Crop Residue Management for Healthy Soils
A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2026 | Viewed by 8
Special Issue Editor
Interests: agronomy; biochar; circular economy; conservation agriculture; soil productivity; nutrient cycling; soil organic carbon; nutrient management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The use of conventional tillage to remove crop residues has been shown to cause a decrease in soil quality and productivity due to erosion and loss of soil, carbon, and nutrients, as indicated by poor biological diversity. Conversion to reduced tillage with retention of crop residues has shown positive results in terms of soil carbon storage, nutrient cycling, and general soil health. In addition, the conversion of the various residues could improve the recalcitrance of organic matter, increasing its longevity in soil. Moreover, climatic conditions and soil types also bring various different benefits.
The aim of this Special Issue is to collate high-quality research on soil health benefits as a result of different management strategies of crop residues in a variety of climatic conditions and soil types. The scope covers soil physical properties, pools of carbon and other nutrients, and soil biological activity as affected by crop residue management, including biochars derived from such residues. The residues and biochars include those from annual vs. perennial crops and legumes vs. cereals, as well as mixtures of these crops.
Contributions to this Special Issue should cover new trends and methods related to different aspects of the topic.
In particular, we are seeking full research papers that are based on the management of residues of both perennial and annual crops, including biochar types of these residues; the storage of soil carbon pools; physical properties; erosion; nutrient pools and cycling; soil biological properties; and overall productivity. Submissions can cover cereals, legumes, and their combinations, including pastures. Short communications that contain innovative new findings may also be accepted.
Prof. Dr. Pardon Muchaonyerwa
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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
- biochar
- carbon storage
- cereals
- legumes
- microbial activity
- nutrient cycling
- residue retention
- residue mixtures
- soil loss
- soil moisture
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.
