Soil Health and Nutrient Management in Sustainable Stimulant Crops (Tea, Coffee, Cacao, etc.) Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Stimulant crops, such as tea (Camellia sinensis), coffee (Coffea spp.), and cacao (Theobroma cacao) are the most economically and culturally vital agricultural commodities. However, modern high-intensity cultivation of these perennial crops has traditionally relied on high-input practices. These practices provide short-term yield boosts, but lead to severe ecological and environmental risks, including progressive soil acidification, severe nutrient imbalances, depletion of soil organic matter, microbial degradation, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Maintaining and restoring soil health is therefore fundamental for long-term sustainability, climate resilience, and sensory quality (taste, aroma, and functional compounds) in stimulant crop production.

This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research, multi-disciplinary studies, and comprehensive reviews addressing soil health degradation mechanisms, innovative nutrient management, and sustainable agronomic practices across global stimulant crop ecosystems. By bridging soil science, agronomy, microbial ecology, agroforestry, and environmental management, this collection will offer multi-scale insights and practical, science-based solutions for building resilient, low-carbon, and high-value stimulant crop systems worldwide.

We welcome original research articles, short communications, and comprehensive reviews covering, but not limited to, the following topics in stimulant crop (tea, coffee, cacao, etc.) agroecosystems:

1. Soil Acidification, Salinization & Remediation: Biogeochemical mechanisms of soil degradation under continuous cropping and integrated management strategies for soil restoration and pH buffer capacity enhancement.
2. Nutrient Cycling & Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE): Dynamics, bioavailability, and stoichiometric balances of macro- (N, P, K) and micro-nutrients; novel fertilization technologies (e.g., controlled-release fertilizers, foliar nutrition) targeting high NUE.
3. Soil Microbiome & Plant-Microbe Interactions: Rhizosphere and endosphere microbial diversity, functional genes, and their roles in nutrient transformation, disease suppression, abiotic stress tolerance, and crop quality formation.
4. Organic, Regenerative & Agroforestry Systems: Impacts of biochar, compost, cover crops, shade tree integration (e.g., agroforestry in coffee and cacao), and intercropping on soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience.
5. Carbon Sequestration & Greenhouse Gas Mitigation: Biogeochemical drivers of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄) emissions, soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics, and climate mitigation strategies in perennial plantation systems.
6. Soil Pollution & Contaminant Remediation: Monitoring, ecological risk assessment, and remediation strategies for heavy metals, pesticide residues, and emerging pollutants in plantation soils.
7. Precision Agriculture & Digital Soil Mapping: Application of remote sensing, GIS, proximal soil sensing, smart fertigation, and AI-driven predictive modeling for site-specific nutrient management and soil health diagnostic tools.

Dr. Kang Ni
Guest Editor

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