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Agronomy
Special Issues
Energy Crops in Sustainable Agriculture
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Energy Crops in Sustainable Agriculture

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 February 2026 | Viewed by 2124

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Paweł Radzikowski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Systems and Economics of Crop Production, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation—State Research Institute in Puławy, 24-100 Puławy, Poland
Interests: biology; ecology; agriculture
Prof. Dr. Mariusz Matyka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Systems and Economics of Crop Production, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation—State Research Institute in Puławy, 24-100 Puławy, Poland
Interests: energy crops; agricultural economics; common agricultural policy
Dr. Jacek Niedźwiecki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil Science Erosion and Land Conservation, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation—State Research Institute, Czartoryskich Str. 8, 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Interests: soil; soil analysis; soil fertility; soil and water conservation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Energy crops have always been part of agroecosystems around the world. Moreover, they have garnered increased interest among farmers in recent years, depending on the political climate and the economic viability of their cultivation. They are often associated negatively as a direct competitor to food and feed crops. However, in the right space and at the right time, they can be the answer to pressing agricultural problems, such as the climate crisis, biodiversity collapse, environmental pollution, and lack of agricultural production profitability. The current Special Issue aims to present sustainable technologies for the cultivation, processing, and final use of crops intended for energy purposes and to highlight numerous benefits of their presence in the agricultural landscape.

To achieve this, we welcome papers related to the improved sustainability of energy crops’ production, as well as the innovations connected to this process.

This journal of Agronomy will accept papers in the field of agriculture and related disciplines, corresponding to this Special Issue's subject and representing a decent scientific level of elaboration.

Dr. Paweł Radzikowski
Prof. Dr. Mariusz Matyka
Dr. Jacek Niedźwiecki
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 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.

Keywords

  • energy crops
  • sustainability
  • economics
  • environment

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 4506 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Cropping Systems Using Biochar for Wheat Production Across Contrasting Seasons in Ethiopian Highland Agroecology
by Desalew Fentie, Fekremariam Asargew Mihretie, Yudai Kohira, Solomon Addisu Legesse, Mekuanint Lewoyehu, Tassapak Wutisirirattanachai and Shinjiro Sato
Agronomy 2025, 15(5), 1227; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051227 - 18 May 2025
Viewed by 266
Abstract
Biochar has recently emerged as a promising resource for enhancing crop productivity by improving the soil quality. However, there is limited understanding of how varying application rates of biochar combined with inorganic fertilizers impact crop productivity across diverse biophysical contexts. This study investigated [...] Read more.
Biochar has recently emerged as a promising resource for enhancing crop productivity by improving the soil quality. However, there is limited understanding of how varying application rates of biochar combined with inorganic fertilizers impact crop productivity across diverse biophysical contexts. This study investigated the effects of different rates of water hyacinth-derived biochar and fertilizer application on wheat production during the rainy and dry seasons. Four biochar rates (0, 5, 10, and 20 t ha−1), three NPS fertilizer rates (0, 100, and 200 kg ha−1), and two irrigation levels (50% and 100%; for the dry season only) were evaluated for wheat yield and profitability with a randomized complete block design. Soil amendment with both biochar and fertilizer improved wheat grain yield by 6.4% in the dry season and by 173% in the rainy season. Optimal grain yields were achieved with 10 t ha−1 of biochar and 200 kg ha−1 of fertilizer in the rainy season, whereas in the dry season, the highest yield was observed with 20 t ha−1 of biochar and 200 kg ha−1 of fertilizer under the full water requirement. Specifically, for the dry season, plant height, leaf area, soil plant analysis development (SPAD) of leaf value, dry biomass, spike length, spikelet number, and grain number significantly improved due to biochar and fertilizer application. Furthermore, reducing irrigation to 50% did not significantly affect growth and yield components when the soil was amended with biochar. The highest net return (5351 and 3084 USD ha−1) was achieved with 10 t ha−1 of biochar and 200 kg ha−1 of fertilizer during the rainy and dry seasons, respectively. This study suggests that maximum yield improvement and economic benefits can be obtained through the combination of biochar application, appropriate fertilizer rates, and water management strategies in rainfed and irrigated cropping systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Crops in Sustainable Agriculture)
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19 pages, 1900 KiB  
Article
Energy Saving Technologies and Practices in Facility Agriculture in Cold Regions
by Ningning Li, Weiyao Xu, Yue Zhang, Wenchuan Ma and Yanjie Ren
Agronomy 2025, 15(1), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15010204 - 16 Jan 2025
Viewed by 999
Abstract
With the growth of the global population, energy demand continues to rise, making cross-regional energy transportation less viable as a sustainable solution. As a result, the construction of facilities for agriculture in cold regions has become increasingly important in the development of modern [...] Read more.
With the growth of the global population, energy demand continues to rise, making cross-regional energy transportation less viable as a sustainable solution. As a result, the construction of facilities for agriculture in cold regions has become increasingly important in the development of modern agriculture. However, cold region facility agriculture faces significant energy and environmental challenges, necessitating the advancement and application of energy saving technologies. This study addresses the high energy consumption in cold region facility agriculture by experimentally evaluating the integrated effects of geothermal heat pumps, solar collectors, intelligent light control systems, LED plant lamps, and smart ventilation systems in saving energy. The focus is on analyzing the technical adaptability and economic feasibility of these technologies under extremely cold conditions in Heilongjiang. The research findings indicate an overall energy saving rate of 17.8%, with energy savings in heating, lighting, and ventilation systems being 17.6%, 18.6%, and 17.4%, respectively. Economic analysis shows that geothermal heat pumps and high efficiency insulation materials have a short investment payback period and are suitable for widespread adoption, while solar collectors and intelligent light control systems are more appropriate for long-term application. This study demonstrates that intelligent and integrated energy saving technologies have significant potential in cold region facility agriculture, providing both data support and technical references for the efficient, low-carbon development of agriculture in cold climates. This study not only provides scientific evidence for the sustainable development of cold region facility agriculture but also highlights the practical implications of these technologies for reducing energy consumption and promoting low-carbon agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Crops in Sustainable Agriculture)
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