Constraints and Balances among Soil Properties, Microorganisms, and Agronomic Techniques
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2023) | Viewed by 2510
Special Issue Editor
Interests: precision agriculture; watershed management; water conservation and management; soil management; cropping systems; nutrient management; integrated crop management; conservation agriculture; system of crop intensification
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Healthy soils are the key resource to the sustainability of life on Earth—be it plants, animals, or microflora and microfauna. The physical, chemical and biological properties of soil determine the capacity of the soil to function as a vital living system delivering many ecosystem services apart from producing food and raw materials. Microbes and plants exert a tremendous influence on soil functions; soils having active microbes and close interactions between fauna and plants augment efficient nutrient cycling, pathogen resistance and overall crop health, and enhance long-term ecosystem stability in addition to increasing food crop yield, nutritional quality and safety. However, fertile and high-quality soils are diminishing at an increasing rate. The physical degradation of soils through water and wind erosion, anthropogenic activities, loss of vegetation and biodiversity, floods, chemical degradation (e.g., acidification, alkalization, salinization), and the deterioration of soil microbiome are prominent issues related to soil, and need to be assessed and addressed with priority. Agronomic practices need to be designed and tailored in such way that potential productivity is harnessed and at the same time soil properties are improved or maintained. Agronomic practices like precision input management, conservation agriculture, crop diversification, resource conservation technologies, and organic production systems hold the promise of producing a sufficient yield while also improving soil conditions. However, agronomic practices vary with soil conditions. Again, in order to solve these problems, soils will require different management practices. Enhancing the interplay of soil, water, microbes and plants could be the solution to low productivity, loss of soil health and unsustainable production systems.
The aim of this Special Issue is to improve our understanding of the complex mechanisms involved in the development of soil properties and their role in long-term productivity; depletion/disturbances in the vitality of soils and the effects of the interactions of micro- and macro-biome on the behavior of soils. The scope of this Special Issue covers the characterization of arable soils, including the physical, chemical and biological health of soils using conventional approaches, remote sensing and drone technologies, the deterioration of soil health and agronomic management (suitable crops, plant types, genotypes, tillage, land configurations, amendments, manures, fertilizers, microbial consortia, water management, crop-residues, etc.).
The acquisition of information enabling the assessment of soil and crop characteristics using sensors, IoT, spectroscopy, spectral characteristics, and thermal properties is of special interest. The modelling of soil and crop behaviors is another important area being addressed worldwide. Precision agriculture, conservation agriculture, smart farming, and energy-efficient production systems have a huge impact on soil and crop productivity, and have gained the attention of researchers.
This Special Issue will include papers emerging from basic, applied and strategic research, case studies and reviews on the latest developments in the above areas.
Dr. Anchal Dass
Guest Editor
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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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
- soil properties
- microbiomes
- soil degradation
- agronomic management
- soil management
- spectroscopy
- sensors
- IoT
- soil–microbe–plant interactions
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