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Agronomy
Special Issues
Sustainable Agri-Tech Engineering: Building Resilience for Climate Change Adaptation
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Sustainable Agri-Tech Engineering: Building Resilience for Climate Change Adaptation

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Biosystem and Biological Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 10780

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Manuel Pérez-Ruiz

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Guest Editor
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Fluid Mechanics, University de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
Interests: precision agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Isabel Díaz de la Torre

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Guest Editor
Departament: Aerospace Engineering and Fluid Mechanics, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
Interests: reduction of the environmental impact of agriculture; efficient resource management through biological fertilization
Prof. Dr. Manuel Jesús Gonzalez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Fluid Mechanics, University of Seville, 41092 Seville, Spain
Interests: precision irrigation management; AI and IoT; digital twins; and non-conventional water sources in horticulture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Orly Enrique Apolo Apolo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Precision Soil & Crop Engineering in the Department of Environment at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Interests: artificial intelligence in agriculture; precision agriculture; robotics applied to agriculture and agricultural machinery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In 21st-century agriculture, where sustainability criteria prevail over productivity, agroforestry faces new challenges, such as rational land management, integration of agriculture and forest management in sustainable development, production of renewable energies, the introduction of information and communication technologies, and production of high-quality food for a growing global population.

The University of Seville (Spain) has organized the XII Iberian Congress of Agroengineering, supported by the Spanish Society of Agroengineering and the Secção Especializada de Engenharia Rural da Sociedade de Ciências Agrárias from Portugal. Like previous editions of this scientific congress, held every two years, it is a meeting point for researchers and technicians linked to agroengineering in Spain, Portugal, and the entire Ibero-American community.

The main objective of this Special Issue is to bring together a collection of high-quality original research articles and reviews that address the pressing need for sustainable agricultural practices in the face of new challenges. Furthermore, the Issue will explore innovative strategies, technologies, and methodologies to help farmers adapt to changing climatic conditions, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and ensure food security. To overcome these challenges, scientific and industrial research and development in agricultural and biosystems engineering in all agricultural-related sectors must collaborate to provide strategic pathways and technological solutions. The XII Iberian Congress of Agroengineering combines these competencies and knowledge to offer a platform for connecting and promoting answers to these global challenges.

Potential topics for the Special Issue may include, but are not limited to:

  1. Climate-smart agriculture practices and technologies;
  2. Agroecology and sustainable farming systems;
  3. Precision agriculture, spatial analysis and the use of data-driven technologies;
  4. Crop breeding and genetic engineering for climate resilience;
  5. Soil and water management under climate change;
  6. The role of agroforestry and silvopastoral systems in climate change mitigation;
  7. Policy frameworks and incentives for promoting sustainable agriculture;
  8. Built environment: construction systems and materials and building-integrated agriculture.

Additional information can be found at www.agroing2023.com.

Prof. Dr. Manuel Pérez-Ruiz
Prof. Dr. Isabel Díaz de la Torre
Prof. Dr. Manuel Jesús Gonzalez
Guest Editors

Orly Enrique Apolo Apolo
Guest Editor Assistant

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.

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 monthly 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.

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 588 KiB  
Article
Swine Wastewater Treatment System Using Constructed Wetlands Connected in Series
by Amalia García-Valero, José Alberto Acosta, Ángel Faz, María Dolores Gómez-López, Dora María Carmona, Martire Angélica Terrero, Oumaima El Bied and Silvia Martínez-Martínez
Agronomy 2024, 14(1), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14010143 - 7 Jan 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2008
Abstract
The main objective of this study was to analyze the efficiency of CWs for purifying swine wastewater in order to reduce its pollutant load. The system included a pretreatment module (raw swine wastewater tank, phase separator, and settlement tank), and three constructed wetlands [...] Read more.
The main objective of this study was to analyze the efficiency of CWs for purifying swine wastewater in order to reduce its pollutant load. The system included a pretreatment module (raw swine wastewater tank, phase separator, and settlement tank), and three constructed wetlands connected in series and planted with Phragmites australis and Suaeda vera. Three treatment cycles were carried out with a total hydraulic retention time in the wetland of 21 days for each cycle. Pig slurry samples were collected in triplicate after each treatment module, and physical–chemical analyses were performed. The results showed that the phase separator decreased the suspended solids, turbidity, and the chemical oxygen demand in the treated swine wastewater. The system enabled considerable nitrogen reductions (Kjeldahl nitrogen, NH4+, and organic nitrogen), and the highest removal was reported in the wetlands. However, the cations and anions showed different efficiencies. In some cases (Ca, Mg, and Na), the final concentrations were increased, which could be explained by their release from the substrate; however, there were no statistical differences among the CW effluents and the raw pig slurry. Therefore, the integral pig slurry treatment system with constructed wetlands increased the quality of the treated swine wastewater and thus can be used for its sustainable agronomic valorization. This thereby enables savings in inorganic fertilizers and irrigation water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agri-Tech Engineering: Building Resilience for Climate Change Adaptation)
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17 pages, 4114 KiB  
Article
Agronomic Analysis of the Replacement of Conventional Agricultural Water Supply by Desalinated Seawater as an Adaptive Strategy to Water Scarcity in South-Eastern Spain
by Victoriano Martínez-Álvarez, Alberto Imbernón-Mulero, José Francisco Maestre-Valero, Saker Ben Abdallah and Belén Gallego-Elvira
Agronomy 2023, 13(12), 2878; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13122878 - 23 Nov 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1453
Abstract
Climate change is affecting water resources in south-eastern Spain, and this mainly affects irrigated agriculture. In this context, seawater desalination is an adaptive strategy that has provided increasing water allotments to agriculture for the last decade, to replace decreasing conventional resources. Farmers are [...] Read more.
Climate change is affecting water resources in south-eastern Spain, and this mainly affects irrigated agriculture. In this context, seawater desalination is an adaptive strategy that has provided increasing water allotments to agriculture for the last decade, to replace decreasing conventional resources. Farmers are concerned about the agronomic effects of this substitution and its economic consequences. This study focuses on the potential agronomic impacts of the progressive replacement of the irrigation water from the Tagus–Segura transfer (TST) with desalinated seawater (DSW) on the main crops of south-eastern Spain. To that end, five main agronomic concerns were selected and analyzed under three water supply scenarios using increasing rates of DSW (0, 50, and 100%). The results indicated that, in addition to other economic or environmental considerations, sufficiently relevant agronomic aspects exist that need to be considered when replacing the TST supply with DSW. This study evidences the risks of phytotoxicity and soil alkalinization, due to the increase in boron concentration and the imbalance between monovalent and divalent cations in the DSW, respectively, and also a slight increase in the cost of fertilizers. In addition, the irrigation water salinity effect on production and total irrigation requirements was negligible, as both water sources present sufficiently low salinity. The detrimental effects were mitigated under a partial replacement scenario, so the blended use of DSW with conventional resources seems the most recommendable option for its agricultural management, rather than irrigating with DSW alone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agri-Tech Engineering: Building Resilience for Climate Change Adaptation)
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17 pages, 5184 KiB  
Article
Feasibility of Photovoltaic Systems for the Agrifood Industry in the New Energy and Climate Change Context
by José L. García, Alicia Perdigones, Rosa M. Benavente, José Álvarez, Fátima Baptista and Fernando R. Mazarrón
Agronomy 2023, 13(10), 2620; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13102620 - 15 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1485
Abstract
The role of the agrifood industry is key to mitigating the impact of climate change, as it is one of the industrial sectors with the highest energy consumption. The optimisation of photovoltaic systems in agroindustries faces problems such as the fluctuation of energy [...] Read more.
The role of the agrifood industry is key to mitigating the impact of climate change, as it is one of the industrial sectors with the highest energy consumption. The optimisation of photovoltaic systems in agroindustries faces problems such as the fluctuation of energy prices or the evident seasonal nature of some producers. This paper provides a global view of the profitability and optimal sizing of photovoltaic (PV) systems in the new energy context. For this purpose, almost 4 million cases were analysed, including different consumption patterns, energy prices, etc. Some general conclusions can be drawn from the results. First, the adaptation to the new context requires adjustments in the sizing of PV systems in all industries analysed, which is also associated with changes in the return on investment. Second, seasonality strongly conditions the optimal size of PV installations, the return on the investment and the potential savings. Finally, in the face of future energy price variations, the ratio “Savings/payback” seems to be an appropriate reference for sizing, combining savings and profitability. In addition, they may justify special subsidies to seasonal industries. The conclusions of this paper should be considered to optimise the design of PVs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agri-Tech Engineering: Building Resilience for Climate Change Adaptation)
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Review

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22 pages, 4262 KiB  
Review
The Role of Buildings in Rural Areas: Trends, Challenges, and Innovations for Sustainable Development
by Alessia Cogato, Leonardo Cei, Francesco Marinello and Andrea Pezzuolo
Agronomy 2023, 13(8), 1961; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13081961 - 25 Jul 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5074
Abstract
Rural buildings represent the functional relationship between rural communities and agricultural land. Therefore, research on rural buildings has practical repercussions on environmental and socio-economic sustainability. Comprehensive state-of-the-art research on rural buildings may address research activities. We present a systematic review of the scientific [...] Read more.
Rural buildings represent the functional relationship between rural communities and agricultural land. Therefore, research on rural buildings has practical repercussions on environmental and socio-economic sustainability. Comprehensive state-of-the-art research on rural buildings may address research activities. We present a systematic review of the scientific research between 2000 and 2022 based on the PRISMA protocol. Five main topics were identified. The results showed that the primary research focus was production (25.1%) and environmental management issues (23.2%). However, construction and efficiency are rapidly taking centre stage (20.6%). Regarding sustainability (20.8%), life cycle assessment, green buildings, recycling and global warming should be the future research focus. Energy efficiency will benefit from studies on thermal energy. More research on engineering and technologies (10.3%), specifically remote and automatic detection and transport in rural areas, will increase cost efficiency. The results may help improve the global efficiency of rural buildings in a modern farming system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agri-Tech Engineering: Building Resilience for Climate Change Adaptation)
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