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Agriculture
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Effects of Crop Management on Yields
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Effects of Crop Management on Yields

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 August 2025 | Viewed by 8640

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Márton Jolánkai

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Guest Editor
Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Páter Károly u.1, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Interests: crop production; grain crops; quality; physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zoltán Kende

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Guest Editor
Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Páter Károly u.1, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Interests: soil management; adaptable soil tillage; nutrient management; crop production; impacts of climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ákos Tarnawa

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Guest Editor
Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Páter Károly u.1, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Interests: crop production; management techniques; field trials; variety-specific experiments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Throughout history, there have been several definitions of the role of agronomy in yield improvement. Jonathan Swift wrote, some 300 years ago, “that whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country than the whole race of politicians put together”.

The production of crop plants is one of the most ancient activities. In all ages, it has provided food, feed, and several other products that can be used for further processing. The basic task of land use for crop yield improvements is quite simple: the harmonization between crop plant requirements and production site characteristics. In general, there are several efficient yield-improving factors. There are studies focusing on management technologies such as (1) the application of different genetical backgrounded materials and the variety of usage; (2) adaptation to different agroecological environment; (3) crop rotation methods; (4) manuring and fertilization; (5) tillage methods; (6) any parameter of sowing and planting; (7) plant care and phytosanitary (including irrigation); (8) harvest methods and parameters; and (9) post-harvest technologies (including storage problems like Fusarium mycotoxin production).

This Special Issue aims to assess the effects of agricultural management, efficient agronomic practices, and the utilization of proper crop species and varieties on crop yield. This Special Issue closely encompasses the aims and scope of Agriculture, involving crop management, land–crop systems, and yield improvement.

Prof. Dr. Márton Jolánkai
Dr. Zoltán Kende
Dr. Ákos Tarnawa
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. 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

  • crop site
  • crop management
  • yield improvement
  • land use

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4915 KiB  
Article
The Quality of Seedbed and Seeding Under Four Tillage Modes
by Lijun Wang, Yunpeng Gao, Zhao Ma and Bo Wang
Agriculture 2025, 15(15), 1626; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15151626 - 26 Jul 2025
Viewed by 198
Abstract
Crop residue management and soil tillage (CRM and ST) are key steps in agricultural production. The effects of different CRM and ST modes on the quality of seedbed, seeding, and harvest yield are not well determined. In this study, the system of maize [...] Read more.
Crop residue management and soil tillage (CRM and ST) are key steps in agricultural production. The effects of different CRM and ST modes on the quality of seedbed, seeding, and harvest yield are not well determined. In this study, the system of maize (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) rotation under ridge-tillage in the semi-arid regions of Northeast China was chosen as the study conditions. Four modes were investigated: deep tillage and seeding (DT and S), stubble field and no-tillage seeding (SF and NTS), three-axis rotary tillage and seeding (TART and S), and shallow rotary tillage and seeding (SRT and S). Results show that the DT and S mode produced the best quality of seedbed and seeding. Among the conservation tillage modes, the SRT and S mode produced the shortest average length of roots and straw, the best uniformity of their distribution in the seedbed, and the highest soybean yield. Both the SRT and S and SF and NTS modes yielded a higher net profit as their cost-effectiveness. When considering only the quality of seedbed and seeding under conservation tillage as a prerequisite, it can be concluded that the SRT and S mode is both advantageous and sustainable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Crop Management on Yields)
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20 pages, 3953 KiB  
Article
Straw Returning Combined with Application of Sulfur-Coated Urea Improved Rice Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency Through Enhancing Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism
by Guangxin Zhao, Kaiyu Gao, Ming Gao, Xiaotian Xu, Zeming Li, Xianzhi Yang, Ping Tian, Xiaoshuang Wei, Zhihai Wu and Meiying Yang
Agriculture 2025, 15(14), 1554; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15141554 - 19 Jul 2025
Viewed by 306
Abstract
Straw returning inhibits tillering at the early stage of rice growth and thus affects grain yield. Sulfur-coated urea (SCU) has been expected to increase nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and yield, save labor input, and reduce environmental pollution in crop production. Nevertheless, the sulfur [...] Read more.
Straw returning inhibits tillering at the early stage of rice growth and thus affects grain yield. Sulfur-coated urea (SCU) has been expected to increase nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and yield, save labor input, and reduce environmental pollution in crop production. Nevertheless, the sulfur coatings of SCU are easy to break and then shorten the nutrient release cycle. Whether there was a complementary effect between straw returning and SCU in NUE and grain yield had remained elusive. To investigate the effects of straw returning combined with the application of SCU on NUE and rice yield, a two-year field experiment was conducted from 2022 to 2023 with three treatments (straw returning combined with conventional urea (SRU), no straw returning combined with SCU (NRS), straw returning combined with SCU (SRS)). We found that straw returning combined with the application of SCU increased rice yield and NUE significantly. Compared with SRU and NRS, SRS treatments significantly increased grain yield by 14.61–16.22%, and 4.14–7.35%, respectively. Higher effective panicle numbers per m2 and grain numbers per panicle were recorded in NRS and SRS treatments than SRU. SRS treatment increased nitrogen recovery efficiency by 79.53% and 22.97%, nitrogen agronomic efficiency by 18.68% and 17.37%, and nitrogen partial factor productivity by 10.51% and 9.81% compared with SRU and NRS treatment, respectively. The enhanced NUE in SRS was driven by higher leaf area index, SPAD value, net photosynthetic rate, carbon metabolic enzyme (RuBP and SPS) activity, nitrogen metabolic enzyme (NR, GS, and GOGAT) activity, sucrose and nitrogen content in leaves, and nitrogen accumulation in plant during grain filling. Moreover, the improved yield in SRS was closely related to superior NUE. In conclusion, straw returning combined with application of SCU boosted grain yield and NUE via enhanced carbon–nitrogen metabolism during the late growth period in rice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Crop Management on Yields)
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22 pages, 4137 KiB  
Article
Sandy Soil Quality and Soybean Productivity in Medium-Duration Agricultural Production Systems
by Leonardo de Lima Froio, Eduardo Augusto Pontes Pechoto, Moisés Vinícius Garcia Garruti, Deyvison de Asevedo Soares, Bianca Midori Souza Sekiya, Viviane Cristina Modesto, Nelson Câmara de Souza Júnior, Vitória Almeida Moreira Girardi, Naiane Antunes Alves Ribeiro, Aline Marchetti Silva Matos, Gelci Carlos Lupatini and Marcelo Andreotti
Agriculture 2025, 15(6), 589; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15060589 - 10 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 940
Abstract
The adoption of integrated production systems may be an alternative for improving soil health and increasing production. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in soil fertility and microbial metabolism, as well as the impact on soybean productivity, in different conservation [...] Read more.
The adoption of integrated production systems may be an alternative for improving soil health and increasing production. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in soil fertility and microbial metabolism, as well as the impact on soybean productivity, in different conservation systems in contrast to the conventional system, after four years of adopting integrated systems. The experimental design used was a randomized block design with seven treatments and three replications. The treatments included different species of forage grasses, the no-tillage soybean–maize system in succession, and conventional planting. It was found that after four years of using integrated systems, the changes in soil health were small, indicating that these effects are seen over the long term. Soil chemistry showed that the use of forage grasses is essential for improving fertility, with a focus on phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, base sum, and cation exchange capacity, which is reflected in the high soybean productivity in treatments with forage grasses, especially the use of Paiaguás and Piatã grasses. Even with slow changes in soil health, adopting integrated systems is an important practice for tropical sandy soils, as visible improvements in fertility were observed, which are reflected in productivity gains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Crop Management on Yields)
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20 pages, 6136 KiB  
Article
Effects of Tillage Practices on Soil Properties and Maize Yield in Different Types of Soda Saline–Alkali Soils
by Limin Jiang, Anrui Ning, Min Liu, Yanhan Zhu, Junwei Huang, Yingjie Guo, Weizhi Feng, Daping Fu, Hongbin Wang and Jingli Wang
Agriculture 2025, 15(5), 542; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15050542 - 2 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1347
Abstract
The implementation of scientific cultivation practices on soda saline–alkali land plays a pivotal role in safeguarding food security and promoting sustainable agro-economic development at the regional scale. However, there exists a critical knowledge gap regarding the optimization of tillage strategies for rain-fed maize [...] Read more.
The implementation of scientific cultivation practices on soda saline–alkali land plays a pivotal role in safeguarding food security and promoting sustainable agro-economic development at the regional scale. However, there exists a critical knowledge gap regarding the optimization of tillage strategies for rain-fed maize (Zea mays L.) cultivation across heterogeneous saline–alkali soil matrices. This study selected meadow alkaline soil, saline meadow soil, and mild saline–alkali soil under the typical micro-landscape morphological characteristics of soda saline–alkali soil in the Songnen Plain as experimental plots. Under three tillage methods, namely no tillage (NT), rotary tillage + no tillage (RT), and subsoiling + rotary tillage + no tillage (SRT), the effects of the tillage methods on the soil physical properties at the seedling stage, root development at the V6 stage, and yield at the R6 stage during the process of cultivating maize in different types of soils were analyzed. The research results showed that compared with NT and RT, the SRT treatment better improved the physical properties, such as penetration resistance and the bulk density in micro-spaces (0–40 cm), of different soil types. The SRT treatment had a positive impact on the root development of maize seedlings in saline meadow soil and meadow alkaline soil. In terms of yield, compared with the NT treatment, the SRT treatment in meadow alkaline soil and saline meadow soil had a positive effect on the plant height, root dry weight, 1000–grain weight, and grain yield of maize. The increases in maize grain yield were 27.94% and 13.24%, respectively. Compared with NT, the differences in the effects of the SRT and RT treatments on maize yield in mild saline-alkali soil were the smallest, being 6.98% and 4.77%, respectively. The relevant results provide guidance on tillage methods and a theoretical basis for improving the properties of different types of soda saline–alkali soils and increasing maize yield. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Crop Management on Yields)
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21 pages, 3114 KiB  
Article
Mulching Improves the Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Millet in Northern China: A Meta-Analysis
by Haikang Li, Jing Geng, Zhenyu Liu, Honggui Ao, Zhenjiang Wang and Quanting Xue
Agriculture 2025, 15(4), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15040397 - 13 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 938
Abstract
In northern China, the production of millet is constrained by water scarcity, necessitating suitable agronomic measures to realize its yield potential. Mulching effectively conserves soil moisture and increases the yield. However, the yield effect varies with the climatic conditions and field management. A [...] Read more.
In northern China, the production of millet is constrained by water scarcity, necessitating suitable agronomic measures to realize its yield potential. Mulching effectively conserves soil moisture and increases the yield. However, the yield effect varies with the climatic conditions and field management. A meta-analysis of 751 experimental datasets from 58 peer-reviewed papers explored the impact of mulching on the millet yield, yield composition, and water use efficiency (WUE), considering 11 factors. The results showed that, compared to traditional flat planting without mulching, mulching significantly increased the millet yield and WUE by 30.9% and 27.3%, respectively, and also enhanced the yield composition. For optimal results under mulching, the planting density should be less than 300,000 ha−1, with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer rates below 60 kg·ha−1. Sites with an average temperature below 10 °C, Huangmian soil, or in the northwest region showed superior yield effects from mulching. The annual rainfall and planting methods had no significant impact on the yield, yield composition, and WUE. The variety “Longgu” exhibited the highest yield increase of 63.9%. Biodegradable plastic film mulch showed the most significant yield increase of 61.7%. Overall, mulching should be adapted to the local conditions, and appropriate field management practices should be selected to promote stable increases in the millet yield and WUE. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Crop Management on Yields)
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12 pages, 2143 KiB  
Article
Foliar Fertilization Improves the Nitrogen Nutrition of Sugarcane
by Joel José de Andrade, Emídio Cantídio Almeida de Oliveira, Amanda Michele dos Santos Lima, Gabriela Priscila Sena Amorim, Ester Souza Oliveira, Fernando José Freire, Wagner Sandro de Moura Adelino and Emídio Cantídio Almeida de Oliveira Filho
Agriculture 2024, 14(11), 1984; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14111984 - 5 Nov 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2238
Abstract
Increasing the recovery of N fertilizer (RNf) is the main challenge in managing nitrogen fertilization in sugarcane. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of complementary foliar fertilization in managing nitrogen nutrition in sugarcane. Four fertilization managements, combining soil (5.0 and 4.5 g [...] Read more.
Increasing the recovery of N fertilizer (RNf) is the main challenge in managing nitrogen fertilization in sugarcane. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of complementary foliar fertilization in managing nitrogen nutrition in sugarcane. Four fertilization managements, combining soil (5.0 and 4.5 g plot−1 of N) and foliar (1.0 and 1.5 g plot−1 of N) fertilization in up to two application events (0.5 + 0.5 and 0.75 + 0.75 g plot−1 of N), were compared with conventional fertilization (6.0 g plot−1 of N in soil). The change from 6.0 g plot−1 to 4.5 g plot−1 of N reduced the RNf by 46% before the first foliar fertilization. The RNf (26%) was similar between managements after the first foliar fertilization. After the second foliar fertilization, the RNf was 38% higher than that for conventional management. The accumulation of N in the aerial part of sugarcane was similar between managements until the first foliar fertilization. After the second foliar fertilization, the accumulation of N increased by 3.5% with foliar fertilization. The biomass accumulated by the managements was similar before and after the first and second foliar fertilization. The splitting of foliar fertilization increased the accumulation of N and RNf by 22% and 24%, respectively. The fertilization management with 4.5 g plot−1 of N applied to the soil, with two applications of 0.75 g plot−1 of N on the leaf, obtained greater accumulations of N and RNf. Foliar fertilization increases the efficiency of fertilization and improves the N nutrition of sugarcane. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Crop Management on Yields)
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11 pages, 1433 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Variation between Lignin Content and the Fracture Characteristics in Capsicum annuum Mutant Stems
by Bánk Pápai, Zsófia Kovács, Kitti Andrea Tóth-Lencsés, Janka Bedő, Khin Nyein Chan, Mária Kovács-Weber, Tibor István Pap, Gábor Csilléry, Antal Szőke and Anikó Veres
Agriculture 2024, 14(10), 1771; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14101771 - 8 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1455
Abstract
The cultivation of horticultural plants in controlled greenhouse environments is a pivotal practice in modern agriculture, offering the potential to enhance crop productivity and mitigate climate change effects. This study investigates the biomechanical properties and lignin content of various Capsicum annuum mutant lines—‘fragile-plant’ [...] Read more.
The cultivation of horticultural plants in controlled greenhouse environments is a pivotal practice in modern agriculture, offering the potential to enhance crop productivity and mitigate climate change effects. This study investigates the biomechanical properties and lignin content of various Capsicum annuum mutant lines—‘fragile-plant’ (frx), ‘tortuous internodi’ (tti), and ‘puffy-structured stem’ (pfi)—in comparison to a commercially established variety, ‘Garai Fehér’. We employed the acetyl bromide method to quantify lignin content and conducted three-point bending tests to assess rigidity in three distinct regions of the stem. Gene expression analysis of key lignin biosynthetic pathway genes (PAL, C4H, 4CL, CCoAOMT, CAD) was performed using qRT-PCR. The results revealed significant differences in lignin content and breaking force among the genotypes and stem regions. The tti mutants exhibited similar lignin content to the control but lower breaking strength, likely due to elongated internodes. The frx mutants showed uniformly reduced lignin content, correlating with their fragile stems. The pfi mutants displayed abnormally high lignin content in the top region yet demonstrated the lowest stem rigidity in every region. Overexpression of CAD and CCoAOMT was detected in the mutants in specific regions of the stem, suggesting alterations in lignin biosynthesis; however, we could not confirm the correlation between them. Our findings indicate that while lignin content generally correlates with stem rigidity, this trait is complex and influenced by more factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Crop Management on Yields)
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