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Applied Sciences
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Plant Management and Soil Improvement in Specialty Crop Production—2nd Edition
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Plant Management and Soil Improvement in Specialty Crop Production—2nd Edition

A Special Issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417) belonging to the section "Agricultural Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 2996

Editors

Dr. Xunfeng Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biofuels Institute, School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Interests: phytoremediation; plant osmotic stress; soil remediation; nanotechnology in environmental protection; agricultural environment pollution control and bioremediation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Linchuan Fang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Green Utilization of Critical Non-Metallic Mineral Resources, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: soil–plant system interactions; bioremediation; microbial ecology; soil environmental chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the importance of effective plant management and soil improvement practices in the production of specialty crops. Specialty crops are high-value crops that require optimal growing conditions to ensure healthy growth and high yields, such as for fruits, vegetables, and herbs. The aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest research and best practices in plant management and soil improvement, including topics such as soil health, nutrient management, water management, pest and disease control, and sustainable production methods.

This Special Issue is intended for researchers, growers, and other stakeholders involved in the production of specialty crops, and aims to provide valuable insights into how to maximize yields and profits while minimizing environmental impact.

Topics for this call for papers include, but are not restricted to:

  • Soil health;
  • Nutrient management;
  • Water management;
  • Pest and disease control;
  • Sustainable production methods;
  • Plant growth;
  • Soil remediation;
  • Plant stress response and adaptation.

Dr. Xunfeng Chen
Prof. Dr. Linchuan Fang
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-anonymized 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

  • plant management
  • soil improvement
  • nutrient management
  • sustainable production
  • specialty crops

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 8321 KB  
Article
Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Production in the Southern United States: Effects of Planting Date, Production System, and Drying Method
by Bharat Sharma Acharya, Shane M. Lamos, Bethany L. Hayes, Reza Keshavarz Afshar, Margaret Skinner and Arash Ghalehgolabbehbahani
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(15), 7528; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16157528 - 29 Jul 2026
Viewed by 425
Abstract
Crocus sativus L. (saffron), commonly known as “red gold,” is among the most valuable spices worldwide and has gained increasing attention as a high-value crop for small-scale farming systems. However, its production potential in the southern United States remains largely unexplored. This study [...] Read more.
Crocus sativus L. (saffron), commonly known as “red gold,” is among the most valuable spices worldwide and has gained increasing attention as a high-value crop for small-scale farming systems. However, its production potential in the southern United States remains largely unexplored. This study evaluated saffron as an alternative specialty crop in Georgia by assessing the effects of planting date (early September vs. late October) and production system (open field vs. low plastic tunnel) on saffron yield during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons at the Rodale Institute Southeast Organic Center. Simple postharvest stigma drying methods, including oven and microwave drying, were also evaluated descriptively for small-scale production. In 2023, a total of 1907 flowers were harvested, yielding 59.61 g of fresh stigma, whereas production declined in 2024 to 961 flowers and 22.89 g of fresh stigma. Year had a significant effect on yield, while planting date and production system did not show consistent main effects. A significant interaction between year and planting date indicated that saffron performance was influenced by year-specific growing conditions and management-related constraints, with early planting improving plant establishment. Stigma yield was limited for quality analysis; therefore, samples were composited, preventing valid inferential statistical comparisons for drying-method effects. Descriptively, concentrations of key apocarotenoids—crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal—were generally higher in 2024, with crocin values reaching up to 62.34. Higher-temperature drying (e.g., 100 °C) offered practical advantages due to substantially reduced drying time compared with lower-temperature (60 °C) or microwave drying; however, further replicated quality analysis is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn regarding drying-method effects. Overall, saffron production was feasible under humid subtropical conditions, but yield stability depended on stand establishment, soil fertility management, and year-specific growing conditions. These findings highlight the importance of integrated management of planting time, corm quality, production system, soil fertility, and postharvest processing for optimizing saffron production in emerging regions; however, larger-scale and long-term studies are needed to draw definitive conclusions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Management and Soil Improvement in Specialty Crop Production—2nd Edition)
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22 pages, 2966 KB  
Article
Reducing Water Resource Pressure and Determining Gross Nitrogen Balance of Agricultural Land in the European Union
by Wiktor Halecki, Konrad Kalarus, Agnieszka Kowalczyk, Tomasz Garbowski, Justyna Chudziak and Beata Grabowska-Polanowska
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(16), 9216; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15169216 - 21 Aug 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1718
Abstract
The evaluation of crop production that influences surface and groundwater quality is of growing importance in the context of agricultural sustainability in Europe. The primary aim of this study was to understand the relationship between gross nitrogen surplus in land and nitrate concentrations [...] Read more.
The evaluation of crop production that influences surface and groundwater quality is of growing importance in the context of agricultural sustainability in Europe. The primary aim of this study was to understand the relationship between gross nitrogen surplus in land and nitrate concentrations in surface and groundwater. The analysis was based on datasets collected from 2010 to 2021. Nitrate levels were categorized into three distinct quality classes based on the percentage of monitoring points, reflecting a spectrum from high quality, defined as nitrate levels below 25 mg/dm3, to poor quality, characterized by levels exceeding 50 mg/dm3. Redundancy analysis indicated that Gross Nitrogen Balance, a fertilizer use predictor, partially influences water quality, potentially due to long-term effects. Model selection for Gross Nitrogen Balance based on the AICc information criterion identified catch crops (or green cover), high-intensity agriculture, Natura 2000 sites, nitrogen-fixing plants, organic farming, fast-growing tree plantations, and EU27 states as predictors in the group of supported models. The best-fit model revealed differences between EU27 states for Gross Nitrogen Balance. Catch crops and Natura 2000 sites were also significant predictors, the former associated with a positive and the latter with a negative effect on nitrogen balance. In turn, WEI+ increased with nitrogen balance input but decreased with organic farming, indicating that promoting organic practices could help save water resources. Poland emerged as a country with relatively good water quality compared to several European counterparts, such as Denmark, Belgium, Malta, Czechia, Germany, and Lithuania. The implications of this research extend significantly to evaluation of the effects of the Common Agricultural Policy within the European Union. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Management and Soil Improvement in Specialty Crop Production—2nd Edition)
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