Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.3
3.6
Journals
Agriculture
Special Issues
Assessing Soil Erosion and Associated Nutrient Losses in Agrosystems
share announcement

Assessing Soil Erosion and Associated Nutrient Losses in Agrosystems

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 2441

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Hanqing Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing, China
Interests: soil erosion and carbon dynamics; soil nutrient losses induced by soil erosion; identification of soil erosion hotspots; nuclear technology assessment; soil erosion and environmental effect
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural systems (agrosystems) play a crucial role in global food security and economic development. However, soil erosion and associated nutrient losses represent challenges in this context, with far-reaching consequences for soil quality, agricultural productivity, and the environment. Therefore, it is of great significance to conduct precise assessments of soil erosion and nutrient loss in agricultural systems. These help us understand the status of soil degradation and ensure the long-term productivity of the soil, thereby enabling adjustments to fertilization strategies, reducing costs and environmental pollution. Such assessments are also conducive to the formulation of land use policies to promote the green development of agriculture.

This Special Issue is dedicated to compiling research on the assessment of soil erosion and nutrient losses in different typical agrosystems. This topic is within the scope of Agriculture, a suitable journal within which to publish cross-disciplinary international academic papers on soil erosion and agroecology.

For this Special Issue, we welcome both original research and review articles that address soil erosion process and nutrient migration mechanisms, the environmental, agronomic management and climate impacts associated with agricultural systems, and the monitoring technologies including but not limited to in situ monitoring, nuclide tracing technique, erosion models, unmanned aerial vehicle remote sensing technology, and laser scanning.

Dr. Hanqing Yu
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

  • soil erosion assessment
  • water erosion
  • wind erosion
  • soil nutrient losses
  • agrosystems

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.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 2419 KB  
Article
Co-Application of Urea and Slow-Release Nitrogen Fertilizer Mitigates Nitrogen Loss and Enhances Silage Maize Yield on Sloping Red Soil Cropland
by Huahui Li, Zilin Wang, Wenchen Ren, Zhixian Li, Xiongxing Pu, Wanting Li, Ting Wang, Benshuai Yan, Maopan Fan, Jixia Zhao and Yongmei Li
Agriculture 2026, 16(7), 767; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16070767 - 31 Mar 2026
Viewed by 502
Abstract
Aims: This study aimed to evaluate how the combined application of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer and urea influences nitrogen losses via runoff and the yield performance of silage maize in red soil sloping cropland, in order to support region-specific strategies for soil and water [...] Read more.
Aims: This study aimed to evaluate how the combined application of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer and urea influences nitrogen losses via runoff and the yield performance of silage maize in red soil sloping cropland, in order to support region-specific strategies for soil and water conservation and efficient nitrogen management in maize-based systems. Methods: A one-year field runoff plot experiment was conducted under natural rainfall conditions. Three fertilization treatments with equal nitrogen input were established: conventional urea application (CK), 25% controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer combined with 75% urea (P1), and 50% controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer combined with 50% urea (P2). Results: (1) Co-application of slow-release fertilizer and urea significantly improved soil and water conservation compared to CK; total runoff was reduced by 9.17% and 8.29% under P1 and P2, respectively; and soil loss was reduced by 16.45% and 12.25%. (2) The co-application of slow-release fertilizer effectively reduced nitrogen losses from sloping farmland. Compared to CK, both P1 and P2 reduced losses of total nitrogen (TN), nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), and ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) during the maize growth period, with the reductions under P2 being most pronounced. (3) The co-application of slow-release fertilizer and urea enhanced maize nitrogen uptake and increased maize yield. Conclusions: Based on the results of this single-year field experiment, the combined application of controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer and urea showed potential advantages in reducing runoff-related nitrogen losses while improving crop productivity in red-soil sloping cropland. Among the treatments, P2 (50% controlled-release nitrogen substitution) exhibited relatively better overall performance. However, the broader applicability of these findings requires further verification through multi-year field experiments under different climatic conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessing Soil Erosion and Associated Nutrient Losses in Agrosystems)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

17 pages, 6690 KB  
Article
Comparative Assessment of Fractional and Erosion Plot Methods for Quantifying Soil Erosion and Nutrient Loss Under Vetiver Grass Technology on Two Contrasting Slopes in Rainforest Agroecology
by Suarau O. Oshunsanya, Hanqing Yu, Ayodeji M. Odebode, Ini D. Edem, Tunde S. Oluwatuyi, Esther E. Imasuen and Dorcas E. Odeyinka
Agriculture 2025, 15(16), 1762; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15161762 - 16 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1354
Abstract
The erosion plot method (EPM) is the most accurate method for measuring total runoff and soil loss in the field, but it is expensive, time-consuming, and tedious to use, thereby limiting the scope of soil erosion research. Alternatively, the fractional method (FM) involves [...] Read more.
The erosion plot method (EPM) is the most accurate method for measuring total runoff and soil loss in the field, but it is expensive, time-consuming, and tedious to use, thereby limiting the scope of soil erosion research. Alternatively, the fractional method (FM) involves measuring a portion of total runoff and soil loss to estimate the total erosion. Although the FM may be easier to use in rainforest agroecology, it has not been evaluated under vetiver grass technology (VGT). Thus, a 2-year field study was conducted to verify the efficacy of the FM under VGT by comparing soil nutrient erosion between the FM and the EPM on two slopes (5% and 10%). Three piped drums (left, central, and right) were used to collect total runoff under the EPM, while only a central piped drum was used under the FM (usual practice). The FM’s runoff and soil loss values were similar to those under the EPM (R2 = 0.98–0.99; p < 0.001). Runoff nutrients (R2 = 0.90; p < 0.001) and eroded nutrients (R2 = 0.97; p < 0.001) from the FM were highly similar to those of the EPM on the 5% slope. Similarly, runoff nutrients (R2 = 0.86; p < 0.001) and eroded nutrients (R2 = 0.95; p < 0.001) from the FM were strongly similar to those of the EPM on a 10% slope. The FM accounted for 92% of the total nutrient erosion measured by the EPM under VGT management. Thus, the FM will make research more efficient, cost-effective, and attractive, particularly in large-scale water erosion studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessing Soil Erosion and Associated Nutrient Losses in Agrosystems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop