Effect of Drought Stress on Nutrient Management in Crop Plant Production

Dear Colleagues,

Abiotic stresses are significant constraints on crop production and food security worldwide. The situation has been aggravated due to the drastic and rapid changes in the global climate. Nutrient management in drought conditions is undoubtedly the most crucial factor having a substantial impact on the growth and productivity of crops. In the wake of climate change, drought and heat stresses have become the most critical limiting factors for crop productivity and food security. Therefore, understanding the physiological and ecological crop plant reactions and responses related to these stresses is important for better crop production management.

This Special Issue of Crops aims to collect the current knowledge on the transformation and digestibility of nutrients contained in the soil and brought in with organic and mineral fertilizers in drought conditions. Plant nutrients in the soil, occurring naturally and supplied with mineral and organic fertilization for effective plant production, undergo significantly reduced solubility and availability for growth in drought conditions. As a result of drought, many unfavorable processes occur in the soil, which may lead to its salinity and, consequently, osmotic stress, which causes crop yield limitations. Under such conditions, the availability of nutrients is limited, which reduces the yields obtained while worsening their quality. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms influencing the absorption of nutrients and their availability for plants is crucial to ensure the continuity of agricultural production and food security, which is extremely important in the era of advancing climate change. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Plant reactions to drought stress and low nutrient availability;
• Crop nutrient cycling under drought conditions;
• Problems of soil nutrient availability for crop production under drought stress;
• Problems of crop plant fertilization under drought stress;
• The efficiency of nutrient transfer from fertilizers under drought conditions;
• Effect of soil drought on plant root systems and nutrient availability;
• Effect of natural and mineral fertilizers on soil fertility and crop production under drought stress.

Dr. Malgorzata Szostek
Guest Editor

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