Exogenous Organic Matter in Soil Health and Fertility

Dear Colleagues,

Over the years, new information has been obtained on the role of exogenous organic matter in the environment. With global climate change, more frequent episodes of extreme weather conditions affect plant functions and crop development. Moreover, the deterioration of the environment through erosion, excessive animal grazing, destruction of the humus layer, desertification, and chemical soil pollution has led to decreased soil health, worsened plant growing conditions, and crop vulnerability to drought. Organic matter plays a key role in the environment, especially in soil, influencing its fertility, biodiversity, structure, and water retention capacity. It determines soil properties such as its sorption capacity, primarily related to the cycling of elements and protection against leaching, and buffering capacity, including soil pH maintenance. Incorporating exogenous organic matter into soil is crucial for building a healthy and productive ecosystem, improving soil quality, increasing crop yields, and protecting the agricultural land against drought and desertification.In the era of environmental care and circular economy, the use of exogenous organic matter in agriculture and remediation can be effective strategies in waste management and soil regeneration.

Therefore, new information is needed to understand the role of exogenous organic matter in soil health and plant resistance. Both the physical properties and biological impact on plant health are crucial for sustainable production as research strategies aim to optimally manage organic matter.

This Special Issue aims to cover the following topics:

• The impact of exogenous organic matter on soil health and crop productivity.
• The role of exogenous organic matter in shaping the soil microbiome.
• The influence of exogenous organic matter on soil microbiological activity.
• Applications of soil microbes and exogenous organic matter in agriculture and the restoration of degraded land to enhance soil biodiversity and health.
• Increasing the water retention capacity of soil by introducing organic matter.
• The recovery of nutrients contained in organic waste.
• The addition of organic matter to stimulate plant growth and its resistance to stress factors.
• Technologies for exogenous organic matter inoculation with microbes.
• The development of technologies of inoculation based on exogenous organic matter.
• Exogenous organic matter treatment before use as a soil amendment.

We welcome the submission of both research papers and reviews for this Special Issue.

Dr. Grzegorz Siebielec
Dr. Sylwia Siebielec
Guest Editors

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• exogenous organic matter
• bacteria
• plants
• soil
• degradation
• drought
• crop resistance