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Agronomy
Special Issues
Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management—2nd Edition
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Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management—2nd Edition

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 2634

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zhengqin Xiong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 211800, China
Interests: carbon footprint; nitrogen footprint; reactive nitrogen; greenhouse gases; nitrous oxide; greenhouse gas intensity; carbon budget; biochar; nitrogen use efficiency
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jianying Shang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Land Engineering, College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: biochar application in soil improvement; colloid transportation in the environment; remediation of polluted soil
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, more and more industries and companies are pledging to become carbon neutral, net-zero or even carbon-negative to combat global climate changes. Net-zero emissions balance the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released and the amount removed from the atmosphere, and serve as the core of carbon neutrality. How is it possible to achieve net-zero emissions for sustainable food production or land management while ensuring our food security and humanity’s welfare? Future sustainable agriculture should explore systems with low net GHG emissions and GHG intensities at high crop productivity and low environmental damage costs. Research and reviews on greenhouse gas emissions and mitigations, life cycle assessments and net ecosystem economic benefits are invited for submission to this Special Issue in order to foster a better understanding of this issue among scientists and policy makers.

Prof. Dr. Zhengqin Xiong
Prof. Dr. Jianying Shang
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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 semimonthly 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

  • carbon footprint
  • greenhouse gases
  • greenhouse gas intensity
  • carbon budget
  • biochar
  • carbon sequestration
  • net ecosystem economic benefit
  • profile carbon storage

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1235 KB  
Article
Biochar and Nitrogen Synergistically Regulate Soil Carbon Mineralization by Enhancing Aggregate Stability and Altering Microbial Function in Intensive Vegetable Systems
by Xi Zhang, Chenchen Xue, Xiaoxiao Liu, Lihong Xue and Zhengqin Xiong
Agronomy 2026, 16(8), 825; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16080825 - 17 Apr 2026
Viewed by 575
Abstract
Intensive nitrogen (N) fertilization in greenhouse vegetable systems degrades soil structure and accelerates soil carbon (C) mineralization. Biochar application can alleviate these adverse effects by enhancing aggregate stability and mediating microbially driven nutrient cycling, yet its effects across aggregate fractions remain poorly understood. [...] Read more.
Intensive nitrogen (N) fertilization in greenhouse vegetable systems degrades soil structure and accelerates soil carbon (C) mineralization. Biochar application can alleviate these adverse effects by enhancing aggregate stability and mediating microbially driven nutrient cycling, yet its effects across aggregate fractions remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated how biochar (0, 20, 40 t ha−1) and N interact to affect aggregate stability, C mineralization, nutrient status, and microbial properties in bulk soil and four aggregate classes (large macroaggregates: LMA, > 2000 μm; small macroaggregates: SMA, 250–2000 μm; microaggregates: MA, 53–250 μm; silt + clay: S + C, < 53 μm) in vegetable soil after a 60-day incubation. Results showed that biochar–N co-application increased mean weight diameter by 27.4–30.5% and elevated soil total organic C (TOC) in LMA by 9.11–12.0% and in MA by 8.77–20.2% relative to the N-only treatment. It also reduced β-glucosidase and oxidase activities, as well as fungal and G−-bacterial abundance. Biochar amendment suppressed TOC mineralization by 2.7–24.6% in bulk soil and aggregate fractions, while boosting potentially mineralizable C pools by 12.5–155.7%, and thereby increasing overall mineralization potential. Structural equation modeling revealed the size-dependent regulatory mechanisms underlying these observations. Aggregate stability directly inhibited CO2 emissions in bulk soil and SMA, while the effects in MA and S + C fractions were mediated by shifts in nutrient stoichiometry and hydrolase activities. Our findings clarified the size-dependent mechanisms by which biochar–N co-application promoted soil C sequestration, providing a theoretical basis for the sustainable management of intensive vegetable systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management—2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 1997 KB  
Article
Nutrient Management Strategies for Enhancing Maize Yield and Improving Soil Fertility in the Changbai Mountains—Liaodong Hilly Region: A Meta-Analysis
by Junjie Ruan, Jiahao Huang, Yinghua Juan and Meng Mao
Agronomy 2026, 16(7), 752; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16070752 - 1 Apr 2026
Viewed by 710
Abstract
To further enhance nutrient use efficiency for maize cultivation in the Changbai Mountains—Liaodong Hilly Region and to safeguard both grain production and soil quality, 2441 pairs of data points extracted from 47 publicly published papers were selected for analysis to investigate the effects [...] Read more.
To further enhance nutrient use efficiency for maize cultivation in the Changbai Mountains—Liaodong Hilly Region and to safeguard both grain production and soil quality, 2441 pairs of data points extracted from 47 publicly published papers were selected for analysis to investigate the effects of different fertilizer types, their application rates, and field management practices on spring maize yield enhancement, crop growth, and soil physicochemical properties. According to the subgroup analysis of the above indicators, the results demonstrated that various fertilization management practices can effectively increase maize yield and soil nutrient content. Specifically, applications of nitrogen fertilizer (39.78%) and top-dressing (34.10%) had the best effect on increasing maize yield. The combination of organic–inorganic application (22.93%) and straw returning (20.46%) had the best effect on increasing soil organic matter. Based on grain yield and its components, crop physiology and soil physicochemical properties, we recommend an optimal nutrient management strategy for this region: an application rate of 180 kg/ha for nitrogen and 70–100 kg/ha for both phosphorus and potassium, and the field management practice of combined application of chemical fertilizers and manure based on full-amount straw returning in the field. This study provides a reference for nutrient management of maize fields in the Changbai Mountains—Liaodong Hilly Region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management—2nd Edition)
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21 pages, 3153 KB  
Article
Effects of Extreme Moisture Events on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Soil Ecological Functional Stability in Calcaric Cambisols
by Weixin Wang, Minmin Qiang, Jichao Zuo, Kaixuan Wang, Jianqiao Han, Xin Tong and Man Zhang
Agronomy 2025, 15(11), 2461; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15112461 - 23 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 955
Abstract
Global warming is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation, yet its effects on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and functional stability remain uncertain. This study explored the impact of extreme soil moisture conditions on farmland and forest soil under [...] Read more.
Global warming is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation, yet its effects on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and functional stability remain uncertain. This study explored the impact of extreme soil moisture conditions on farmland and forest soil under three scenarios: 60% field water capacity (W1), soil saturation (W2), and 10 cm of standing water (W3). We used a laboratory incubation to evaluate how three extreme soil moisture regimes—60% of field water capacity (W1), soil saturation (W2), and 10 cm of standing water (W3)—affect GHG emissions and the functional stability of farmland and forest soils. Forest soils exhibited significantly higher global warming potential (GWP) than farmland across all regimes (p < 0.05). Relative to W1, farmland GWP increased by 0.14% under W3, whereas forest GWP increased by 13.7% under W2 (p < 0.05). Extreme soil moisture conditions markedly elevated total organic C (TOC) and ammonium N (NH4+–N) contents in soil solutions from both farmland and forest, with increases of 25.0% and 6.0% for TOC and 78.6% and 69.6% for NH4+–N, respectively. Conversely, nitrate N (NO3−–N) content in farmland soil decreased by 3.54% and 6.96% under W2 and W3 treatments, while forest soil NO3−–N increased by 39.68% under W2 and decreased by 39.13% under W3. Functional stability declined under extreme precipitation and was positively correlated with total CO2 emissions, GWP, and TOC (p < 0.001), as well as with total N2O emissions and soil total C (p < 0.05). Overall, forest soils maintained greater functional stability than farmland under extreme moisture. These findings clarify how extreme soil-moisture events influence soil functional stability in a warming climate and highlight the potential for post-event recovery of soil functions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management—2nd Edition)
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