Interactions Between Horticultural Crops and Organic/Inorganic Biostimulants in Semiarid Agroecosystems
A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 29
Special Issue Editors
Interests: physiology; biostimulants; drought; agroforestry
Interests: biostimulants; plant physiology; abiotic stress
Interests: phytopathology; food science; plant–microbe interactions; microbiology; biological control; plant disease resistance; nanotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The production of horticultural crops in semiarid regions is often constrained by poor soil fertility, low levels of organic matter, and water scarcity. Globally, both organic biostimulants (compost, humic acids, seaweed extracts, nanofertilisers, microorganisms) and inorganic biostimulants (micronutrient chelates) are increasingly being used to enhance plant growth and plants’ ability to tolerate biotic and abiotic conditions. However, knowledge about their comparative efficacy and potential synergistic or antagonistic interactions when used in semiarid soils remains limited. A better understanding of these interactions is essential for the sustainable cultivation of crops in challenging environments.
The aim of this Special Issue is to assess the effects of organic and inorganic biostimulants on the growth, yield, and physiological performance of selected horticultural crops in semiarid soils, which can be achieved through
- Evaluating the individual and combined effects of organic and inorganic biostimulants on plant growth parameters.
- Analysing the impact of biostimulants on crop yield and quality.
- Assessing the physicochemical changes in soil following biostimulant application.
- Investigating the ecophysiological responses of plants to biostimulant treatments.
- Identifying the most effective types and combinations of biostimulants for improving productivity under semiarid conditions.
Prof. Dr. Wilmer Tezara
Prof. Dr. Juan Jose Reyes-Pérez
Dr. Luis Guillermo Hernández-Montiel
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
- physiology
- photosynthesis
- biostimulants
- drought
- agroforestry organic biostimulants
- vermicompost extract
- seaweed extract
- microorganisms
- compost tea
- amino acid formulations
- nanoparticles
- humic and fulvic acids
- inorganic
- silicon (Si) sprays
- zinc or iron chelates
- synthetic growth regulators
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