Optimizing Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Cereal Crop Production Systems
A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Systems and Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2026 | Viewed by 53
Special Issue Editor
Interests: plant nutrition; nutrient use efficiency; abiotic stresses; metabolomics; aquaporins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Nitrogen (N) is a key component of proteins, nucleic acids and vital chemical substances, and thus is an indispensable mineral for crop productivity and quality. N use efficiency (NUE) is defined as “grain dry matter produced per unit of available N”, and is evaluated with key processes such as uptake, distribution, remobilization and trade-off of N. Over the course of several decades, many strategies have been explored to improve NUE with the combination of genetics (G), environments (E) and management (M). Despite great efforts to enhance NUE, the utilization of nitrogen in cereal crops still remains lower than 40%. Therefore, innovative solutions are imperative to improve crop yields and NUE simultaneously, while maintaining and/or reducing N application rate. The main objective of this Special Issue is to extend and share novel knowledge and cutting-edge technologies to better understand the hidden mechanisms of NUE in crop plants in various cropping systems. We invite authors to submit original research and reviews that contribute knowledge to the following subtopics (although papers are not strictly limited to these topics):
- Application of agricultural practices (managements) to enhance NUE and crop yield;
- Nitrogen metabolisms from absorption via distribution/partitioning and assimilation to remobilization in crop plants;
- Impact of soil environments, in terms of physical, chemical and biological properties, on crop NUE
Dr. Jwakyung Sung
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. Agriculture 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 2600 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
- nitrogen use efficiency
- N transporter/assimilation
- N management
- N in soil–plant system
- cereal crops
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
