Soil–Water–Plant–Atmosphere Interactions and Processes: Bioengineering of Slopes
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 1197
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Vegetation use has the potential to offer a more ecologically sound, cost-efficient, and visually appealing approach to slope stabilisation. However, current practices mainly prioritise using vegetation for aesthetic purposes and erosion control, disregarding the engineering functions of plant roots in the scientific analysis and design of slope stability. This disregard is largely attributable to a lack of comprehension of the intricate interrelations and processes involving soil, water, plants, and the atmosphere. The slope-stabilizing functions of plants can be mainly categorised into three groups: mechanical reinforcement, hydrological reinforcement, and interception. Regardless of the plant species, finer roots enhance the slope's shear strength by establishing a complex fibrous network, while larger roots typically penetrate deeply and function as anchorage elements. Mechanical reinforcement also encompasses soil aggregation due to root growth and the secretion of cohesive enzymes known as mucilage. Hydrological reinforcement occurs through water removal from the soil via transpiration, influencing the soil's water characteristics and permeability. The interception function primarily relates to soil erosion, debris damping, and interception. Moreover, understanding the behaviour of vegetated slopes under extreme climate change scenarios, such as flooding, drought, or fire, is crucial in integrating vegetation into the engineering design of slopes. Additional research gaps in this context include plantation strategies, vegetation maintenance, and real-time monitoring, as well as the nature-based modification of soil properties. Developing numerical models for vegetated slope stability analysis involving complex soil–water–plant–atmosphere interactions is also challenging and requires further research.
Dr. Muhammad Naveed
Guest Editor
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. Applied Sciences 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 2400 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
- slope stabilisation
- soil–water–plant–atmosphere interactions
- soil mechanical characteristics
- soil hydraulic characteristics
- vegetation strategy
- numerical analysis
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
