Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Cycling in Cropland and Grassland Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass production for livestock and human needs has a great influence on nutrient cycles. Indeed, nutrient cycling in agro-ecosystems (croplands and grasslands) is often characterized by nutrient losses—partly due to the removal of agricultural products, but also due to inefficiencies in internal nutrient cycling and poor synchronization of nutrient availability with plant demand and nutrient supply. As a result, CNP cycling in agro-ecosystems is a perpetual coupling and uncoupling of nutrients, where carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles are more strongly coupled under grassland as compared to permanent cropping. An uncoupling of elemental cycles may occur through management intensification and during the transition from the soil-plant system to the animal. The geographic spread of grasslands and croplands, together with the diversity of vegetation cover (i.e., crops, forage grass, perennial cover) and management practices (tillage, fertilization, intercropping, as well as grazing and mowing), and the sometimes largely seasonally-restricted cycle of biomass production, complicates a detailed assessment of the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphor cycles and (greenhouse gas) balance, respectively. Relating production and environmental quality requires, thus, a detailed evaluation of emerging production systems and C–N–P cycles in agro-ecosystems. To improve this, we are inviting papers focusing on research on C–N–P cycles and balances in agro-ecosystems in this Special Issue.

Submissions on (but not limited to) the following topics are invited: (i) Plant–soil interactions that mediate CNP cycling (i.e., coupling and decoupling processes), (ii) C–N–P cycling in agro-ecosystems linked to management and climate (e.g., cropping systems, rotation, intensification, grazing vs. mowing), (iii) linking arable cropping and livestock production to improve CNP cycling (e.g., integrated system); (iv) advanced techniques for nutrient supply scheduling; and (v) decision support tools for nutrient diagnostics and modeling.

Dr. Katja Klumpp
Guest Editor

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