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Agronomy
Special Issues
Fertility Management for Higher Crop Productivity
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Fertility Management for Higher Crop Productivity

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 9436

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Danying Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Rice Technology Research and Development Center, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 3114006, China
Interests: rice; nutrient efficient utilization
Dr. Song Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Rice Technology Research and Development Center, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 3114006, China
Interests: rice; yield and grain quality synergy; phenomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Chunmei Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China
Interests: rice; phosphorus/nitrogen transformation; greenhouse gas emissions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural productivity is fundamentally linked to soil fertility, a complex trait that encompasses the availability of essential nutrients necessary for plant growth. As the global population continues to expand, the demand for increased agricultural output intensifies, placing unprecedented pressure on the world’s arable land.     Conventional farming practices often rely on excessive chemical fertilizers that can lead to soil degradation.     The challenge is therefore to develop sustainable fertility management strategies that protect soil health and optimize nutrient supply to crops.

This Special Issue aims to bring together a collection of high-quality research articles, reviews and case studies that explore the latest innovations in fertility management for higher crop nutrient availability and agricultural productivity. We seek to provide a comprehensive overview of the current challenges, opportunities and future directions in the field, while highlighting the interplay between scientific understanding and practical application in different agricultural contexts.

We welcome contributions that cover a range of topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Advances in understanding the soil–plant nutrient nexus and its implications for crop yield and quality;
  • Development and application of precision agriculture tools and techniques for optimizing fertilizer use efficiency;
  • Strategies for enhancing the biological component of soil fertility through microbial inoculants, cover cropping and organic amendments;
  • Integrative approaches combining traditional knowledge with modern science to revitalize and maintain soil health.

We look forward to your valuable contributions to this Special Issue and advancing the knowledge frontiers in fertility management for the betterment of global agricultural productivity and sustainability.

Dr. Danying Wang
Dr. Song Chen
Dr. Chunmei Xu
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

  • fertilizer management
  • crop yield
  • soil fertility
  • nutrient cycling
  • precision farming
  • highly productive and efficient synergy

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 6586 KiB  
Article
Efficacy and Economics of Different Soil Sampling Grid Sizes for Site-Specific Nutrient Management in Southeastern USA
by Simerjeet Virk, Matthew Tucker, Glendon Harris, Amanda Smith, Matthew Levi and Jason Lessl
Agronomy 2025, 15(4), 903; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040903 - 4 Apr 2025
Viewed by 296
Abstract
Precision soil sampling on larger grid sizes (≥2.0 ha) is a common practice to reduce the number of soil samples and associated sampling costs. A study was conducted to evaluate the influence of different grid sizes on the depiction of spatial nutrient variability [...] Read more.
Precision soil sampling on larger grid sizes (≥2.0 ha) is a common practice to reduce the number of soil samples and associated sampling costs. A study was conducted to evaluate the influence of different grid sizes on the depiction of spatial nutrient variability and their influence on the accuracy of variable-rate fertilizer application and total application costs. Soil sampling was conducted in nine agricultural fields using grid sizes of 0.4, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 ha, and the resulting variable-rate prescription maps for lime, P, and K were spatially analyzed and compared with a reference map (generated from high-density soil sampling; approximately 2.5 samples per hectare) to determine the amount of under-, on-target, and over-application that would occur within each field. An economic analysis was conducted including the soil sampling costs, soil analysis costs, and nutrient costs to determine the effect of grid size on total application costs. Soil sampling on a 0.4 ha grid size had the best performance in depicting the spatial variability of soil pH, P, and K within the fields, and exhibited the highest application accuracy for the variable-rate prescription maps. The general trend was that the application accuracy decreased with an increase in grid size, with the potential for the under- and over-application of nutrients significantly increasing at the larger grid sizes of ≥2.0 ha. The total application cost varied among the fields as it was largely influenced by the amount of under- and over-application associated with each grid size. In most fields, the total application costs for a 0.4 ha grid size were lower or comparable to other grid sizes. In some fields, the larger grid sizes exhibited lower application costs but at the expense of reduced application accuracy. Overall, the results suggest that the smaller grid sizes of ≤1.0 ha are optimal for soil sampling in agricultural fields to ensure accurate and cost-effective variable-rate applications for site-specific nutrient management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertility Management for Higher Crop Productivity)
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16 pages, 872 KiB  
Article
Optimizing NPK Fertilization for Enhanced Performance of Chinese Wheat Hybrids under Agro-Climatic Condition of Peshawar Valley
by Basit Ullah, Hongyao Lou, Muhammad Arif, Shengquan Zhang, Hamid Ali Khan, Khuram Nawaz Sadozai, Maaz Khan and Muhammad Mehran Anjum
Agronomy 2024, 14(9), 1904; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14091904 - 25 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1433
Abstract
The goal of this study is to identify the optimum NPK fertilization to maximize yield and productivity under local environmental constraints. To address this concern, a field experiment was conducted at Agronomy Research Farm, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, during the rabi seasons [...] Read more.
The goal of this study is to identify the optimum NPK fertilization to maximize yield and productivity under local environmental constraints. To address this concern, a field experiment was conducted at Agronomy Research Farm, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, during the rabi seasons of 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Treatments consisted of five Chinese wheat hybrids (18A-1, JM-1215, JM-1683, JM-1216, H-1) and one Australian hybrid (WS-1) with two local checks (Wadan-17 and Pirsabak-15) and two NPK levels, i.e., basal dose (120-90-60 NPK kg ha−1) and 25% higher than basal dose (150-112-75 NPK kg ha−1). The results of the two years’ experimentation exhibited that wheat hybrid WS-1 produced higher tillers (444 and 423 m−2), leaf area (32.7 and 30.7 cm2), leaf area index (5.0 and 5.4), plant height (105.3 and 103.1 cm), spike length (21.9 and 21.5 cm), spikes (329 and 322 m−2), grains spike−1 (59 and 58), thousand grain weight (62.2 and 62.2 g) and biological yield (9769 and 9906 kg ha−1) as compared to local check varieties. Wheat hybrids WS-1, JM-1683, H-1 and 18A1 produced 31%, 27%, 26% and 26% higher grain yield than local check Pirsabak-15, respectively, while a higher harvest index (61 and 59%) was noted for JM-1683 in both years. Application of NPK at the rate of 150-112-75 kg ha−1 increased emergence (87 m−2), tillers (421 and 407 m−2), leaf area (23 and 20.5 cm2), leaf area index (3.3), plant height (98.2 and 96.9 cm), spike length (15.9 and 16.3 cm), spikes (317 and 314 m−2), grains spike−1 (43), thousand grain weight (56.5 and 56.3 g), biological yield (9057 and 9163 kg ha−1) and grain yield (3702 and 3778 kg ha−1) compared to the lower level of NPK (120-90-60 kg ha−1). It is concluded that Chinese wheat hybrid JM-1683 and Australian hybrid WS-1 responded better to the higher level of NPK (150-112-75 kg ha−1) in terms of grain yield and its components and are therefore recommended for the agro-climatic condition of the Peshawar valley. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertility Management for Higher Crop Productivity)
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15 pages, 1188 KiB  
Article
Response of Elymus sibiricus (Siberian Wildryegrass) to Combined Application of Nitrogen and Phosphorus during Aging on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau
by Rui Wu, Wenhui Liu, Yongchao Zhang, Guoling Liang, Wen Li and Kaiqiang Liu
Agronomy 2024, 14(7), 1543; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14071543 - 16 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1095
Abstract
Elymus sibiricus plays a crucial role in ecological protection and animal husbandry. However, after many years of growth, the biomass of E. sibiricus decreases, and the plants degrade. Moreover, there is no good solution to the problem of degradation of Elymus sibiricus; [...] Read more.
Elymus sibiricus plays a crucial role in ecological protection and animal husbandry. However, after many years of growth, the biomass of E. sibiricus decreases, and the plants degrade. Moreover, there is no good solution to the problem of degradation of Elymus sibiricus; the addition of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers is the primary measure of cultivation management to improve yield, so it is crucial to find the appropriate level of fertilization. This study performed a two-factor split-plot experiment, including four levels of N (0, 45, 60, and 75 kg·hm−2) and four levels of P (0, 60, 75, and 90 kg·hm−2), to investigate the effect of N and P fertilizers on yield, yield components, and photosynthesis characteristics of E. sibiricus. The results showed that the forage yield in 2017 was higher than in 2018. The forage yield in 2017 was highest at N75P0 with a value of 29,926 kg·hm−2, and in 2018 it was highest at N45P0 and N75P0 with a value of 12,266 kg·hm−2 and 12,233 kg·hm−2, respectively, which demonstrates the large impact of year effects on the forage yield. All traits increased with the increase in N and P fertilizer application, but with excess fertilizer application, the photosynthesis was limited, leading to a slowdown in growth and a decrease in yield. In addition, under adequate N fertilization, the role of P fertilization was not significant (p > 0.05). N, P, and N × P can significantly (p < 0.05) affect the yield traits and forage yield of E. sibiricus. According to the PCA, it is clear that N fertilizer has the largest effect, and the growth capacity of degraded E. sibiricus grassland can be restored by adding 75 kg·hm−2 of nitrogen fertilizer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertility Management for Higher Crop Productivity)
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17 pages, 3031 KiB  
Article
Effect of Soil Texture on Soil Nutrient Status and Rice Nutrient Absorption in Paddy Soils
by Chang Ye, Guangjie Zheng, Yi Tao, Yanan Xu, Guang Chu, Chunmei Xu, Song Chen, Yuanhui Liu, Xiufu Zhang and Danying Wang
Agronomy 2024, 14(6), 1339; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14061339 - 20 Jun 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4790
Abstract
Soil texture affects rice nutrient uptake and yield formation by influencing soil structure, microbial activity, and soil nutrient supply capacity. Analyzing the relationship between soil texture, nutrient content, and rice agronomic traits is of great significance for precise and efficient fertilizer application. The [...] Read more.
Soil texture affects rice nutrient uptake and yield formation by influencing soil structure, microbial activity, and soil nutrient supply capacity. Analyzing the relationship between soil texture, nutrient content, and rice agronomic traits is of great significance for precise and efficient fertilizer application. The tillage layer (0–20 cm) of 31 paddy fields in China’s main rice-producing areas was collected to perform rice pot experiments, and soil texture characteristics, physicochemical properties, microbial-related indicators, and rice agronomic traits were measured and analyzed. The results showed that these soils could be classified into four types of soil texture: loamy sandy soil, sandy loam soil, silty loam soil, and silty soil. Analysis of variance showed that the available nitrogen (AN), available potassium (AK), and available phosphorus (AP) contents were the highest in silty loam, silty, and sandy loam soils, respectively, and silt loamy soil had the highest CEC. Principal component analysis (PCA) also showed that soil physicochemical properties can be distinguished to a certain extent according to soil texture types. For the relationship of soil texture parameters and soil physicochemical properties, soil organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), AN, ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), and microbial carbon (MBC) contents were positively correlated with soil clay content, AK was positively correlated with silt content, and soil phosphorus status was significantly related to pH. Mantel’s test revealed significant correlations between rice N, P, and K nutrient status, dry matter accumulation, and yield, and soil available nutrient content, MBC, pH, and soil texture parameters. Structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that sand affected soil available nutrients by regulating pH, while clay can positively influence soil available nutrients by affecting soil organic matter mineralization and microbial activity, thus influencing nutrient absorption and yield formation in rice. Overall, in rice production, the silty and silty loam paddy soil with fine texture and higher clay content facilitates the mineralization of soil organic matter and the activity of soil microbes, resulting in more available soil nutrients, which benefits the rice absorption and accumulation of nutrients. Furthermore, a higher content of clay also promotes the distribution of dry matter to the panicle, thereby promoting rice yield formation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertility Management for Higher Crop Productivity)
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17 pages, 2799 KiB  
Article
Subsoiling Combine with Layered Nitrogen Application Optimizes Root Distribution and Improve Grain Yield and N Efficiency of Summer Maize
by Xiangling Li, Rui Wang, Fei Lou, Pengtao Ji, Jian Wang, Weixin Dong, Peijun Tao and Yuechen Zhang
Agronomy 2024, 14(6), 1228; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14061228 - 6 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1018
Abstract
No-tillage of summer maize after the harvest of winter wheat is the primary agricultural practice on the North China Plain. However, prolonged no-tillage without deep tillage practices negatively impacts soil properties, which is detrimental to the growth and yield of summer maize. In [...] Read more.
No-tillage of summer maize after the harvest of winter wheat is the primary agricultural practice on the North China Plain. However, prolonged no-tillage without deep tillage practices negatively impacts soil properties, which is detrimental to the growth and yield of summer maize. In this study, Xianyu 688 and Jifeng 2 were used as test maize materials, no-tillage and surface fertilizing with normal nitrogen (N) (BC240), no-tillage and surface fertilizing with N reduction (BC180), subsoiling layered fertilization with normal N (FC240) and subsoiling layered fertilization with N reduction (FC180)were designed, in order to assess root distribution, N utilization and grain yield of summer maize. In the two maize cultivars, the FC240 and FC180 treatments significantly reduced soil bulk density in the 10–50 cm depth soil layer compared to the other two treatments, and also increased total N content in the 20–50 cm depth soil layer. Compare BC 240 treatment, the FC240 treatment significantly increased root length in the 20–40 cm soil layer and root rap bleeding. Additionally, the FC240 and FC180 treatments enhanced dry matter and N accumulation, grain yield, N uptake efficiency and N fertilizer partial factor productivity. In various treatment, Xianyu 688 exhibited increased grain yield, N uptake efficiency and N fertilizer partial factor productivity compare with Jifeng 2. When employing a total N application level of 180–240 kg N/hm2, the synergistic improvement of summer maize grain yield and N efficiency can be achieved by incorporating subsoiling combined with layered nitrogen application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertility Management for Higher Crop Productivity)
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