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Land
Special Issues
Sustainable Water and Soil Conservation and Management for Agriculture
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Sustainable Water and Soil Conservation and Management for Agriculture

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land, Soil and Water".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 23 September 2026 | Viewed by 3799

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Juan M. Trujillo Gonzalez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales de la Orinoquia Colombiana-ICAOC, Universidad de los Llanos, Villavicencio 500003, Colombia
Interests: soil quality; soil contamination; soil mapping; tropical soils; soil conservation; sustainable soil management; regenerative agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Raimundo Jimenez-Ballesta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geology and Geochemistry, Autonoma University of Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Interests: soil quality; soil contamination; vineyard soils; soil mapping
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable water and soil conservation and management in agriculture are critical for maintaining crop productivity and ecosystem health. These challenges must be addressed through integrated strategies, such as the following: regulatory frameworks coupled with innovative practices to preserve soil quality, prevent contamination, and optimise water use; detailed soil mapping and physico-chemical characterization; conservation and regenerative agriculture; the application of organic amendments (compost and biochar) to restore fertility and structure; and high-efficiency irrigation systems with variable-rate fertigation. Water-footprint analyses guide the implementation of reduction and reuse measures, while hydrological and soil-simulation models support decision-making under climate-change scenarios.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect papers that expand knowledge on sustainable water and soil conservation and management in agriculture.

This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts that link the following themes:

  • Advanced irrigation and fertigation techniques;
  • Conservation and regenerative agriculture;
  • Water-footprint assessment;
  • Soil mapping and process-based modeling;
  • Remote sensing and IoT-enabled monitoring;
  • Nature-based solutions and landscape interventions;
  • Soil quality, contamination, and remediation;
  • Socio-economic analysis and policy frameworks;
  • Climate-change adaptation and resilience;
  • Integrated case studies and technology transfer.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Juan M. Trujillo Gonzalez
Prof. Dr. Raimundo Jimenez-Ballesta
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land 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 2600 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

  • precision irrigation
  • conservation agriculture
  • water-footprint assessment
  • soil mapping
  • organic amendments
  • remote sensing monitoring

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

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1473 KB  
Article
Size of Sand Grains Controls Pore Structure and Water Dynamics: Implications for Water Retention and Hydraulic Conductivity
by Jackson Adriano Albuquerque, André da Costa, Gustavo Henrique Merten, Ana Carolina De Mattos E Avila and Gunnar Kirchhof
Land 2026, 15(5), 864; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15050864 (registering DOI) - 17 May 2026
Viewed by 213
Abstract
Sand grain size strongly influences the physical and hydraulic behaviour of sandy soils, particularly water retention, pore distribution, and water movement under unsaturated conditions. This study evaluated the effect of five sand grain-size classes, ranging from very coarse to very fine, on pore [...] Read more.
Sand grain size strongly influences the physical and hydraulic behaviour of sandy soils, particularly water retention, pore distribution, and water movement under unsaturated conditions. This study evaluated the effect of five sand grain-size classes, ranging from very coarse to very fine, on pore distribution, aeration, water retention, and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. Quartz sand samples with different particle sizes were saturated and subjected to matric tensions ranging from 10 to 15,000 hPa. Very fine sand (0.053–0.106 mm) showed the highest field capacity (0.38 m3 m−3) and available water content (0.30 m3 m−3), which were associated with a predominance of pores between 0.2 and 3 μm in diameter. In contrast, coarser sand fractions were dominated by macropores (>50 μm) and exhibited lower water retention. Permanent wilting point values remained low and similar among grain-size classes (≈0.02 m3 m−3). Under unsaturated conditions (matric tensions > 100 hPa), very fine sand exhibited hydraulic conductivity values up to ten times greater than those of coarser fractions. Overall, decreasing sand particle size increased water retention and plant-available water while reducing macroporosity and aeration capacity. These findings demonstrate that sand grain-size distribution plays a major role in regulating water dynamics in sandy soils and may support the development of more efficient irrigation and soil management strategies to improve water conservation and plant water availability in drought-prone environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water and Soil Conservation and Management for Agriculture)
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21 pages, 565 KB  
Article
Carbon Balance of Pulse Crops in Rotation with Spring Wheat
by Upendra M. Sainju, Chloe Turner-Meservy and Menuka Maharjan
Land 2026, 15(5), 842; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15050842 (registering DOI) - 14 May 2026
Viewed by 155
Abstract
Carbon footprint and C balance are used to understand whether an agroecosystem is a C source or sink. Our objective was to evaluate C inputs and outputs for determining C balance for pulse crops in rotation with spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) [...] Read more.
Carbon footprint and C balance are used to understand whether an agroecosystem is a C source or sink. Our objective was to evaluate C inputs and outputs for determining C balance for pulse crops in rotation with spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) from 2021 to 2022 to 2024–2025 in the US northern Great Plains. Pulse crops (chickpea [Cicer arietinum L], lentil [Lens culinaris Medik.], and pea [Pisum sativum L.]) were rotated with spring wheat to form four crop rotations (chickpea–spring wheat, lentil–spring wheat, pea–spring wheat, and spring wheat–spring wheat). Straw C was 26–74% lower for pulse crops than spring wheat, but 19–23% greater for pea–spring wheat than chickpea–spring wheat and lentil–spring wheat. Root biomass and rhizodeposit C were 24–31% greater for spring wheat–spring wheat than chickpea–spring wheat and pea–spring wheat. Grain C was 21% greater for pea than chickpea, but 64–97% lower for pulse crops than spring wheat. Cumulative CO2 flux from May to April was 14–17% greater for spring wheat–spring wheat than chickpea–spring wheat and lentil–spring wheat. Soil C sequestration rate was greater for pea and spring wheat than chickpea and lentil, or greater for pea–spring wheat and spring wheat–spring wheat than other crop rotations. Carbon balance was 5–16% lower for pulse crops than spring wheat, or 9–16% lower for pulse crop–spring wheat rotations than spring wheat–spring wheat. Because of greater C input and C sequestration rate, spring wheat can reduce C loss compared to pulse crops, or continuous spring wheat can reduce the loss compared to pulse crop–spring wheat rotations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water and Soil Conservation and Management for Agriculture)
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15 pages, 1754 KB  
Article
Soil Fertility and Carbon Stocks in Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) Production Systems Under Acid Soils
by Andrés Felipe Góngora-Duarte, Francisco José Morales-Espitia, Juan Manuel Trujillo-González, Marco Aurelio Torres-Mora and Raimundo Jimenez-Ballesta
Land 2026, 15(4), 607; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15040607 - 7 Apr 2026
Viewed by 638
Abstract
Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in cacao agroecosystems are characterized by accumulating large amounts. They depend on the balance between organic matter inputs (plant residues, roots) and losses (decomposition, erosion), being closely related to climatic conditions, soil nature, vegetation type, topography, and land [...] Read more.
Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in cacao agroecosystems are characterized by accumulating large amounts. They depend on the balance between organic matter inputs (plant residues, roots) and losses (decomposition, erosion), being closely related to climatic conditions, soil nature, vegetation type, topography, and land management practices. The objective of this study was to quantify SOC stocks (0–30 cm) and assess key soil fertility indicators across 107 georeferenced sampling locations in cacao production systems of Guamal (Meta, Colombian Llanos Piedmont). Soil pH varies between extremely acidic and moderately acidic (3.8–6.0; mean 4.57), while available P (Bray II) and exchangeable bases showed low concentrations. Organic carbon concentration averaged 1.18% and bulk density averaged 1.17 g cm−3. SOC stocks averaged 41.10 Mg C ha−1, ranging from 7.49 to 81.55 Mg C ha−1, evidencing marked spatial contrasts in carbon storage. Spearman correlations highlighted coupled soil chemical controls, including positive associations of pH with Ca2+ and P availability and strong negative associations of pH and P with exchangeable Al3+, consistent with acidity-driven fertility constraints. Principal component analysis (PCA) further identified a dominant fertility gradient structured by pH, P availability, and Ca2+, and a second axis related to organic carbon and cation retention. Spatial modeling using inverse distance weighting (IDW) in ArcGIS supported the visualization of SOC stock variability across the study area. Overall, the results indicate that SOC stocks in these predominantly sandy soils are strongly influenced by acidity-related constraints and heterogeneous nutrient status, underscoring the need for site-specific management to jointly enhance soil fertility and climate-mitigation potential in cacao systems. Therefore, it would be advisable in the future to address the study of differential variations in soil C storage related to chemical fertilizer application rates, especially in the long term. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water and Soil Conservation and Management for Agriculture)
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29 pages, 3292 KB  
Article
Biochar Enhances Vineyard Resilience: Soil Improvement and Physiological Benefits for Sangiovese Vineyards in Varied Soils of the Chianti Classico (Tuscany, Central Italy)
by Arianna Biancalani, Fabrizio Ungaro, Fabio Castaldi, Francesca Ugolini, Salvatore Filippo Di Gennaro, Andrea Berton, Riccardo Dainelli, Giuseppe Mario Lanini and Silvia Baronti
Land 2026, 15(2), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020245 - 31 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1060
Abstract
Sustainable soil management is increasingly recognized as essential for crop health, productivity, and resilience, especially in vineyard ecosystems. Within the B-Wine project, biochar was evaluated as a soil amendment to improve physicochemical properties, water availability, plant eco-physiological functions, and yield. The trial was [...] Read more.
Sustainable soil management is increasingly recognized as essential for crop health, productivity, and resilience, especially in vineyard ecosystems. Within the B-Wine project, biochar was evaluated as a soil amendment to improve physicochemical properties, water availability, plant eco-physiological functions, and yield. The trial was carried out in one growing season, one year after biochar application (16 t ha−1 fresh weight ≈ 10.4 t ha−1 dry weight) on three organically managed vineyards in the Chianti Classico region (Tuscany, Italy), integrating soil parameters (e.g., organic carbon content, soil moisture, saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density) and eco-physiological measurement (e.g., leaf water content, photosynthetic performance) with remote-sensing analysis of multispectral Sentinel-2 level-2A imagery from the Copernicus program and soil spectral measurements. Results indicated that biochar significantly improved key soil properties, although the magnitude of these improvements varied according to soil characteristics. Bulk density decreased by 5–16%, while soil organic carbon increase differed in the three sites, being nearly 50% in the medium-to-fine textured soils and exceeding 200% in the coarse-textured soil. The impact of biochar on saturated hydraulic conductivity varied depending on the soil, the type of biochar, and the moisture conditions. However, it improved the water balance of the vines and yield. Considering all three vineyard sites, the average yield increase was approximately 42%. However, this result was largely driven by pronounced responses at two sites, while the third showed no measurable increase, likely due to site-specific differences in soil properties and climatic conditions. Overall, biochar proved to be an effective, soil-dependent strategy for enhancing vineyard resilience, plant performance, and productivity under challenging conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water and Soil Conservation and Management for Agriculture)
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31 pages, 6570 KB  
Article
Satellite-Based Innovative Agroclimatic Classification Under Reduced Water Availability: Identification of Optimal Productivity Zones
by Ioannis Faraslis, Nicolas R. Dalezios, Marios Spiliotopoulos, Georgios A. Tziatzios, Stavros Sakellariou, Nicholas Dercas, Konstantina Giannousa, Gilles Belaud, Kevin Daudin, Maria do Rosário Cameira, Paula Paredes and João Rolim
Land 2025, 14(11), 2147; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14112147 - 28 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1078
Abstract
Climate and climate variability conditions determine crop suitability and the agricultural potential within a climatic region. Specifically, meteorological parameters, such as precipitation and temperature, are the primary factors determining which crops can successfully grow in a particular climatic region. The objective of agroclimatic [...] Read more.
Climate and climate variability conditions determine crop suitability and the agricultural potential within a climatic region. Specifically, meteorological parameters, such as precipitation and temperature, are the primary factors determining which crops can successfully grow in a particular climatic region. The objective of agroclimatic classification and zoning is to identify optimal agricultural productivity zones based on efficient use of natural resources. This study aims to develop and present an agroclimatic classification and zoning methodology using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and advanced remote sensing data and techniques. The agroclimatic methodology is implemented in three steps: First, Water-limited Growth Environment (WLGE) zones are developed to assess water availability based on drought and aridity indices. Second, soil and land use features are evaluated alongside water adequacy to develop the non-crop specific agroclimatic zoning. Third, crop parameters are integrated with the non-crop specific agroclimatic zones to classify areas into specific crop suitability zones. The methodology is implemented in three study regions: Évora-Portalegre in Portugal, Crau in France, and Thessaly in Greece. The study reveals that inadequate rainfall in semi-arid regions constrains the viability of irrigated crops. Nonetheless, the findings show promising potential compared to existing cropping patterns in all regions. Moreover, the use of high-resolution spatial and temporal remotely sensed data via web platforms enables up-to-date and field-level agroclimatic zoning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water and Soil Conservation and Management for Agriculture)
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