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Agronomy
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Cover Crops and Forage in Nutrient Cycling and Their Utilization...
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Cover Crops and Forage in Nutrient Cycling and Their Utilization in Integrated Crop–Livestock Systems

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2026 | Viewed by 2110

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luiz Fernando Carvalho Leite

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Meio-Norte, Av. Duque de Caxias, 5650, Bairro Buenos Aires, Teresina 64008-780, Brazil
Interests: land use change; modeling; soil health; soil organic matter
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Edvaldo Sagrilo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Meio-Norte), Research and Development Sector, Duque de Caxias Av., 5650, Teresina 64008-780, Brazil
Interests: soil and crop management; soil quality; soil biology; soil–plant interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Henrique Antunes de Souza

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Meio-Norte), Research and Development Sector, Duque de Caxias Av., 5650, Teresina 64008-780, Brazil
Interests: plant nutrition; soil fertility; crop–livestock–forest integration; nutrient management in crop production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Crop–livestock integration has been shown to be an effective practice for improving crop yields and animal production efficiency. Crop–livestock integration comprises numerous technologies like no tillage, cover crops, rotation and/or crop sequencing. When evaluating the effects of water and nutrient availability in soil and biomass production in integrated systems during the development of crop plants and forages, studies have shown that the maintenance of optimal nutrient levels increases the yield of cover crops and forages and their quality and impacts crop sequence, decisive factors for increasing soil health, plant and animal production, and the stability of crop yield. Thus, the success of agricultural activities requires the adoption of more sustainable systems based on the rational use of resources, allowing for the reversal of soil degradation and increased productivity.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Yields and quality of forage and/or cover crops in crop–livestock integration.
  • Nutrient use efficiency for crop–livestock integration.
  • Drought stress and its relationship with nutrients absorption and/or biomass production for crop–livestock integration.
  • Practices that promote improvements in soil health and moisture for crop–livestock integration.

Dr. Luiz Fernando Carvalho Leite
Dr. Edvaldo Sagrilo
Dr. Henrique Antunes de Souza
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

  • soil quality
  • grassland
  • crop rotation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4837 KiB  
Article
Cover Crops Optimize Soil Fertility and Soybean Productivity in the Cerrado of MATOPIBA, Brazil
by Hosana Aguiar Freitas de Andrade, Edvaldo Sagrilo, José Oscar Lustosa de Oliveira Júnior, Daiane Conceição de Sousa, Carlos Pedro de Menezes Costa, Paula Muniz Costa, Raimundo Bezerra de Araújo Neto, Rosa Maria Cardoso Mota de Alcantara, Luiz Fernando Carvalho Leite, Mariléia Barros Furtado, Marcelo Javier Beltrán, Nicolas Cafaro La Menza and Henrique Antunes de Souza
Agronomy 2025, 15(5), 1083; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051083 - 29 Apr 2025
Viewed by 1174
Abstract
The main challenge of soybean cultivation in Brazil’s last agricultural frontier is to ensure sustainable production. This study aimed to evaluate the use of cover crops (CC) to improve soil fertility, plant nutrition, and soybeans productivity grown in the Cerrado of Brazil. The [...] Read more.
The main challenge of soybean cultivation in Brazil’s last agricultural frontier is to ensure sustainable production. This study aimed to evaluate the use of cover crops (CC) to improve soil fertility, plant nutrition, and soybeans productivity grown in the Cerrado of Brazil. The study was carried out on a farm located in the state of Maranhão, Brazil, with nine treatments, fallow and CC preceding soybean cultivation: (i) Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.); (ii) Marandu (Urochloa brizantha); (iii) Ruziziensis (Urochloa ruziziensi); (iv) Tanzania (Megathyrsus maximum); (v) Massai (Megathyrsus maximum); (vi) cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.); (vii) pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.); and (viii) Crotalaria (Crotalaria juncea). An analysis for the characterization of the biomass of cover crops and fallow was carried out. Soil chemical and biological properties, soybean foliar nutrient concentrations, and the soybean seed yield and quality grown in sequence to the CC were also analyzed. Soil microbial carbon was favored by the cultivation of ‘Marandu’, ‘Ruziziensis’, ‘Tanzania’, and cowpea. Nutrient cycling promoted by CC contributed to the maintenance of soil quality and increases in the leaf nutrient concentrations of soybeans. The cultivation of millet, ‘Tanzania’, ‘Massai’, cowpea, and C. juncea increased the soybean yield. Cover crops improved soil fertility while increasing soybean productivity, thus being an effective strategy for the achievement of sustainable soybean production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cover Crops and Forage in Nutrient Cycling and Their Utilization in Integrated Crop–Livestock Systems)
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Review

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19 pages, 7212 KiB  
Review
Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. as a Multifunctional Plant: Support for Pollinators and Sustainable Agricultural Practices
by Piotr Jarosław Żarczyński, Ewa Mackiewicz-Walec, Sławomir Józef Krzebietke, Stanisław Sienkiewicz and Katarzyna Żarczyńska
Agronomy 2025, 15(8), 1843; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081843 - 30 Jul 2025
Viewed by 333
Abstract
Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. is a species of annual plant that has been gaining importance in recent years. Initially, it was treated as an ornamental plant and valuable only to bees. Over the years, this species has become more widely known, and many more [...] Read more.
Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. is a species of annual plant that has been gaining importance in recent years. Initially, it was treated as an ornamental plant and valuable only to bees. Over the years, this species has become more widely known, and many more of its advantages have been discovered. The aim of this study was to learn about the contemporary economic importance of Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. The extraordinary, rapid increase in the plant’s biomass means that it is valued as a fodder plant and at the same time is included in the group of leaders among catch crops. It is characterized by low requirements for soil quality. The main advantage of this plant is its high resistance to drought and frost. A great advantage of this plant is its high drought resistance. It is recommended for sowing both in monoculture and in mixtures with other species. In the light of current standards and assumptions, it fits perfectly into the framework of sustainable development. It is a valuable link in the biodiversity chain, as well as support for a number of ecosystem services such as CO2 sequestration, retention of nutrients in the soil or protection of its structure. Phacelia is seen as having great potential as a plant that provides food for a number of pollinators. The latest research also focuses on assessing the possibility of using it for energy purposes (biogas). Efforts are being made to introduce phacelia on a wider scale to eliminate crop monocultures and significantly strengthen biodiversity in a given area. Phacelia plays an important role in various agronomic systems and effectively supports the protection of the natural environment. The contribution of this species to the development of ecosystem services to date is undeniable. It should be assumed that this plant will continue to significantly support a number of activities for sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cover Crops and Forage in Nutrient Cycling and Their Utilization in Integrated Crop–Livestock Systems)
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