Integrating Phytomanagement for Healthier Agricultural Soils
A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026 | Viewed by 372
Special Issue Editors
Interests: soil remediation; contaminated soils; by-product amendments; biochar and hydrochar; phytoremediation; environmental biogeochemistry; edaphology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: soil health; plant–microbe interactions; soil biodiversity; precision agriculture; remote sensing; mapping; UAV; diffuse spectroscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Intensified agriculture, long-term fertilizer and pesticide use, and legacy industrial emissions have degraded many agricultural soils, including those of orchards and vineyards, reducing fertility, biodiversity and resilience. Phytomanagement, the process of integrating phytoremediation into crop and landscape management, is a nature-based solution that uses selected plant species, cover crops and plant–microbe interactions to control contaminant risks while rebuilding soil functions. Compared with conventional physico-chemical remediation, phytoremediation is generally more cost-effective and less disruptive, allowing land to remain in productive use.
This Special Issue focuses on how phytomanagement can improve soil structure, organic carbon storage, water regulation, nutrient cycling, and microbial diversity in agricultural systems, with or without co-occurring metal(loid) and organic contaminants. We welcome field and landscape studies that evaluate plant species and mixtures as tools for healthier agricultural soils, in line with current European initiatives on soil health, nature-based solutions, and the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”.
Dr. Rubén Forján Castro
Dr. Lorena Salgado
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- soil degradation
- phytoremediation
- agricultural soils
- vineyards
- soil structure
- soil microbiome
- soil health
- contamination
- nature-based solutions
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