Impact of Nutrients and Trace Elements in Soil on Plant Growth: Case of the Second Generation Energy Crops

Dear Colleagues,

Growing demands for alternative energy and lignocellulose biomass in response to the mitigation of climate change has attracted interest in second-generation energy crops, which can be produced in marginal/slightly contaminated land that is not in conflict with food security. The green technology approach toward the sustainable management of contaminated sites implies a union of phytoremediation with biomass production. In order to have a benefit to the soil and to receive a proper biomass to be converted to energy or bioproducts (fiber, isolation materials, and paper) the growth of crops in low nutrient soil contaminated by trace elements (TEs) must be researched thoroughly, along with ways to improve productivity. This includes research on the impact of different agricultural practices: soil amendments, fertilization, etc. to biomass quantity and quality and the impact of soil health on crops: optimizing pH, increasing moisture holding capacity, attracting beneficial fungi and microbes, improving cation exchange capacity, and retaining nutrients.

The Special Issue will focus on all of the above-mentioned research topics. Case studies illustrating how soil health may influence growth, taking into account biomass conversion to energy and bioproducts, are greatly encouraged. We are seeking full manuscripts and short communications, reviews, and implemented case studies.

Prof. Dr. Valentina V. Pidlisnyuk
Prof. Dr. Željka Zgorelec
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.