Innovative Applications of Organic Manures, Biostimulants, and Micronutrients in Sustainable Horticultural Production
A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 August 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: organic fertilizers; micronutrients; silicon in agriculture; plant ecophysiology; water deficit; soil fertility; nutrient-use efficiency; sustainable horticultural production; semi-arid systems
Interests: plant physiology; drought stress; salt stress; silicon; beneficial microorganisms; plant nutrition; organic compounds in plants; plant stress tolerance; plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria; endophytic fungi; microbial inoculants; nitrogen metabolism
Interests: plant nutrition; abiotic stress; crop fruit; irrigation managament
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: plant hormones; plant nutrition; responses of primary and secondary plant metabolism to plant nutrition; orphan crops; analytical methods including HPLC, UHPLC, GC, mass spectrometry, optical spectroscopy, electrophoresis, and quantitative PCR; separation and analysis of chiral molecules; enzyme assays; inhibitors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite the submission of original research and review articles to this Special Issue, entitled “Innovative Applications of Organic Manures, Biostimulants, and Micronutrients in Sustainable Horticultural Production”.
This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances that promote sustainability, soil health, nutrient use efficiency (NUE), tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and improvements in crop yield and quality within horticultural systems.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Development and evaluation of organic manure sources (composts, vermicomposts, farmyard manure, and enriched organic wastes) and their effects on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of substrates and soils;
- Implementation and assessment of biofertilizers, beneficial microorganisms (e.g., nitrogen fixers, phosphate solubilizers, mycorrhizae, and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria), and plant biostimulants (e.g., algal extracts and amino acids), including their formulation, carrier technologies, and application under greenhouse and field conditions;
- The role of micronutrients and beneficial elements (e.g., silicon, selenium, and cobalt), either alone or in combination with organic and microbial strategies, in correcting nutrient deficiencies through foliar or soil applications, and their effects on plant nutrition, productivity, and quality;
- Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) approaches combining organic manures, biofertilizers, biostimulants, and micronutrients with reduced rates of conventional fertilizers, including evaluations of synergies, NUE, environmental outcomes, and economic feasibility;
- Advances in delivery technologies and precision horticulture applied to bio-based inputs, such as encapsulation, nano-enabled systems for micronutrient delivery, and tools for monitoring plant nutrient status and uptake;
- Other multidisciplinary advances relevant to biobased nutrient management and sustainable horticultural production.
This Special Issue aims to consolidate current knowledge on the use of organic, microbial, biostimulant, and micronutrient-based inputs as key components for sustainable, efficient, and resilient horticultural production systems.
Dr. Evandro Franklin De Mesquita
Dr. Rennan Fernandes Pereira
Prof. Dr. Antônio Gustavo de Luna Souto
Prof. Dr. Wilfried Rozhon
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
- organic manures
- biofertilizers
- biostimulants
- micronutrients
- beneficial elements
- silicon application
- beneficial microorganisms
- soil fertility and health
- integrated nutrient management
- nutrient-use efficiency
- biotic stress
- abiotic stress
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