Search for Topics:
Title/Keyword
Journal
Submission Status
Category
 
 
Topics
Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Agriculture—2nd Edition
Submit your Manuscript Submit your Abstract Propose a Topic

Topic Menu

► Topic Menu

Topic Editors

Institut National Polytechnique, INRAe-Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
Dr. Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Institute of Environment & Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Beijing 100193, China
Laboratory of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
share announcement

Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Agriculture—2nd Edition

Abstract submission deadline
31 October 2025
Manuscript submission deadline
31 December 2025
Viewed by
1396

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Modern agriculture must respond to the growing global population. It must also face the following important challenges: producing, quantitatively and qualitatively, enough food to feed the world's population and preserving our soil heritage. These challenges must be overcome to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. However, intensive agricultural practices have had a lasting effect on soil health (microbial and insect life, mineral and organic composition, structure, physico-chemical properties, etc.). The emergence of new agricultural practices (including urban practices), fertilisation methods, sources of amendments and plant nutrition and the use of bacteria and fungi to improve the efficiency of nutrient use by crops is interesting and represent sustainable solutions to maintain soil life and improve its fertility and feed plants for sufficient and quality agricultural production to promote sustainable agriculture. The valorisation of new and/or old sources of fertilisers and soil improvers either directly (direct input to the soil) or indirectly (physico-chemical transformation) can be used to avoid pollution and environmental impacts. Consumers around the world are, nowadays, sensitive and attentive to the quality of agricultural products, their impact on the environment, their health and that of the environment. It is therefore important to consider soil preservation and the naturalness of agricultural production in the context of new sources of nutrients, new technologies for plant fertilisation and improved soil fertility. The first edition was a tremendous success in communicating new knowledge in the field of sustainable agriculture, plant nutrition and maintaining soil fertility. We hope to renew this edition with even greater success. This topic invites contributions on new agricultural practices that maintain and/or restore soil life and fertility, new methods and technologies for mineral and organic feeding, plant fertilisation, new sources of and processes for providing healthy food without a negative impact on the soil, the use of cultivars that efficiently valorise soil resources, the use of plant cover and/or crop associations, knowledge on plant-microbe–soil interactions, recent developments in urban farming and artificial intelligence, biocontrol and soilborn disease.

Dr. Othmane Merah
Dr. Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Prof. Dr. Hailin Zhang
Prof. Dr. Dionisios Gasparatos
Topic Editors

Keywords

  • sustainable agriculture, farming and cropping systems
  • organic agriculture and conservation agriculture
  • new farming systems and urban farming
  • soil–plant–microbiome interaction
  • soil health
  • crops associations, biodiversity and ecosystem services
  • amendments, green and animal manures, compost and vermicompost
  • enhanced nutrient use efficiency
  • soil microbial activity, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and mycorrhization
  • new organic and mineral matter, new fertilisation technologies and biostimulants
  • nutrient use
  • efficient cultivars
  • sustainable weed management
  • phytoremediation
  • no-tillage agriculture
  • remote sensing, GIS applications and precision agriculture
  • crop irrigation and water use

Participating Journals

Journal Name Impact Factor CiteScore Launched Year First Decision (median) APC
Agriculture
agriculture 		3.3 4.9 2011 19.2 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Agronomy
agronomy 		3.3 6.2 2011 17.6 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Crops
crops 		- - 2021 22.1 Days CHF 1000 Submit
Horticulturae
horticulturae 		3.1 3.5 2015 16.9 Days CHF 2200 Submit
Sustainability
sustainability 		3.3 6.8 2009 19.7 Days CHF 2400 Submit
Grasses
grasses 		- - 2022 26.3 Days CHF 1000 Submit
Plants
plants 		4.0 6.5 2012 18.9 Days CHF 2700 Submit
Soil Systems
soilsystems 		2.9 5.3 2017 39.7 Days CHF 1800 Submit

Preprints.org is a multidiscipline platform providing preprint service that is dedicated to sharing your research from the start and empowering your research journey.

MDPI Topics is cooperating with Preprints.org and has built a direct connection between MDPI journals and Preprints.org. Authors are encouraged to enjoy the benefits by posting a preprint at Preprints.org prior to publication:

  1. Immediately share your ideas ahead of publication and establish your research priority;
  2. Protect your idea from being stolen with this time-stamped preprint article;
  3. Enhance the exposure and impact of your research;
  4. Receive feedback from your peers in advance;
  5. Have it indexed in Web of Science (Preprint Citation Index), Google Scholar, Crossref, SHARE, PrePubMed, Scilit and Europe PMC.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Journals
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
20 pages, 1672 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Soil Health in Rice Cultivation: Optimized Zn Application and Crop Residue Management in Calcareous Soils
by Ranjan Laik, Elsaffory Bakry Awad Eltahira, Biswajit Pramanick, Nidhi, Santosh Kumar Singh and Harold van Es
Sustainability 2025, 17(2), 489; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020489 - 10 Jan 2025
Viewed by 582
Abstract
Crop residue, a readily available biomass, is the largest source of organic matter in soil, and zinc (Zn) significantly influences microbial activity. Understanding the optimal Zn rates for enhanced biological activity in crop residue-amended soils is crucial. A study at RPCAU, Pusa, examined [...] Read more.
Crop residue, a readily available biomass, is the largest source of organic matter in soil, and zinc (Zn) significantly influences microbial activity. Understanding the optimal Zn rates for enhanced biological activity in crop residue-amended soils is crucial. A study at RPCAU, Pusa, examined the combined effects of Zn applications and long-term crop residue amendments on soil biological properties in a rice–wheat cropping system. Conducted on Zn-deficient calcareous soil, the experiment used a split-plot design with four crop residue levels (0, 25, 50, and 100%) and four Zn rates (0, 2.5, 5, and 10 kg ha−1). Crop residues were incorporated each season, while Zn was applied initially in 1994 and again in 2018. The results showed significant improvements in soil organic carbon, organic C-stock, and reductions in soil bulk density. A linear–plateau regression model revealed that Zn application at 10 kg ha−1 increased soil active carbon and soil respiration by 35% and 53%, respectively, with the required crop residue levels at 73.73% and 90.28%. ACE protein increased by 9.6% with Zn application at 5 kg ha−1, with a required crop residue level of 91.06%. The highest values of soil available nutrients and grain yield of rice were observed with 100% residue incorporation and 10 kg ha−1 Zn application. Thus, applying 10 kg ha−1 Zn along with 100% crop residue incorporation significantly improves soil biological properties and soil organic carbon levels in calcareous soil under a rice–wheat cropping system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Agriculture—2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-1
Back to TopTop