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Agriculture
Special Issues
Soil Conservation and Plant Nutrition in Sustainable Agriculture
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Soil Conservation and Plant Nutrition in Sustainable Agriculture

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Systems and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2023) | Viewed by 3727

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Thorsten Ruf

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Organic Agriculture Luxembourg (IBLA), Department of Research and Development, 27, Op der Schanz, 6225 Altrier, Luxembourg
Interests: agricultural crops and effects on soil properties; sustainable soil management; nutrient cycling; soil organisms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainable management of agricultural soils is becoming increasingly important. The pressure on soil resources is increasing due to global population growth and associated demands for food, feed, fuel, and fiber. Coincidently, available soil resources are degraded by soil sealing, pollution, erosion, salinization and the effects of climate change. Thus, it is urgent that available soil resources are managed in a careful, protective way that is adapted to the local soil conditions and cultivated crops. Additionally, fertilization should better meet plants’ requirements, and nutrient cycling should be much more considered to reduce the exploitation of external resources. This would help to reduce negative environmental effects like eutrophication, nitrate in groundwater, and carbon dioxide emissions. Progressing climate change and the tense situation concerning energy availability and high prices require innovative actions, but also a return to old knowledge. Both together, with close interaction with farmers, will provide great opportunities to establish more sustainable agricultural practices.

This Special Issue will address the broad field of sustainable agriculture. Research approaches and scientific results from implementation projects, both from organic and conventional agriculture, are highly welcome. We will also appreciate the submission of theory articles, as well as those providing insights into existing problems and possible solutions.

Dr. Thorsten Ruf
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 monthly 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

  • enhancing soil organic matter contents
  • reducing external inputs
  • organic agriculture
  • soil conservation techniques
  • reduced tillage
  • prevention of erosion
  • water protection
  • cover crops and intercropping
  • perennial crops

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 5732 KiB  
Article
Reducing Chemical Fertilizer Application in Greenhouse Vegetable Cultivation under Different Residual Levels of Nutrient
by Nannan Zhou, Yujiao Chen, Jiajia Wang, Wenbin Yang and Ying Wang
Agriculture 2023, 13(6), 1174; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13061174 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1794
Abstract
Excessive chemical fertilizer application in greenhouse vegetable cultivation results in environmental risks and residual nutrients in the soil. Conventional plot experiments conducted in one field cannot recommend fertilizer reduction to farmers when the residual nutrient levels were various among different fields. In this [...] Read more.
Excessive chemical fertilizer application in greenhouse vegetable cultivation results in environmental risks and residual nutrients in the soil. Conventional plot experiments conducted in one field cannot recommend fertilizer reduction to farmers when the residual nutrient levels were various among different fields. In this study, nine plot experiments were simultaneously conducted in nine greenhouse fields where the soils could reflect different residual levels of nutrient, with two application rates (100 and 0%) for each nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer. The results showed that fertilizer reduction did not decrease vegetable yield when soil nitrate, Olsen–phosphorus, and exchangeable potassium were ≥173.3, 45.8, and 93.1 mg kg−1, respectively. However, no N treatment decreased vegetable yields in fields 1–3 because the inadequately residual nitrate (≤103.9 mg kg−1) in these fields led to low nitrate absorbed from sources other than chemical fertilizer, high recovery efficiencies of N, and high productivity of N absorbed from chemical fertilizer. Residual nitrate that soil EC could reflect was the limiting factor of yield under fertilizer reduction. This study indicated that reducing fertilizer in greenhouse vegetable cultivation should be based on the residual level of nutrients in the soil, which is meaningful in agricultural sustainability and environmental safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Conservation and Plant Nutrition in Sustainable Agriculture)
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20 pages, 2186 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Earthworm Services on Litter Mineralisation and Nutrient Release in Annual and Perennial Energy Crops (Zea mays vs. Silphium perfoliatum)
by Lena Wöhl, Thorsten Ruf, Christoph Emmerling, Jan Thiele and Stefan Schrader
Agriculture 2023, 13(2), 494; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13020494 - 19 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1591
Abstract
Abundant and functionally diverse earthworm communities in perennials deliver ecosystem services like increasing nutrient availability by incorporating organic matter. This study aimed to analyse the decomposition of annual and perennial energy crop residues, and the subsequent nutrient release, depending on earthworm functional diversity. [...] Read more.
Abundant and functionally diverse earthworm communities in perennials deliver ecosystem services like increasing nutrient availability by incorporating organic matter. This study aimed to analyse the decomposition of annual and perennial energy crop residues, and the subsequent nutrient release, depending on earthworm functional diversity. In a laboratory experiment, two ecological earthworm groups—anecics (detritivorous Lumbricus terrestris (L.)) and endogeics (geophagous Aporrectodea caliginosa and A. rosea)—were incubated with wilted cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) and maize (Zea mays) litter for 4 or 8 weeks. Decomposition and consumption rates were calculated. The C, N and P in litter and casts were analysed. Mineralisation was a function of earthworm biomass and the number of individuals. Functional diversity had no beneficial effect. Decomposition was found to be highest in treatments with detritivorous earthworms, i.e., higher earthworm biomass, yet consumption and nutrient turnover in relation to earthworm biomass were higher in treatments with geophages indicating enhanced competition. N limitation became apparent in both litter treatments and was predominant with cup plant litter. N limitation and recalcitrant cell wall compounds affected consumption rates and the egestion of total C and P. While N in casts was lower than expected, P was increased. We observed that the effects manifested at different stages of decomposition of maize and cup plant, highlighting differences in temporal development of decomposition and nutrient turnover between litter types. Our results indicate that earthworms promote decomposition of recalcitrant litter and nutrient turnover, but N limitation may hamper nutrient release. Cup plant systems offer a suitable habitat for soil-dwelling organisms, but management approaches must consider the adequate input of organic matter as an energy and nutrient source to enhance ecosystem service provision. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Conservation and Plant Nutrition in Sustainable Agriculture)
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