Announcements

1. “Plant Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis and Transcriptional Regulation in Response to Biotic and Abiotic Stress Conditions”
by Rahmatullah Jan et al.
Agronomy 2021, 11(5), 968; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11050968
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/5/968

2. “Intercropping—A Low Input Agricultural Strategy for Food and Environmental Security”
by Sagar Maitra et al.
Agronomy 2021, 11(2), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020343
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/2/343

3. “Factors That Influence Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Agricultural Soils as Well as Their Representation in Simulation Models: A Review”
by Cong Wang et al.
Agronomy 2021; 11(4), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11040770
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/4/770

4. “Plant Growth Stimulation by Microbial Consortia”
by Gustavo Santoyo et al.
Agronomy 2021, 11(2), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020219
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/2/219

5. “Biochar and Its Broad Impacts in Soil Quality and Fertility, Nutrient Leaching and Crop Productivity: A Review”
by Hiba M. Alkharabsheh et al.
Agronomy 2021; 11(5), 993; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11050993
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/5/993

6. “From Smart Farming towards Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Crop Data Management”
by Verónica Saiz-Rubio et al.
Agronomy 2020, 10(2), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10020207
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/2/207

7. “Remote Sensing for Precision Agriculture: Sentinel-2 Improved Features and Applications”
By Joel Segarra et al.
Agronomy 2020, 10(5), 641; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10050641
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/5/641 

8. “Insights into the Physiological and Biochemical Impacts of Salt Stress on Plant Growth and Development”
by Muhammad Adnan Shahid et al.
Agronomy 2020, 10(7), 938; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10070938
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/7/938

9. “Is Phytomelatonin a New Plant Hormone?”
by Marino B. Arnao et al.
Agronomy 2020, 10(1), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10010095
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/1/95

10. “Using YOLOv3 Algorithm with Pre- and Post-Processing for Apple Detection in Fruit-Harvesting Robot”
by Anna Kuznetsova et al.
Agronomy 2020, 10(7), 1016; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10071016
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/7/1016

To develop different research areas and continue to attract high-quality papers, Agronomy (ISSN: 2073-4395) is recruiting Section Editors-in-Chief (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy/sections). At present, the following Sections have not yet found suitable scholars to lead them:

• “Water Use and Irrigation”;
• “Precision and Digital Agriculture”;
• “Agroecology Innovation: Achieving System Resilience”;
• “Plant-Crop Biology and Biochemistry”.

We are now recruiting Section Editors-in-Chief (SEiC) for these Sections. If you are an active researcher in one of the aforementioned fields and are passionate about publishing cutting-edge research, please do not hesitate to contact us at: agronomy@mdpi.com. You can find more information on our homepage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy.

The Section Editor-in-Chief has the following responsibilities:

• Making decisions on whether a manuscript can be accepted based on the reports we collect;
• Reviewing a small number of papers per year and managing the Section together with other journal editors;
• Promoting Agronomy and increasing its visibility at related academic conferences.

Agronomy is an international, scientific, peer-reviewed, open access journal published monthly online by MDPI. The Spanish Society of Plant Physiology (SEFV) is affiliated with Agronomy and their members receive a discount on the article processing charges.

We believe that by combining our rigorous editorial policies with your expertise, we can build a high-quality journal. We thank you in advance for your interest and look forward to collaborating with you in the future.

Agronomy Editorial Office

We welcome you to the 18th meeting of the EUCARPIA Biometrics in Plant Breeding, organized by the GQE-Le Moulon Research Unit (INRAE, Paris-Saclay University, CNRS and AgroParisTech), which will take place from 21 to 23 September 2022 in Paris-Saclay University Campus, France. More information and a preliminary program will be available soon. Below is a first glimpse into the main scientific topics of the meeting:

• Gene–environment interaction and crop growth modeling;
• Multi-omics data integration;
• Deep learning;
• Non-additive genetic effects;
• Diversity management;
• High-throughput phenotyping.

Leading scientists in all these areas have been invited to present inspiring lectures. We also welcome contributions from participants on these topics. The meeting will provide great opportunities for discussions with leading experts and to meet researchers and breeders from a variety of companies and research institutes. The conference will be preceded by the Satellite Workshop on Phenomic Selection, which will also be held at ENS Paris-Saclay.

For more information, you can access the conference website at the following link: https://eucarpiabiom22.sciencesconf.org.

We look forward to seeing you in France in September 2022!

Seminar name: Joint Seminar of the FAO CIHEAM Networks on Pasture and Forage Crops and on Sheep and Goat Nutrition
Date: 27–29 September 2022
Place: Catania, Italy
Link: https://faociheam2022.org/

The Mediterranean Basin is highly affected by climate change, while certain countries still need to increase livestock production in order to achieve food self-sufficiency. Producing better is an urgent issue.

In this respect, ruminants have an asset: they can be fed on plants, plant parts, and agroindustrial byproducts that are not directly recoverable for humans.

Mediterranean landscapes are composed of an agro-silvo-pastoral mosaic, which offers opportunities for interactions between livestock production, agriculture, and natural areas. Mediterranean grasslands are an important source of forage; cultivated forage, possibly associated with perennial or annual crops, provides high-quality feed for periods of high nutrient requirements; agroindustry produces a variety of typical byproducts which may be included in ruminant diets.

This joint seminar on ruminant nutrition and Mediterranean pastures and forage crops subnetworks aims at exploring various opportunities in terms of novel or underexploited local feed resources, which could be valued better in the future and used to secure small ruminant feeding systems and boost animal production. Joining these two subnetworks gives the opportunity to consider the question from two complementary points of view, thus encouraging system approaches.

The 2021 citation metrics have been released in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), and we’re pleased to announce the following results for MDPI journals:

For more information on Impact Factors and what it means to index academic journals, please visit our related blog posts.

* Journals given their first Impact Factor in 2022

Source: 2021 Journal Impact Factors, Journal Citation Reports ^TM (Clarivate, 2022)

The 15th International Conference on Precision Agriculture will highlight significant research and applications in precision agriculture and showcase emerging technologies and information management for agriculture. Oral and poster presentations and exhibits will be taking place to foster discussion and the exchange of the latest findings in precision agriculture. Sessions will present information on key topics for scientists, crop consultants, advisors, extension personnel, agronomists, producers, and other practitioners.

The ISPA aims to:

• Organize and conduct international conferences related to precision agriculture, such as the International Conference on Precision Agriculture, European Conference on Precision Agriculture, and other related events;
• Develop and maintain a web portal to communicate the latest developments in precision agriculture;
• Maintain a member list server to connect with society members;
• Publish regular ISPA e-newsletters for members and other subscribers;
• Provide members with opportunities for publication of original scientific research in the society’s sponsored, peer-reviewed journal (International Journal of Precision Agriculture).

We look forward to seeing you in Minneapolis from 26 to 29 June 2022!

Social Media Handles:
Twitter: @IntoSoPA
LinkedIn: International Society of Precision Agriculture (ISPA)

The 2021 citation metrics have been officially released in Scopus!

We are pleased to announce that 182 MDPI journals are included, of which:

● 21 journals received their first CiteScore.
● 85% of journals increased their CiteScore from 2020.
● 155 journals (85%) ranked above average, in at least one category.

The following 65 MDPI journals (36%) ranked among the top 25% of journals, in at least one category:

Source: 2021 CiteScores™ (Elsevier)

In order to acknowledge our reviewers, who so generously dedicate their time to reviewing papers and demonstrate diligence, professionalism, and timeliness when reviewing manuscripts, MDPI journals regularly offer outstanding reviewer awards to scholars who participate in the peer-review process.

We are proud to recognize winners for the year 2021 in the “Biology & Life Sciences” category for their outstanding contributions among extensive competition by presenting them with an Outstanding Reviewer Award.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the winners on their achievement.

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

Biology:

• Enrico Vito Perrino, CIHEAM, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari, Italy
• Dhirendra Kumar, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, USA
• Carlos A. Viegas, Univesity of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal
• Yuri Shavrukov, Flinders University, Australia
• Bipin Gaihre, Mayo Clinic, USA

Brain Sciences:

• Craig D. Workman, University of Iowa, USA
• Vivian Ciaramitaro, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA
• Yang Zhang, University of Minnesota, USA

Cells:

• Bonam Srinivasa Reddy, Université de Paris, France
• Homma Takujiro, Yamagata University, Japan
• Hwang, In Koo, Seoul National University, South Korea
• Kobeissy Firas, University of Florida, USA
• Rebelo, Sandra, University of Aveiro, Portugal

Diversity:

• Günter Gollmann, University of Vienna, Austria
• Stephan Koblmüller, University of Graz, Austria
• Emiliano Mori, Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri, Italy

Horticulturae:

• Joshua D. Klein, Agricultural Research Organization—The Volcani Center, Israel
• Ana Cristina S Figueiredo, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

Insects:

• Carmelo Peter Bonsignore, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Italy
• Klaus H. Hoffmann, University of Bayreuth, Germany
• Ivan Milosavljević, University of California, USA

Metabolites:

• Remigiusz Bachor, University of Wrocław, Poland
• Nguyen Phuoc Long, Inje University College of Medicine, South Korea
• Chi Chen, University of Minnesota, USA

Nutrients:

• Jadwiga Hamułka, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland
• Grace Campbell, University of Sydney, Australia
• Nicholas Norwitz, Harvard Medical School, USA
• Stefan Kabisch, Charité University Hospital Berlin, Germany
• Luis Rodrigo, University of Oviedo, Spain

Veterinary Sciences:

• Carlos Viegas, Univesity of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal
• Arvind Sharma, The University of Queensland, Australia

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