Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture and Restoration of Degraded Soils

Dear Colleagues,

Intensive farming and mining are worldwide drivers of soil, water, and atmospheric pollution. Thus, sustainable methodologies that help to preserve these fundamental non-renewable environmental resources must be implemented. The development and evaluation of novel eco-friendly and cost-effective “green” methodologies for the preservation and restoration of these environments require a multidisciplinary approach encompassing geoscience, agronomy, biology, and engineering perspectives.

This Special Issue will focus on the current research and latest advances in the field considering a wide spectrum of strategies. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the use of minerals (natural zeolites, struvite, etc.) or organic material (biochar, etc.) to promote the more efficient use of nutrients in agriculture (N and P) and to restore degraded soils, covering bio-geochemical and environmental aspects. Contributions may be focused on:

• Natural and synthetic sorbents: characterization; adsorption of pollutants; influence on mobility and leaching of target elements in soil and agricultural wastewaters. 
• Use of geologic materials for crop protection.
• Strategies for mitigating GHG emissions from agricultural soils.
• Valorization and recycling of agricultural wastes.
• Examples of field and laboratory experiments.
• Effects of soil amendments on the nitrogen cycle.

Dr. Giacomo Ferretti
Dr. Barbara Faccini
Guest Editors

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