Conservation Agricultural Practices for Improving Crop Production and Quality—2nd Edition
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Innovative Cropping Systems".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 201
Special Issue Editors
Interests: crop production; yield quality; abiotic stress; plant physiology; weed control; biodiversity; organic farming; legumes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: legumes; sustainable agriculture; abiotic stress; plant physiology; plant fertilization; plant product quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: cultivation technology; cereal crop rotation; cultivation management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Over the past six decades, the intensification of agricultural practices has primarily focused on (i) increasing crop yields and economic returns for farmers and (ii) improving food supply/security for an increasing global population. Intensification practices introduced during this period included efficient tillage and soil cultivation technologies, shorter rotations/monoculture systems, higher mineral fertilizer and pesticide inputs and the introduction of crop varieties with higher yield potential. However, in many crop production systems, these practices also lead to soil erosion, a reduction in soil quality, erosion and reduced biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. For example, intensive tillage, combined with high mineral fertilization, increases the mineralization of organic carbon in the soil, thereby contributing to an increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Conservation agriculture (CA) may be the answer to these threats. CA is a crop and soil management practice for sustainable agriculture, defined by three related principles: minimum tillage and soil disturbance, permanent organic soil cover, and diversified crop rotations. Adherence to these principles improves soil quality, optimizes yields, and reduces production costs. Conservation practices can minimize soil erosion, directly increase CO2 sequestration and organic matter levels in the soil, improve the efficiency of water retention in soil and water use efficiency by crops, stimulate C and N cycling, and thereby mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. CA's success is driven by component technologies such as water, weed, and nutrient management strategies to support crops under reduced tillage conditions.
Our aim is to present conservation agricultural practices and management systems that that deliver high crop yields and quality while maintaining/enhancing soil quality/fertility, reducing carbon footprints and enhancing biodiversity and associated ecosystem services.
Both original research and review articles are welcome.
Prof. Dr. Mariola Staniak
Prof. Dr. Ewa Szpunar-Krok
Dr. Edward Wilczewski
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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
- conservation agriculture
- farming systems
- reduced tillage
- crop rotation
- intercropping
- cover crops
- crop residue management
- water management
- soil organic matter management
- weed management
- yield and crop quality
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