Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue in the MDPI journal AgriEngineering. The title of the Issue will be “Novel Technologies to Improve Soil Productivity”.

The proportion of agricultural areas at risk of soil erosion, ammonia emissions from agriculture, gross nutrient balance in agricultural land, nitrates in groundwater, and water abstraction in agriculture are issues related to soil services. Soil-degradation-induced poverty, starvation, and political, ethnic, and social unrest are linked. Furthermore, socioeconomic, political, and cultural factors reinforce conditions that affect soil quality. Soil erosion is the most widespread form of soil degradation worldwide. The mean soil loss rate in the European Union’s erosion-prone lands (agricultural, forests, and semi-natural areas) was found to result in a large total soil loss. Aggregated annual removals of carbon dioxide (CO2) from agricultural land uses (grassland and cropland) and the energy use of agricultural machinery, buildings, and farm operations are reported under the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFC) on Climate Change. On the other hand, emissions of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are the result of manure management (CH₄, N₂O), rice cultivation (CH₄), and agricultural soil management (mainly CH₄, N₂O). The gross nutrient balances provide an estimate of the potential water pollution. They represent the total potential threat to the environment of nitrogen and phosphorus surplus in agricultural soils. When N and P are applied in excess, they can cause surface and groundwater (including drinking water) pollution and eutrophication. Agriculture is a major user of water, primarily for irrigation to enhance the yield and quality of crops. It is therefore an essential driving force in the management of water use. Total gross abstraction for agricultural irrigation is defined as the water which is applied to soils in order to increase their moisture content and the amount of the available nutrients to plants. Novel technologies to improve soil productivity and sustainable management of soil resources and climate action are needed to foster sustainable development and efficient management of natural resources such as water, soil, and air.

The following are some of the topics proposed for this Special Issue (not an exhaustive list):

- Technologies for proximal sensing of soil properties related to estimating soil degradation forms using sensors, spectrometers, geo-positioning systems, aerial and terrestrial autonomous vehicles, robotics, information and communication technologies (ICT), Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, and cloud computing;

- Novel technologies to increase soil productivity and improve the soil environment;

- Soil–water management innovation technologies;

- Soil carbon sequestration technologies and innovations;

- Mulching technologies with natural materials and leaving crop residue;

- Precision agriculture technologies for soil–water management for integrated nutrient management.

Prof. Dr. Pantelis E. Barouchas
Prof. Ioannis L. Tsirogiannis
Prof. Dr. Vasileios Tzanakakis
Dr. Ioannis Anastopoulos
Guest Editors

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. AgriEngineering is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1600 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.

• soil testing technologies
• proximal soil sensing
• soil sensors
• soil–water management
• soil nutrient management technologies