Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the “Agriculture 2021 Best Paper Award” for research and review articles published in Agriculture from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. One review and one research article will receive an award each. The papers will be selected after a thorough evaluation by the journal Award Committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Les Copeland.

Eligibility for the Award:
– Papers published in Agriculture from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021;
– Open to all career levels;
– Both regular and Special Issue submissions will be considered.

Selection Criteria:
The papers will be selected by the journal Award Committee according to the following criteria:
– Scientific merit and broad impact;
– Originality of the research objectives and/or the ideas presented;
– Creativity of the study design or uniqueness of the approaches and concepts;
– Clarity of presentation;
– Citations and downloads.

The Prize:
– One review award: CHF 800 and a chance to publish a paper free of charge in Agriculture by the end of July 2024 after peer review.
– One research article award: CHF 800 and a chance to publish a paper free of charge in Agriculture by the end of July 2024 after peer review.
– Each winner will also receive a certificate.

The winners will be announced on the journal website on 31 July 2023.

Kind regards,
Agriculture Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

The journal Agriculture is inviting applications for the 2022 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize will be awarded to a PhD student or doctor who has produced a highly anticipated academic potential thesis. The applications will be assessed by an evaluation committee led by the Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Les Copeland.

Eligibility and Requirements:
(a) The candidate must be a PhD student or a doctor who has produced a highly anticipated academic potential thesis.
(b) The PhD thesis must be their original work.
(c) The PhD thesis must be defended in 2022.
(d) Applicants are required to submit the following documents:
– An executive summary, around 3000 words, of the PhD thesis in English;
– A letter from the PhD supervisor recommending the candidate for consideration for this award;
– The candidate’s CV, including a list of publications associated with the thesis;
– An electronic copy of the PhD thesis;
– A scanned copy of the PhD diploma (or certificate of studying at a school or research institute as a PhD student intending to graduate or participate in graduation thesis defenses).

Selection Criteria:
– Quality of resume and publications;
– Relevance of the candidate and research description;
– Novelty of the candidate’s PhD thesis;
– Strength of the recommendation letter;
– Anticipated academic potential;
– Originality and impact of the research.

Prizes:
– Bonus (CHF 800);
– Certificate;
– Offer to publish a featured paper in Agriculture with the article processing charge (APC) waived before the end of 2023.

The application deadline is 31 January 2023. The winner will be announced on the Agriculture website by the end of April 2023.

Please submit your applications online.

Kind regards,
Agriculture Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Agriculture 2022 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Thomas Hartinger.

Dr. Thomas Hartinger completed his PhD at the University of Bonn, Germany. He is currently a Research Associate and Lecturer at the Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria. He conducts future-oriented research in the interface of classical animal nutrition and microbiology to provide solutions for the urgent challenges of modern agriculture.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Thomas Hartinger for his outstanding achievements. As the awardee, Dr. Thomas Hartinger will receive an honorarium of CHF 2000, an offer to publish a paper free of charge before the end of December 2023 in Agriculture after peer review, and an electronic certificate.

We would like to thank all the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of the many excellent nominations.

Kind regards,
Agriculture Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Agriculture, it is my great pleasure to announce the winners of the Agriculture 2021 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize was for a PhD student or a doctor who has produced a highly anticipated potential academic thesis.

The award has been granted to:
Application of Sensors for Detection and Quantification of Symptoms Related to Abiotic Stresses on Grapevine
New Technologies for Extreme Weather Events Assessment
By Alessia Cogato, University of Udine, Italy

Each winner will receive CHF 800, a certificate, and a chance to publish a paper in Agriculture in 2022.

On behalf of the evaluation committee, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the winner on their accomplishments. We would also like to thank all of the nominated research groups involved in the exceptional thesis above for their contributions to Agriculture as well as the Award Committee for voting for and helping with this award.

Prof. Dr. Les Copeland
Editor-in-Chief, Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Agriculture, I am pleased to announce that the following two applicants have been selected as the winners of the Agriculture 2021-2022 Travel Award.

• Zahra Bitarafan
  A Post Doctoral Researcher at Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Norway

• Nikolaos Tsoulias
  A Doctoral Researcher at Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Germany

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments.

Prof. Dr. Les Copeland
Editor-in-Chief, Agriculture

On behalf of the Agriculture 2021-2022 Travel Award Evaluation Committee

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Agriculture 2021 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Carlos Guzmán.

Dr. Carlos Guzmán defended his Ph.D. in 2011 at the University of Cordoba, Spain. His Ph.D. was focused on wheat genetic resources for wheat quality improvement and was granted the Outstanding Thesis Award by his university. In 2012, Carlos joined the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico, as a post-doc to work in the Wheat Chemistry and Quality Laboratory within the Global Wheat Program. In 2014, he obtained a scientist position to lead the laboratory and the activities related to grain quality improvement. After working for eight years at CIMMYT, he returned to the University of Cordoba in Spain in 2019 with a researcher position (Ramon y Cajal Program grant). His work has engaged everything related to wheat quality, from better understanding the genetic control and environmental effects on the traits that determine wheat processing and end-use quality to the development of novel methodologies that allow a more efficient integration of grain quality in wheat breeding programs. Carlos has also participated in research projects related to the implementation of novel technologies such as genomic selection in breeding programs or to the enhancement of wheat grain nutritional quality. He has published more than 70 articles in high-impact peer-reviewed journals, five book chapters, and two books. He has also participated in numerous international seminars and conferences (as an invited speaker, organizer, or chair) and has participated in several international initiatives related to wheat breeding and quality. Carlos has obtained, in grants and in contracts with the private sector, close to USD 1 million. Carlos´s ongoing work is focused on all aspects of wheat quality and breeding, with a special focus on understanding the relations between the phenotypic and genetic variability and on transferring quality traits of interest to commercial wheat varieties.

As the awardee, Dr. Carlos Guzmán will receive an honorarium of 2000 CHF, an offer to publish a paper free of charge before 31 December 2022 in Agriculture after peer-review, and an engraved plaque.

We would like to thank all the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of the abundant excellent nominations.

Prof. Dr. Les Copeland
Editor-in-Chief, Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Agriculture 2020 Best Paper Award. All papers published from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020 in Agriculture were considered for the award. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of the papers, citations, and downloads, the two winning papers, which were nominated by the Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Les Copeland, have been selected.

One Review:

Mortierella Species as the Plant Growth-Promoting Fungi Present in the Agricultural Soils
By Ewa Ozimek and Agnieszka Hanaka
Agriculture 2021, 11(1), 7; doi:10.3390/agriculture11010007

One Article:

ANN-Based Continual Classification in Agriculture
By Yang Li and Xuewei Chao
Agriculture 2020, 10(5), 178; doi:10.3390/agriculture10050178

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive CHF 800 and a chance to publish a paper free of charge in Agriculture in 2022.

On behalf of the assessment committee, I would like to congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional papers for their contributions to Agriculture, and the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Les Copeland, Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Agriculture, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Agriculture 2019–2020 Best Cover Awards.

The awards have been granted to:

Planting Date Effects on Cotton Lint Yield and Fiber Quality in the U.S. Southern High Plains

Authors: Steven Mauget, Mauricio Ulloa and Jane Dever
Agriculture 2019, 9(4), 82; doi:10.3390/agriculture9040082
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/9/4/82

Effects of Frequency of Irrigation on Dry-Season Furrow-Irrigated Maize and Peanut Production in the Rice-Growing Lowlands of the Lower Mekong Basin

Authors: Carlos Ballester, Camilla Vote, John Hornbuckle, Thavone Inthavong, Vanndy Lim, Chantha Oeurng, Wendy Quayle, Vang Seng, Pheng Sengxua, Vorachith Sihathep, Veasna Touch and Philip Eberbach
Agriculture 2019, 9(6), 128; doi:10.3390/agriculture9060128
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/9/6/128

Automatic Detection and Monitoring of Insect Pests—A Review

Authors: Matheus Cardim Ferreira Lima, Maria Elisa Damascena de Almeida Leandro, Constantino Valero, Luis Carlos Pereira Coronel and Clara Oliva Gonçalves Bazzo
Agriculture 2020, 10(5), 161; doi:10.3390/agriculture10050161
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/10/5/161

Neonicotinoid Residues in Sugar Beet Plants and Soil under Different Agro-Climatic Conditions

Authors: Helena Viric Gasparic, Mirela Grubelic, Verica Dragovic Uzelac, Renata Bazok, Maja Cacija, Zrinka Drmic and Darija Lemic
Agriculture 2020, 10(10), 484; doi:10.3390/agriculture10100484
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/10/10/484

Each winner will receive CHF 100 and will be able to publish a paper in Agriculture free of charge after the normal peer-review process by 30 June 2022.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Agriculture 2019–2020 Best Cover Awards. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for your continued support of Agriculture.

Prof. Dr. Les Copeland
Editor-in-Chief, Agriculture
On behalf of the Agriculture 2021-2022 Travel Award Evaluation Committee

Dear Colleagues,

The Agriculture editorial team would like to congratulate the winner of the 2019 Best Paper Award. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of the papers, citations, and downloads in 2019, the two winning papers, which were nominated by the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor-in-Chief, will receive the awards:

A Novel Machine Learning Method for Estimating Biomass of Grass Swards Using a Photogrammetric Canopy Height Model, Images and Vegetation Indices Captured by a Drone
Authors: Niko Viljanen, Eija Honkavaara, Roope Näsi, Teemu Hakala, Oiva Niemeläinen and Jere Kaivosoja
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/8/5/70

Global Biofuels at the Crossroads: An Overview of Technical, Policy, and Investment Complexities in the Sustainability of Biofuel Development
Authors: Kathleen Araújo, Devinder Mahajan, Ryan Kerr and Marcelo da Silva
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/7/4/32

We congratulate the authors and thank them for choosing Agriculture to publish their work. In recognition of their accomplishment, the winner will receive a reward of 500 Swiss Francs and one free publication quota. All the original research papers and review articles published in 2017 and 2018 were eligible for consideration.

Prof. Dr. Les Copeland
Editor-in-Chief, Agriculture
On behalf of the Agriculture 2021-2022 Travel Award Evaluation Committee

Dear Colleagues,

In order to acknowledge our reviewers, who give their time so generously to ensure high-quality publications in Agriculture, the editorial team plans to dedicate an award to reviewers for their exceptional commitment, professionalism, and timeliness in reviewing manuscripts for Agriculture. Anonymous peer-reviewing guarantees the quality and integrity of scholarly communication. The Agriculture editorial team is extremely grateful to reviewers for their time, energy, professionalism, and commitment.

The following reviewer has been selected by the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Office of Agriculture to be awarded the “Agriculture Outstanding Reviewer 2019” award for the quantity, timeliness and quality of their reviews in 2018.

Dr. Stefania Biondi
Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Dr. Stefania Biondi will receive 500 Swiss Francs and an electronic certificate.

Prof. Dr. Les Copeland
Editor-in-Chief, Agriculture
On behalf of the Agriculture 2021-2022 Travel Award Evaluation Committee

Dear Colleagues,

An exciting new initiative launched this year by Agriculture is the establishment of two Travel Awards to assist a Junior Researcher and a PhD student to attend a relevant conference. Over 200 eligible applications, from Europe, USA and Australia, were evaluated by an international panel of experts, who ranked the applicants according to their CV and scholarly achievements, their research, the significance of the conference, and their career aspirations. Selecting the award winners from the two highly competitive fields was very difficult, and so it is a great pleasure for me to announce the worthy winners of the inaugural Agriculture Travel Awards:

• The Junior Research Award winner is Dr Sandra LopezRayo of the University Autonoma of Madrid (Spain), who will attend the International Plant Nutrition Colloquium in Copenhagen, Denmark in August 2017.

• The PhD Award winner is Ali Ahsan Bajwa of the University of Queensland (Australia), who will attend the 26th Asian Pacific Weed Science Society Conference in Kyoto, Japan in September 2017.

Les Copeland
Editor in Chief