Special Issue "Sustainable Crop Production"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Mick P. Fuller
Faculty of Science and Technology, School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
Website: http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/mfuller
E-Mail: mfuller@plymouth.ac.uk
Phone: +44 1752 587635
Interests: crop stress physiology; response of crops to climate change; crop biotechnology; plant physiology; agronomy and sustainable crop production

Dear Colleagues,

One of the main challenges facing scientists, agronomists and farmers and growers is the challenge of food security in the next 50 years. Population growth predictions and changing diets to more and more meat consumption are combining to make greater and greater demands on crop yields. Furthermore, changes in climate arising from the rise of atmospheric CO2 and the consequent alterations in global temperatures leading to changing and unpredictable weather patterns are further complicating production regimes for growers. These challenges require solutions in crop production which do not compromise the production base i.e., the soil resource upon which most crop production is based. There is no doubt that crop yields need to rise and this must be through a combination of genetic solutions coupled with agronomic innovation. This special issue of Agronomy focuses on these issues to bring together a treatise of publications which will help to serve as a foundation for new developments and innovative ideas for future crop production.

Prof. Dr. Mick P. Fuller
Guest Editor

Submission

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. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as 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 refereed through a 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 quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. For the first couple of issues the Article Processing Charge (APC) will be waived for well-prepared manuscripts. English correction and/or formatting fees of 250 CHF (Swiss Francs) will be charged in certain cases for those articles accepted for publication that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections.

• challenge of food security
• crop yields
• climate change
• crop production
• genetic solutions
• agronomic innovation
• sustainability

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Micro-level Management of Agricultural Inputs; Emerging Approaches
Authors: Jonathan Weekley¹, Joseph Gabbard² and Jerzy Nowak¹
Affiliations: ¹ Department of Horticulture, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
² Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Abstract: Through the development of superior plant varieties that benefit from high agrochemical inputs and irrigation, the agricultural Green Revolution has doubled crop yields, yet introduced unintended impacts on environment. An expected 50% growth in world population during the 21st century demands novel integration of advanced technologies and low-input production systems based on soil and plant biology, targeting precision delivery of inputs synchronized with growth stages of crop plants. Further, successful systems will integrate subsurface water, air and nutrients delivery, real-time soil parameter data and computer-based decision-making to mitigate plant stress and actively manipulate microbial rhizosphere communities that stimulate productivity. Such approach will ensure food security and mitigate impacts of climate change.

Type of Paper: Article
Title: Sustainable Phosphorus Measures: Strategies and Technologies for Achieving Phosphorus Security
Authors: Dana Cordell and Stuart White
Affiliation: Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney; Global Phosphorus Research Initiative, P.O. Box 123, Broadway NSW 2007, Australia
Abstract: The increasing scarcity, expense and geographical concentration of the world’s main source of phosphorus fertilizers is jeopardizing farmer livelihoods, soil fertility, the productivity of the world’s agriculture and ultimately food security. An integrated approach is required to buffer the world’s food systems against the long and short-term impacts of global phosphorus scarcity. While the agricultural sector will be crucial, sustainable phosphorus measures in sectors upstream and downstream of agriculture from mine to fork will also need to be addressed. This paper presents a comprehensive classification of all potential phosphorus supply- and demand-side measures to meet long-term phosphorus needs for food production. Examples range from increasing efficiency in the mining and agricultural sectors, to technologies for recovering phosphorus from urine and food waste. Such measures are often undertaken in isolation from one another rather than linked in an integrated strategy. This will enable scientists and policy-makers to take a systematic approach when identifying potential sustainable phosphorus measures. If a systematic approach is not taken, there is a risk of inappropriate investment in research and implementation of technologies and that will not ultimately ensure sufficient access to phosphorus to produce food in the future. The paper concludes by introducing a framework as a way forward to assess and compare sustainable phosphorus measures to determine the least cost options in a given context.

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Improving Resilience of Northern Field Crop Systems Using Under-Seeded Legumes
Authors: Amélie C.M Gaudin, Sabrina Westra, Cora E.S Loucks, Ralph C. Martin and William Deen 
Affiliation: Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1, Canada
Abstract: In light of the environmental challenges and uncertainties ahead, sustainability and resilience of the most abundant crop production systems must be improved to guarantee yield stability while using more efficiently nitrogen inputs, soil and water resources. Along with genetic and agronomic innovations, diversification of northern agro ecosystems using under-seeded legumes provides further opportunities to improve land management practices that sustain crop yields and their resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. Benefits of legume cover crops have been known for decades and red clover (Trifolium pratense) is one of the most common and beneficial when frost-seeded under winter wheat in advance of corn in a rotation. However, it’s use has been declining mostly due to the convenient use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides, concerns that red clover reduces wheat yields or interferes with harvest and the inability to fully capture red clover benefits due to difficulties in establishing uniform stands. In this manuscript, we will first review the environmental, agronomic, rotational and economical benefits associated with under-seeded red clover. Red clover being well adapted to a wide array of common wheat-based rotations, it’s potential to mitigate the effects of land degradation in a changing climate and its integration into sustainable food production systems will be discussed. We will then identify areas of research to enable significant impact on cropping system profitability and sustainability.

Type of Paper: Article
Title: Why and How Should Nature Conservation Invest in Agriculture?
Authors: Frédéric Baudron ¹, Bruno Gérard ¹ and Ken E. Giller ²
Affiliations: ¹ Cropping System Agronomist, CIMMYT (International Maize & Wheat Improvement Center) P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
² Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AK, Box 430, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Abstract: Global agricultural production will have to increase substantially to reduce hunger, reduce national food insecurities, and meet the needs of a world population projected to exceed 9 billion in 2050. The bulk of this increase will come from developing countries, which host some of the last biodiversity-rich areas of the planet. If increasing agricultural production is with no doubt one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, it appears to be a surprisingly low priority for international conservation agencies’ investment. Two models have been proposed to meet the challenge of increasing agricultural production with minimum negative consequences for biodiversity: “wildlife-friendly farming” and “land sparing”. Although conservation agencies clearly favour low external input practices (i.e., wildlife-friendly farming), intensification (i.e., land sparing) would deliver more benefits, both in terms of production and conservation, in specific landscapes of high value for biodiversity. In this article, we examine the pros and cons of both approaches, and what should guide the choice toward one or the other. This choice should not be based on ideology, but on pragmatism and flexibility. We conclude on the importance of considering general principles in addition to these two approaches: resource-use efficiency, habitat connectivity, and better economics, and policies.