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Agronomy
Special Issues
Plant Nutrient Dynamics: From Soil to Harvest and Beyond
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Plant Nutrient Dynamics: From Soil to Harvest and Beyond

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant-Crop Biology and Biochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 1470

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eleonora Coppa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: plant nutrition; specifically focusing on nutrient interactions between iron (Fe) and sulfur (S) and their impact on plant health; plant strategies for adapting to challenging abiotic stress conditions; focusing on how sulfur metabolism acts as a key modulator in these vital defense mechanisms
Dr. Stefania Astolfi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: plant nutrition; specifically focusing on nutrient interactions between iron (Fe) and sulfur (S) and their impact on plant health; plant strategies for adapting to challenging abiotic stress conditions; focusing on how sulfur metabolism acts as a key modulator in these vital defense mechanisms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue encompasses the intricate journey of essential nutrients from their availability in the soil environment through their uptake by roots, subsequent translocation to various plant organs, and their accumulation in tissues, including the edible parts. This Special Issue explores how environmental factors (such as soil properties, climate, and the presence of abiotic and biotic stresses) influence this journey.

This Special Issue highlights recent advances in nutrient absorption, transport, and accumulation in plant organs, specifically focusing on physiological, molecular, and ecological perspectives and strategies for enhancing crop nutrition under stress or low-input conditions.

This Special Issue highlights cutting-edge research that drives innovation in plant nutrition science and its applications in food security and environmental sustainability.

We welcome original research and reviews on nutrient uptake mechanisms, transport, regulatory networks, rhizosphere processes, root architecture, and sustainable agriculture applications.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Eleonora Coppa
Dr. Stefania Astolfi
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 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. Agronomy 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

  • plant nutrition
  • nutrient transport, uptake, and accumulation
  • nutrient use efficiency
  • low-input agriculture
  • stress tolerance

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 1626 KB  
Article
Comparative Evaluation of Plant-Derived Protein Hydrolysates as Biostimulants for Enhancing Growth and Mitigating Fe-Deficiency Stress in Tomato
by Eleonora Coppa, Francesco Caddeu, Mariateresa Cardarelli, Giuseppe Colla and Stefania Astolfi
Agronomy 2026, 16(3), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16030304 - 25 Jan 2026
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Abstract
Sustainable agriculture increasingly relies on biostimulants like protein hydrolysates (PHs) to enhance crop resilience. This study characterized and compared three plant-derived PHs (PH1, PH2, and PH3) from the Malvaceae, Brassicaceae, and Fabaceae families, respectively, under optimal (40 µM Fe3+-EDTA) [...] Read more.
Sustainable agriculture increasingly relies on biostimulants like protein hydrolysates (PHs) to enhance crop resilience. This study characterized and compared three plant-derived PHs (PH1, PH2, and PH3) from the Malvaceae, Brassicaceae, and Fabaceae families, respectively, under optimal (40 µM Fe3+-EDTA) and iron (Fe)-deficient (4 µM Fe3+-EDTA) conditions. Initial assays demonstrated that the PHs possessed significant antioxidant capacity and influenced biological activity: PH2 and PH3 promoted pollen germination, while PH1 exhibited a weaker stimulatory effect. In vivo experiments on tomato plants revealed that PH application effectively modulated root architecture and biomass accumulation. Moreover, PH2 and PH3 significantly mitigated Fe deficiency’s impact, by maintaining biomass and preventing chlorosis. Interestingly, while Fe deficiency typically triggers massive root Fe3+-chelate reductase activity, PH treatments, particularly PH2, significantly down-regulated this response. This suggests that PHs may improve internal Fe use efficiency or facilitate alternative uptake pathways. Overall, these findings establish a link between the intrinsic bioactive properties of PHs and their biostimulant action, highlighting their potential as innovative tools for improving nutrient use efficiency and crop resilience in sustainable farming systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Nutrient Dynamics: From Soil to Harvest and Beyond)
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