Advances in Novel Biomaterials-Based Fertilizing Products and Bio-Fertilizers for Sustainable Agricultural Production

Dear Colleagues,

Soil protection, food security, and environmental sustainability are currently among the main critical issues faced by agriculture, which is adversely affected by the excessive and inefficient enlargement of fertilizer inputs. Further increases in chemical fertilizer consumption during agriculture production practices to increase crop yields has led to hazardous effects on the soil quality, environment, and subsequently, on human health. More than half of conventionally applied fertilizers, especially nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers, are lost into the environment through atmospheric conversion, soil erosion, denitrification, and leaching, leading to severe environmental pollution and low fertilizer use efficiency. The best fertilizer formulations for sustainable agricultural production should allow for good soil health, sustaining productivity of food crops and natural resources, and efficient fertilizer delivery that precisely synchronizes with plant nutrient demands in proper quantity and optimal time. Therefore, the evolution of new environmentally friendly green technologies for fertility improvement becomes critically important.

Various fertilizer production technologies have been introduced to reduce fertilizers' application rate and increase agricultural productivity by immobilising, coating, or encapsulating into slow, controlled, sustained, and stimuli-responsive release fertilizer systems based on different novel natural/synthetic polymeric materials. Numerous novel fertilizing composite polymeric products, such as hydrogels, have proven positive effects that improve fertilizer use efficiency, minimise water/fertilizers inputs, and reduce environmental risk. However, many of these materials are complex, expensive, not fully degradable, and applied without considering the side effects.

Alternatively, sustainable fertilizer products based on degradable biomaterials for slow, controlled, and stimuli-responsive release of fertilizers offer cheaper, greener, and renewable options. They have been reviewed extensively for their efficiency in enhancing plant development and the sustainability of crop production. These materials can be functionalized in specific ways to improve their working quality and properties through various processes. For example, due to ample availability worldwide, biomasses are converted into the generated, micro-, or nano- derivative products of cellulose and lignin, an intensely researched resource for biomaterials.

 On the other hand, intensive accomplishments in bio-fertiliser production technologies have been widely presented to sustain agricultural production. These formulations are various types of viable biological substances containing living microbes with environmentally friendly nature that assist the plants in accessing the nutrients in the rhizosphere when applied to seed, plant surfaces, or soil, promoting plant growth by several mechanisms.

Despite proving their potential benefits, biomaterials-based fertilizers and biofertilizers still have very limited application in the actual situation. Therefore, it is necessary to promote and expand their application among farmers to obtain higher agricultural sustainability. This can be achieved by emphasising quality assurance for long-time potency intact, biodegradation property control, and commercial availability during their production process.

In light of the abovementioned context, this Special Issue aims to present articles on advances in fertilizer technology related to innovative fertilizer formulations based on biomaterials and biofertilizers, their production, characterization, properties, and activation mechanisms. Additionally, this Special Issue is expected to understand the beneficial function of these innovative fertilizer formulation treatments to improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil, plant morpho-physiological traits, metabolism, nutrients uptake, crop productivity and qualitative attributes. The results will enable new insights into synthesis processes and biomolecular interactions and help develop important applications for different food crops using environmentally friendly green technologies.

We invite experts and researchers to contribute with original research, reviews, and opinion pieces covering all topics related novel biomaterials-based fertilizing products and bio-fertilizers for sustainable agricultural systems. Authors are welcome to submit articles and reviews on the most important aspects of these biomaterials-based fertilizing products and bio-fertilizers aiming at sustaining agricultural productivity and improving soil quality under the challenge of food security and environmental sustainability.

Dr. Hiba Shaghaleh
Dr. Yousef Alhaj Hamoud
Dr. Tingting Chang
Dr. Chao Ma
Guest Editors

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