Announcements

MDPI’s Young Investigator Awards recognize promising junior researchers, acknowledge their contributions, and enhance communication among scientists. We are proud to present the 2021 winners in the “Biology & Life Sciences” category. The winners were selected by the journals’ editors.

We warmly congratulate the awarded young investigators for their outstanding contributions.

MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Agriculture:

• Carlos Guzmán, University of Cordoba, Spain

Animals:

• Katharina Hohlbaum, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

Cells:

• Uri Ben-David, Tel Aviv University, Israel

Diversity:

• Enrico Lunghi, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China

Foods:

• Guodong Zhang, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA

Horticulturae:

• Luke Bell, Temperate Horticulture, University of Reading, UK

International Journal of Molecular Sciences:

• Alessandro D’Urso, University of Catania, Italy.
• Apostolos Zaravinos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus
• Cesar de la Fuente-Nunez, University of Pennsylvania, USA
• Maria Teresa Caccamo, Messina University, Italy
• Tiziana Bonifacino, University of Genoa, Italy

Journal of Fungi:

• Federico Baltar, University of Vienna, Austria
• Rebecca Drummond, University of Birmingham, UK
• Miriam Oses-Ruiz, Public University of Navarre, Spain

Life:

• João Pedro da Silva Machado Lobo, University of Porto, Portugal
• Vincenzo Russo, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Italy

Metabolites:

• Gabriele Rocchetti, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Italy

Nutrients:

• Fiona Lavelle, Queen's University Belfast, UK
• Matthew Snelson, Monash University, Australia

Pathogens:

• Si Ming Man, Australian National University, Australia
• Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan, University of Hong Kong, China

Plants:

• Stefania Sut, University of Padova, Italy
• Mohamed Ahmed El-Esawi, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

Vaccines:

• Nicholas M. Provine, University of Oxford, UK

Viruses:

• Nicholas S. Heaton, Duke University, USA

We are proud to recognize the winners of MDPI’s 2021 Travel Awards in the “Biology & Life Sciences” category for their outstanding presentations and to present them with the prize.

MDPI journals regularly offer travel awards to encourage talented junior scientists to present their latest research at academic conferences in specific fields, which helps to increase their influence.

The winners mentioned below were carefully selected by the journal editors based on an outline of their research and the work to be presented at an academic conference.

We would like to warmly congratulate the winners of 2021 Travel Awards and wish them the greatest success with their future research endeavors. MDPI will continue to enhance communication among scientists.

Agriculture:

• Zahra Bitarafan, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Norway
• Nikolaos Tsoulias, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Germany

Fermentation:

• Michela Verni, University of Bari, Italy
• Philipp Demling, RWTH Aachen University, Germany

Horticulturae:

• Jagveer Singh, Punjab Agricultural University, India
• Ibrar Hussain, State University of Londrina, Brazil

Microorganisms:

• Francis Muchaamba, University of Zurich, Switzerland

Methods and Protocols:

• Tanja Eisemann, SBP Medical Discovery Institute, USA

Nutrients:

• Mrinalini Dey, National Institute for Health Research, UK
• Ben Kirk, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Kirrilly Pursey, University of Newcastle, Australia
• Dieuwertje Kok, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
• Hanna Huber, University of Bonn, Germany
• Marlene Lages, University of Porto, Portugal
• Zohra S. Lassi, University of Adelaide, Australia
• Rik Olde Engberink, Amsterdam University Medicial Center, the Netherlands
• Sarah Warkentin, University of Porto (ISPUP), Portugal
• Álvaro Hernáez, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway
• Leila Abdelhamid, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, USA
• Maria Michela Cesare, University of Siena, Italy
• Kaisa Hiippala, University of Helsinki, Finland

Pathogens:

• Vanessa Silva, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal
• Hejun Liu, Scripps Research Institute, USA
• Tomokazu Tamura, Princeton University, USA

Toxins:

• Cecilie Knudsen, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
• Laura Biessy, Cawthron Institute, New Zealand
• Marcelo Mendes Rabelo, University of Florida, USA

Vaccines:

• Hee Chun Chung, Seoul National University, South Korea
• Alejandro Marin Lopez, Yale University, USA

The purpose of our Best Paper Awards is to promote and recognize the most impactful contributions published within MDPI journals.

The editors of each journal carefully selected reviews and research papers through a rigorous judging process based on criteria such as the scientific merit, overall impact, and the quality of presentation of the papers published in the journal last year.

We are honored to present the winners in the subject areas of “Biology & Life Sciences”, who were selected amongst extensive competition, and congratulate the authors for their outstanding scientific publications.

MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Animals:

• “Effects of Dietary Betaine on Growth Performance, Digestive Function, Carcass Traitsand Meat Quality in Indigenous Yellow-Feathered Broilers under Long-Term Heat Stress”

by Wenchao Liu, Yilin Yuan, Chenyu Sun, Balamuralikrishnan Balasubramanian, Zhihui Zhao and Lilong An

Animals 2019, 9(8), 506, doi 10.3390/ani9080506

• “The Ethics of Human–Animal Relationships and Public Discourse: A Case Study of Lions Bred for Their Bones”

by Peter Coals, Dawn Burnham, Andrew Loveridge, David W. Macdonald, Michael ’t Sas-Rolfes, Vivienne L. Williams and John A. Vucetich

Animals 2019, 9(2), 52; doi 10.3390/ani9020052

• “The Potential Role of Insects as Feed: A Multi-Perspective Review”

by Giovanni Sogari, Mario Amato, Ilaria Biasato, Silvana Chiesa and Laura Gasco

Animals 2019, 9(4), 119; doi 10.3390/ani9040119

Antibodies:

• “Antibody Structure and Function: The Basis for Engineering Therapeutics”

by Mark L. Chiu; Dennis R. Goulet; Alexey Teplyakov and Gary L. Gilliland

Antibodies 2019, 8(4), 55; doi 10.3390/antib8040055

Antioxidants:

• “Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Flavanones from Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (licorice) Leaf Phytocomplexes: Identification of Licoflavanone as a Modulator of NF-kB/MAPK Pathway”

by Luca Frattaruolo, Gabriele Carullo, Matteo Brindisi, Sarah Mazzotta, Luca Bellissimo, Vittoria Rago, Rosita Curcio, Vincenza Dolce, Francesca Aiello and Anna Rita Cappello

Antioxidants 2019, 8(6), 186; doi 10.3390/antiox8060186

• “LC-ESI-QTOF/MS Characterisation of Phenolic Acids and Flavonoids in Polyphenol-Rich Fruits and Vegetables and Their Potential Antioxidant Activities”

by Chunhe Gu, Kate Howell, Frank R. Dunshea and Hafiz A. R. Suleria

Antioxidants 2019, 8(9), 405; doi 10.3390/antiox8090405

• “Nutritional Value, Chemical Composition and Cytotoxic Properties of Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) in Relation to Harvesting Stage and Plant Part”

by Spyridon A. Petropoulos, Ângela Fernandes, Maria Inês Dias, Ioannis B. Vasilakoglou, Konstantinos Petrotos, Lillian Barros and Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira

Antioxidants 2019, 8(8), 293; doi 10.3390/antiox8080293

• “A Comprehensive Review on Lipid Oxidation in Meat and Meat Products”

by Rubén Domínguez, Mirian Pateiro, Mohammed Gagaoua, Francisco J. Barba, Wangang Zhang and José M. Lorenzo

Antioxidants 2019, 8(10), 429; doi 10.3390/antiox8100429

Biology:

• “The Mammalian Circadian Timing System and the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus as Its Pacemaker”

by Michael H. Hastings, Elizabeth S. Maywood and Marco Brancaccio

Biology 2019, 8(1), 13; doi 10.3390/biology8010013

• “Combined Effects of Acute Temperature Change and Elevated pCO₂ on the Metabolic Rates and Hypoxia Tolerances of Clearnose Skate (Rostaraja eglanteria), Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), and Thorny Skate (Amblyraja radiata)”

by Gail D. Schwieterman, Daniel P. Crear, Brooke N. Anderson, Danielle R. Lavoie, James A. Sulikowski, Peter G. Bushnell and Richard W. Brill

Biology 2019, 8(3), 56; doi 10.3390/biology8030056

Biomolecules:

• “Flagella-Driven Motility of Bacteria”

by Shuichi Nakamura and Tohru Minamino

Biomolecules 2019, 9(7), 279; doi 10.3390/biom9070279

• “Systematic FTIR Spectroscopy Study of the Secondary Structure Changes in Human Serum Albumin under Various Denaturation Conditions”

by Dmitrii Usoltsev, Vera Sitnikovaandrey Kajava and Mayya Uspenskaya

Biomolecules 2019, 9(8), 359; doi 10.3390/biom9080359

• “Quantification of Fecal Short Chain Fatty Acids by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry—Investigation of Pre-Analytic Stability”

by Gerhard Liebisch, Josef Ecker, Sebastian Roth, Sabine Schweizer, Veronika Öttl, Hans-Frieder Schött, Hongsup Yoon, Dirk Haller, Ernst Holler, Ralph Burkhardt and Silke Matysik

Biomolecules 2019, 9(4), 121; doi 10.3390/biom9040121

• “Cytotoxicity of Dendrimers”

by Anna Janaszewska, Joanna Lazniewska, Przemysław Trzepiński, Monika Marcinkowska and Barbara Klajnert-Maculewicz

Biomolecules 2019, 9(8), 330; doi 10.3390/biom9080330

Cells:

• “Combined Inhibition of TGF-β Signaling and the PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint Is Differentially Effective in Tumor Models”

by Heng Sheng Sow, Jiang Ren, Marcel Camps, Ferry Ossendorp and Peter ten Dijke

Cells 2019, 8(4), 320; doi 10.3390/cells8040320

• “Exosome Treatment Enhances Anti-Inflammatory M2 Macrophages and Reduces Inflammation-Induced Pyroptosis in Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy”

by Dinender K. Singla, Taylor A. Johnson and Zahra Tavakoli Dargani

Cells 2019, 8(10), 1224; doi 10.3390/cells8101224

• “Overview of Extracellular Vesicles, Their Origin, Composition, Purpose, and Methods for Exosome Isolation and Analysis”

by Laura M. Doyle and Michael Zhuo Wang

Cells 2019, 8(7), 727; doi 10.3390/cells8070727

• “Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine”

by Yu Han, Xuezhou Li, Yanbo Zhang, Yuping Han, Fei Chang and Jianxun Ding

Cells 2019, 8(8), 886; doi 10.3390/cells8080886

Genes:

• “A High-Quality De novo Genome Assembly from a Single Mosquito Using PacBio Sequencing”

by Sarah B. Kingan, Haynes Heaton, Juliana Cudini, Christine C. Lambert, Primo Baybayan, Brendan D. Galvin, Richard Durbin, Jonas Korlach and Mara K. N. Lawniczak

Genes 2019, 10(1), 62; doi 10.3390/genes10010062

• “Eukaryotic 5-methylcytosine (m⁵C) RNA Methyltransferases: Mechanisms, Cellular Functions, and Links to Disease”

by Katherine E Bohnsack, Claudia Höbartner and Markus T Bohnsack

Genes 2019, 10(2), 102; doi 10.3390/genes10020102

• “Tree Lab: Portable Genomics for Early Detection of Plant Viruses and Pests in Sub-Saharan Africa”

by Laura M. Boykin, Peter Sseruwagi, Titus Alicai, Elijah Ateka, Ibrahim Umar Mohammed, Jo-Ann L. Stanton, Charles Kayuki, Deogratius Mark, Tarcisius Fute, Joel Erasto, Hilda Bachwenkizi, Brenda Muga, Naomi Mumo, Jenniffer Mwangi, Phillip Abidrabo, Geoffrey Okao-Okuja, Geresemu Omuut, Jacinta Akol, Hellen B. Apio, Francis Osingada, Monica A. Kehoe, David Eccles, Anders Savill, Stephen Lamb, Tonny Kinene, Christopher B. Rawle, Abishek Muralidhar, Kirsty Mayall, Fred Tairo and Joseph Ndunguru

Genes 2019, 10(9), 632; doi 10.3390/genes10090632

• “Transcription Factors Associated with Abiotic and Biotic Stress Tolerance and Their Potential for Crops Improvement”

by Elamin Hafiz Baillo, Roy Njoroge Kimotho, Zhengbin Zhang and Ping Xu

Genes 2019, 10(10), 771; doi 10.3390/genes10100771

Horticulturae:

• “Recent Advances in Hormonal Regulation and Cross-Talk during Non-Climacteric Fruit Development and Ripening”

by Lida Fuentes, Carlos R. Figueroa and Monika Valdenegro

Horticulturae 2019, 5(2), 45; doi 10.3390/horticulturae5020045

• “Evaluation of Two Wild Populations of Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale (L.) Scop.) as a Potential Leafy Vegetable”

by Marta Guarise, Gigliola Borgonovo, Angela Bassoli and Antonio Ferrante

Horticulturae 2019, 5(1), 13; doi 10.3390/horticulturae5010013

Insects:

• “Olfactory Preference of Drosophila suzukii Shifts between Fruit and Fermentation Cues over the Season: Effects of Physiological Status”

by Rik Clymans, Vincent Van Kerckvoorde, Eva Bangels, Wannes Akkermans, Ammar Alhmedi, Patrick De Clercq, Tim Beliën and Dany bylemans

Insects 2019, 10(7), 200; doi 10.3390/insects10070200

• “Telenomus remus, a Candidate Parasitoid for the Biological Control of Spodoptera frugiperda in Africa, is already Present on the Continent”

by Marc Kenis, Hannalene du Plessis, Johnnie Van den Berg, Malick Niango Ba, Georg Goergen, Koffi Eric Kwadjo, Ibrahim Baoua, Tadele Tefera, Alan Buddie, Giovanni Cafà, Lisa Offord, Ivan Rwomushana and Andrew Polaszek

Insects 2019, 10(4), 92; doi 10.3390/insects10040092

• “Symbiotic Plant Biomass Decomposition in Fungus-Growing Termites”

by Rafael R. da Costa, Haofu Hu, Hongjie Li and Michael Poulsen

Insects 2019, 10(4), 87; doi 10.3390/insects10040087

International Journal of Molecular Sciences:

• “Aging, Melatonin, and the Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Networks”

by Rüdiger Hardeland

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(5), 1223; doi 10.3390/ijms20051223

• “Causative Links between Protein Aggregation and Oxidative Stress: A Review”

by Elise Lévy, Nadine El Banna, Dorothée Baïlle, Amélie Heneman-Masurel, Sandrine Truchet, Human Rezaei, Meng-Er Huang, Vincent Béringue, Davy Martin and Laurence Vernis

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(16), 3896; doi 10.3390/ijms20163896

• “Immunobiology of Atherosclerosis: A Complex Net of Interactions”

by Beatriz Herrero-Fernandez, Raquel Gomez-Bris, Beatriz Somovilla-Crespo and Jose Maria Gonzalez-Granado

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(21), 5293; doi 10.3390/ijms20215293

• “Development of a Gut-on-a-Chip Model for High Throughput Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery”

by Claudia Beaurivage, Elena Naumovska, Yee Xiang Chang, Edo D. Elstak, Arnaud Nicolas, Heidi Wouters, Guido van Moolenbroek, Henriëtte L. Lanz, Sebastiaan J. Trietsch, Jos Joore, Paul Vulto, Richard A.J. Janssen, Kai S. Erdmann, Jan Stallen and Dorota Kurek

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(22), 5661; doi 10.3390/ijms20225661

• “Triple-Negative Breast Cancer with High Levels of Annexin A1 Expression Is Associated with Mast Cell Infiltration, Inflammationand Angiogenesis”

by Maiko Okano, Masanori Oshi, Ali Linsk Butash, Eriko Katsuta, Kazunoshin Tachibana, Katsuharu Saito, Hirokazu Okayama, Xuan Peng, Li Yan, Koji Kono, Toru Ohtake and Kazuaki Takabe

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(17), 4197; doi 10.3390/ijms20174197

• “CGRP Induces Differential Regulation of Cytokines from Satellite Glial Cells in Trigeminal Ganglia and Orofacial Nociception”

by Shaista Afroz, Rieko Arakaki, Takuma Iwasa, Masamitsu Oshima, Maki Hosoki, Miho Inoue, Otto Baba, Yoshihiro Okayama and Yoshizo Matsuka

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(3), 711; doi 10.3390/ijms20030711

Life:

• “Characterization of Resistance in Gram-Negative Urinary Isolates Using Existing and Novel Indicators of Clinical Relevance: A 10-Year Data Analysis”

by Márió Gajdács, Zoltán Bátori, Marianna Ábrók, Andrea Lázár and Katalin Burián

Life 2020, 10(2), 16; doi 10.3390/life10020016

• “Neuroprotection or Neurotoxicity of Illicit Drugs on Parkinson’s Disease”

by Carla Ferreira, Catarina Almeida, Sandra Tenreiro and Alexandre Quintas

Life 2020, 10(6), 86; doi 10.3390/life10060086

Nutrients:

• “Gut Microbiome: Profound Implications for Diet and Disease”

by Ronald D. Hills, Benjamin A. Pontefract, Hillary R. Mishcon, Cody A. Black, Steven C. Sutton and Cory R. Theberge

Nutrients 2019, 11(7), 1613; doi 10.3390/nu11071613

• “Vitamin C Can Shorten the Length of Stay in the ICU: A Meta-Analysis”

by Harri Hemilä and Elizabeth Chalker

Nutrients 2019, 11(4), 708; doi 10.3390/nu11040708

• “Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves 24-Hour Glucose Levels and Affects Markers of the Circadian Clock, Aging, and Autophagy in Humans”

by Humaira Jamshed, Robbie A. Beyl, Deborah L. Della Manna, Eddy S. Yang, Eric Ravussin and Courtney M. Peterson

Nutrients 2019, 11(6), 1234; doi 10.3390/nu11061234

Pathogens:

• “Alteration of Gut Microbiota in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Cause or Consequence? IBD Treatment Targeting the Gut Microbiome”

by Israr Kha, Naeem Ullah, Lajia Zha, Yanrui Bai, Ashiq Khan, Tang Zhao, Tuanjie Che and Chunjiang Zhang

Pathogens 2019, 8(3), 126; doi 10.3390/pathogens8030126

• “Candida albicans Interactions with Mucosal Surfaces during Health and Disease”

by Spyridoula-Angeliki Nikou,Nessim Kichik, Rhys Brown, Nicole O. Ponde, Jemima Ho, Julian R. Naglik and Jonathan P. Richardson

Pathogens 2019, 8(2), 53; doi 10.3390/pathogens8020053

• “Bacteriophages in Natural and Artificial Environments”

by Steven Batinovic, Flavia Wassef, Sarah A. Knowler, Daniel T.F. Rice, Cassandra R. Stanton, Jayson Rose, Joseph Tucci, Tadashi Nittami, Antony Vinh, Grant R. Drummond, Christopher G. Sobey, Hiu Tat Chan, Robert J. Seviour, Steve Petrovski and Ashley E. Franks

Pathogens 2019, 8(3), 100; doi 10.3390/pathogens8030100

Plants:

• “Plant Disease Detection and Classification by Deep Learning”

by Muhammad Hammad Saleem, Johan Potgieter and Khalid Mahmood Arif 

Plants 2019, 8(11), 468; doi 10.3390/plants8110468

• “Involvement of Phenolic Acids in Short-Term Adaptation to Salinity Stress is Species-Specific among Brassicaceae”

by Ida Linić, Dunja Šamec, Jiří Grúz, Valerija Vujčić Bok, Miroslav Strnad and Branka Salopek-Sondi

Plants 2019, 8(6), 155; doi 10.3390/plants8060155

• “Isoform-Specific NO Synthesis by Arabidopsis thaliana Nitrate Reductase”

by Marie Agatha Mohn, Besarta Thaqi and Katrin Fischer-Schrader

Plants 2019, 8(3), 67; doi 10.3390/plants8030067

• “GWAS for Starch-Related Parameters in Japonica Rice (Oryza sativa L.)”

by Chiara Biselliandrea Volante, Francesca Desiderio, Alessandro Tondelli, Alberto Gianinetti, Franca Finocchiaro, Federica Taddei, Laura Gazza, Daniela Sgrulletta, Luigi Cattivelli and Giampiero Valè

Plants 2019, 8(8), 292; doi 10.3390/plants8080292

Dear Colleagues,

Authors are increasingly interested in having their papers published as a cover story in Agronomy (ISSN: 2073-4395). There were a total of 12 cover stories published in 2021. These cover stories reported important research results or innovative methods and presented impressive images. To reward the authors who have published important research results in Agronomy, we are announcing the Agronomy 2021 Best Cover Award.

One cover story will be chosen from the stories published in 2021 and will receive CHF 100.

The criteria that will be considered for selection are as follows:

• Importance, or innovation of the research;
• Quality of the cover image.

The vote will be open from 10 May 2022 to 30 June 2022.

Please cast your vote here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PBHWY28.

The winners will be announced on the journal website on 30 June 2022.

Agronomy Editorial Office

We are pleased to announce the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Agronomy (IECAG2022), which will take place from 26 to 28 October 2022. The e-conference format is designed to facilitate the dissemination and discussion of advances in agronomy research and innovation in a post-pandemic environment, where travelling is likely to remain a challenge for many of us.

Scientists working in the agriculture and agronomy fields (from breeding/selection technologies to sustainable soil management, sustainable resilient horticultural production and/or arable farming systems, but also exploring sustainable management of permanent and rotational grassland and weed management, precision and digital agriculture or organic and regenerative farming systems, among other topics) are encouraged to join this event and share their findings with colleagues from all over the world.

Only abstracts will be accepted for the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Agronomy. All accepted abstracts will be available online for discussion during the time of the conference (26–28 October 2022). During the 3-day event, a program for oral presentations will be organized from selected abstracts. After the conference, participants of IECAG2022 are encouraged to contribute with a full manuscript to our Special Issue related to the conference in the journal Agronomy (ISSN: 2073-4395). Full manuscript submissions will undergo the usual process of each journal, including peer review. The conference participants will be granted a 20% discount on the publishing fees. 

Important Dates:

• Abstract submission: 1 July 2022;
• Acceptance notification: 29 July 2022;
• Early bird registration: 2 September 2022;
• Covering author registration: 23 September 2022. 

While our virtual conference will be a different experience from traditional in-person meetings, it will ensure that we (1) can meet irrespective of the COVID-19 situation, (2) allow access for those who for other reasons are unable to travel, and (3) can have a carbon-neutral event. Your presentation will be accessible to researchers around the world and will be more inclusive because of the absence of registration fees and travel costs. Any questions may be addressed to the conference secretariat (iecag2022@mdpi.com).

We thank you in advance for attending this conference, and we look forward to a fruitful event. 

IECAG2022 Conference Secretariat

Email: iecag2022@mdpi.com

Conference website: https://iecag2022.sciforum.net/

The Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395) editorial team is pleased to announce the launch of a new Section, “Agroecology Innovation: Achieving System Resilience”. This Section aims to rapidly publish original articles, critical reviews, and short communications in agroecology-related knowledge across all disciplines.

The topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• Agroecosystem management;
• Agroecosystem function (including soil health and degradation);
• Agroecosystem biogeochemistry;
• Agroecosystem ecology;
• Agroecosystem processes;
• Agroecosystem services;
• Agricultural systems (including sustainable landscapes and land use);
• Agroecological policies and economics;
• Agroecology environment (including greenhouse gas, climate change);
• Ecological modelling;
• Agrometeorology;
• Agroecosystem biodiversity, agroecosystem conservation and restoration of agricultural plants;
• Crop ecophysiology.

We are currently recruiting Editorial Board Members and Guest Editors for this new Section. If you would like to build a platform to provide the scientific community in your area with the opportunity to work on an interconnected set of papers on an innovative topic(s), please do not hesitate to join us.

To apply for these positions, recommend potential candidates, or request further information, please contact the Agronomy Editorial Office (agronomy@mdpi.com).

We also welcome you to submit related work in our sections: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy/sections.

Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395, https://www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy) is an international, scientific, peer-reviewed, open access journal published monthly online by MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The journal has been indexed by the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE: Web of Science), Scopus, PubAg, AGRIS, and many other databases. Citations are available on PubMed; full texts are archived in PubMed Central. Agronomy has a Journal Impact Factor of 3.417, ranking Q2 (“Agronomy and Crop Science”) in the Web of Science.

31 March—First day of the Conference

Managing agriculture with less water and fewer pesticides: the promises of precision agriculture are attractive—but is it a dream or reality? 

Some experts believe it is possible, given that precision agriculture encompasses a set of techniques and practices that rely on the integration of information and communication technologies to observe, monitor, and manage farming activities as well as other links in the supply chain. 

The central feature of precision agriculture is that it is based on the search for agronomic optimization at the level of the cultivated plant (or animal in the case of livestock), notably using new technologies. 

However, other experts argue that while precision farming seeks to optimize its use of water and inputs (with good intentions), it is, in fact, an extension of the logic of so-called “conventional” agriculture, which seeks to treat symptoms rather than restore natural balances at a larger scale. For these experts, agroecological farms generally offer farmers better medium-term economic results than so-called “conventional” farms. This is particularly the case for organic farms at the end of their transition. They, therefore, advocate public impact studies, which are necessary to verify the announced benefits and to measure the environmental and social impacts. 

Faced with an ecological and social emergency, it is necessary to initiate a real transition of systems towards agroecological practices and to take advantage of the know-how of precision agriculture while advocating environmental preservation. 

The first day of the Conference titled “Precision Agriculture for Transition: How to Drastically and Effectively Reduce the Use of Pesticides”, will address precision agriculture and the ecological transition. Experts in the field will debate this issue and identify the best alternatives and solutions for the future. 

1 April—Second day of the Conference

Modern agriculture is facing several major challenges, including how to substantially increase agricultural production by at least 50% by 2050 to feed the growing world population while preserving the environment. In other words, the question remains on how to feed present generations without compromising the future. Given the development of increasingly virulent strains of plant diseases and the resistance of some of these diseases to agrochemicals, it is crucial to develop integrated plant protection strategies for effective and timely phytosanitary treatments to ensure sustainable and profitable farming activities.

The Colloquium “Precision Farming at the Service of Transition” aims at promoting and encouraging scientific debates and sharing of experiences around various themes, including recent scientific and technological research in precision agriculture and the factors involved in adopting these technologies. We should also not forget the use and development of data, which are becoming increasingly numerous and diverse in the digital world, and the various challenges linked to a rapid transition to sustainable digital/precision agriculture.

Presentation and discussion of these topics will undoubtedly allow experts participating in the conference to discuss all of these issues.

On behalf of the International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control of Noxious Animals and Plants, West Palearctic Regional Section (IOBC-WPRS), we are happy to invite you to the next meeting of the Working Group on Integrated Control in Citrus Fruit Crops, which will take place from 4 to 6 April 2022 in Napflio, Greece (http://web.nitlab.inf.uth.gr/iobc_citrus). 

The meeting is co-organized by IRTA, HAO-DEMETER, the University of Thessaly, the Benaki Phytopathological Institute, and the Directorate of Rural Development and Veterinary of Argolida. 

The meeting includes three keynote speakers, invited presentations by prominent scientists in plant pathology, insect biological control, and climatic population modeling (http://web.nitlab.inf.uth.gr/iobc_citrus/index.php/keynote-speakers/#page-content). In addition, the scientific program includes roundtable discussions on hot topics in citrus plant protection, such as new and emerging pests and diseases. The program includes oral and poster presentations that span across the whole continuum of the biological control and integrated pest management of citrus, and it is expected to bring together scientists from Europe, the Mediterranean, and other countries. 

The participation of students is highly supported, with special registration fees. Scientists from African countries may also receive special registration prices (http://web.nitlab.inf.uth.gr/iobc_citrus/index.php/registration-and-fees/#page-content). 

The venue of the meeting will be in the landmark hotel of Amalia Nafplio (https://amalia.gr/amalia-nafplio). There will be special accommodation prices only for participants of the IOBC meeting Working Group on Integrated Control in Citrus Fruit Crops (http://web.nitlab.inf.uth.gr/iobc_citrus/index.php/accommodation/#pagecontent). 

Finally, the Organizing Committee has developed an appealing social program that includes several events and visits to some of the most renowned, ancient ruins of the Peloponnese, such as Mycenae. 

Please note that the deadline for abstract submissions and early registration is on 15 February 2022. Cancellations until 15 March will be refunded 100%, except for EUR 20 of the administration fee. 

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Nafplio. 

Dr. Antonios Avgoustinos—Local Organizing Committee Chairman, antoniosaugustinos@gmail.com

Dr. María Teresa Martínez Ferrer—Convenor of the IOBC Working Group Integrated Control in Citrus Fruit Crops, teresa.martinez@irta.cat

Prof. Dr. Nikolaos Papadopoulos—IOBC-WPRS Liaison Officer, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece, nikopap@uth.gr

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Carlo Leifert has been appointed Editor-in-Chief for the Section “Innovative Cropping Systems” in Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). 

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Carlo Leifert, who shared his vision for the Section with us, as well as his views of the research area:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Section Editor-in-Chief?

The opportunity and the ability to support rapid Open Access Publishing of information on Agronomic innovations. Providing rapid free-of-charge access to such information is essential to address the massive challenges for agricultural production and food security.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

To become the leading academic journal for high quality agronomic research focused on reducing the environmental impacts, improving the resilience, resource use efficiency, and maintaining and/or increasing yields of crop production systems in order to provide food security for future generations. To become a principal source of agronomic information for agricultural advisors, agricultural input, technology, and service providers. 

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

Extremely challenging, given that agronomic research is increasingly driven by the interest and objectives of agricultural input providers, food processors, traders, retailers, and not the interests/needs of farmers and consumers. 

4. What do you think of the development of Open Access in the publishing field?

I think it is essential to provide fair access to information globally and should become the “ethical norm” for the publication of research. The publication fees can be a barrier preventing participation by scientists especially those based in developing countries. This barrier could be effectively lowered by a “fee waiver for excellence” scheme for contributions from academics in developing countries.

We warmly welcome Prof. Dr. Carlo Leifert as the Editor-in-Chief for this Section, and we look forward to him leading Agronomy to achieve many more milestones.

Agronomy Editorial Office

We would like to extend a warm welcome to the following 39 recognized researchers, who recently joined the Editorial Board of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395):

Dr. Juliette Bloor—French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRAE), Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA), France;

Dr. Hongliang Wang—China Agricultural University, China;

Prof. Dr. Jin Zhao—China Agricultural University, China;

Prof. Dr. Di Wu—China Agricultural University, China;

Prof. Dr. Ganghua Li—Nanjing Agricultural University, China;

Prof. Dr. Carlo Leifert—Southern Cross University, Australia;

Dr. Peng Fu—University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA;

Dr. Dimitrios D. Alexakis—Institute for Mediterranean Studies, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH), Greece;

Dr. Michela Janni—Istituto dei Materiali per l’Elettronica e il Magnetismo (IMEM-CNR)–Parco Area delle Scienze, Italy;

Dr. Qi Deng—Chinese Academy of Sciences, China;

Dr. Roberto Marani—Institute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing, National Research Council of Italy, Italy;

Prof. Dr. Shulan Zhang—Northwest A&F University, China;

Prof. Dr. Fuyong Wu—Northwest A&F University, China;

Prof. Dr. Guijun Yang—Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China, National Engineering Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture, China;

Prof. Dr. Fenliang Fan—Chinese Academy of Agricultral Science, China;

Dr. Sheng Chen—The University of Western Australia, Australia;

Dr. Hussein Abdel-Haleem—USDA-ARS, US Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center, USA;

Prof. Dr. Pedro A. Aguilera—University of Almería, Spain;

Prof. Dr. Shan Lin—China Agricultural University, China;

Dr. Thomas E. Marler—University of Guam, USA;

Dr. David O'Connor—Royal Agricultural University, UK;

Dr. Sergey Blagodatsky—Institute for Plant Production and Agroecology in the Tropics and Subtropics, Germany;

Dr. Jinyang Wang—Nanjing Agricultural University, China;

Dr. Fatima Maria De Souza Moreira—Universidade Federal de Lavras, Brazil;

Prof. Dr. Aying Zhang—Nanjing Agricultural University, China;

Prof. Dr. Xiaobing Liu—Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China;

Prof. Dr. Marcelo Menossi—University of Campinas, Brazil;

Prof. Dr. Juan Moral—University of Córdoba, Spain;

Dr. Fengjie Sun—Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, USA;

Dr. Yash Dang—The University of Queensland, Australia;

Dr. Ilias Travlos—Agricultural University of Athens, Greece;

Prof. Dr. Søren Kjærsgaard Rasmussen—University of Copenhagen, Denmark;

Dr. Martin J Wubben—Genetics and Sustainable Agriculture Research, USDA-ARS, USA;

Dr. Ivan Ingelbrecht—International Atomic Energy Agency, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Austria;

Dr. María Ángeles Ferrer Ayala—Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Spain;

Dr. Ainong Shi—University of Arkansas, USA;

Dr. Nicolas Desneux—INRAE, Université Côte d'Azur, France;

Prof. Dr. Francisco A. P. Campos—Federal |University of Ceara, Brazil;

Dr. Yuanming Zhang—Huazhong Agricultural University, China.