Advances in Soil Fertility and Crop Management in Conservation Agriculture
A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Protected Culture".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2025 | Viewed by 885
Special Issue Editors
2. Food Security and Safety Niche Area, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2790, South Africa
Interests: conservation agriculture; crop stress physiology; sustainable agriculture
Interests: conservation agriculture; nitrogen fertilizer; water deficit; plant adaptation to environmental stress; drought, chilling, heat, and salinity stress; growth of lettuce
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Soil fertility management is a cornerstone of successful crop production in conservation agriculture (CA). It plays a vital role in improving and maintaining soil nutrients to support plant growth, boost yields, and meet the rising global demand for food driven by exponential population growth.
Over the years, there has been growing recognition of the need to emphasize soil fertility management within CA. Lal (2015) proposed a fourth principle to complement the established CA framework:
- Minimal or no soil disturbance.
- Permanent soil cover with residue mulch.
- Crop rotation.
- Integrated nutrient management.
By incorporating integrated nutrient management, CA becomes a more holistic system for sustainable and climate-smart agricultural intensification. This approach enables farmers to achieve higher productivity and profitability while improving soil health and environmental sustainability.
Integrated soil fertility management, an essential component of CA, relies on locally adapted principles and practices to enhance soil health. Such management allows farmers to reduce fertilizer usage while maintaining stable yields and increasing profitability. Advancing our understanding of soil fertility management in different agroecological regions is crucial for sustaining productivity at minimal ecological and economic costs.
The Special Issue “Advances in Soil Fertility and Crop Management in Conservation Agriculture” aims to showcase innovative research and advancements in this field. We invite submissions of cutting-edge studies that contribute to enhancing our knowledge of soil fertility and crop management in CA.
Dr. Nkanyiso J. Sithole
Dr. Khayelihle Ncama
Dr. Nomali Z. Ngobese
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 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. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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
- soil fertility management
- conservation agriculture
- soil quality
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