) behavior in the soil. However, a comprehensive understanding of how the soil As cycle responds to external N addition remains elusive. This study investigates the effects of various N fertilizers on soil properties and As mobility in paddy soil. Regardless of N sources, the concentrations of soluble As and SPLP-extractable As decreased with all N applications. Similarly, soil acidification occurred and dissolved iron (Fe) increased in most treatments, except for KNO3 addition. However, only the KNO3 application could reduce As desorption from soil minerals based on phosphate extraction. Also, KNO3 enhanced both soil catalase (S-CAT) and dehydrogenase (S-DEH) activities. Other N treatments decreased S-CAT activities, but increased S-DEH activities. Principal components analysis indicated that phosphate extractable As was associated with NH4+-N concentration and S-DEH activity, while the concentrations of soluble As and SPLP-extractable As were associated with pH, S-CAT activity, and dissolved Fe. These results demonstrated that the soil properties induced by the N application are the main drivers of As desorption in paddy soil and that KNO3 application is more eco-friendly than other N sources in As-contaminated paddy soil. This study shed light on the reasonable application of N-bearing fertilizers and the importance of soil properties to assess As mobility in As-contaminated paddy soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Cropping Systems)
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