Mulching Tillage for Soil Health and Crop Productivity in Farmland
A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 January 2027 | Viewed by 55
Editors
Interests: soil nitrogen; soil film muoching; soil tillage; planting system; soil improvement; non-point source pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: agricultural carbon management in farming system; rice efficient cultivation; rice paddy upland crop rotation cultivation; soil respiration; soil organic carbon
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Farmland mulching, a critical soil management practice, has significantly enhanced crop productivity and contributed to global food security, thereby supporting the sustainable development of human societies. The evolution of mulching techniques has progressed from traditional agronomic practices—including fine soil covering, trampling and compaction, harrowing for moisture retention, and dry grass mulching—to more advanced methods such as straw mulching, living groundcover, gravel or stone mulching, and, subsequently, the widespread adoption of plastic film and greenhouse mulching. Recent innovations include soil-film mulching and trunk/branch wrapping, reflecting a strategic shift toward optimizing agronomic benefits while minimizing ecological risks. These advancements collectively aim to reorient mulching technologies toward greater environmental sustainability and resource efficiency.
Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Farmland mulching technology innovation, changes in the micro-environment of soil water, heat and nutrients under farmland cover, resource utilization efficiency under farmland cover, the effects of soil microorganisms under farmland cover, the response mechanisms of crop root exudates and microorganisms under farmland mulching, and the biomass allocation mechanisms of crops under farmland mulching.
- New materials, new methods and new technologies applied in farmland mulching, the response mechanism of soil ecosystems under farmland mulching, the microclimate mechanism under farmland mulching and its response to climate change.
- The mechanisms of soil water and heat improvement in farmland mulching, the changes in soil nutrient forms and their utilization efficiency under farmland mulching, the mechanisms of changes in soil microbial communities and functional genes under farmland mulching, the response mechanisms of pests, diseases and weeds under farmland mulching, the mechanisms of soil greenhouse gas emissions under farmland mulching, and the enhancement of agricultural productivity through farmland mulching.
Dr. Shiqi Yang
Dr. Yong Chen
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- farmland mulching
- soil water and heat
- soil temperature
- soil moisture
- soil microorganisms
- crop root system
- root exudates
- rhizosphere microorganisms
- greenhouse gases
- soil ecology
- crop yield
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