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Life
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Advances in Dryland Agriculture Science
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Advances in Dryland Agriculture Science

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2025 | Viewed by 2943

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Liangshan Feng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenyang 110161, China
Interests: sustainable agriculture; soil health; crop rotation systems; water use efficiency; agroecology; climate-resilient farming; prevention and control of plastic film pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hangyu Dong

E-Mail
Guest Editor Assistant
Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenyang, China
Interests: rhizosphere microbiome; soil microecology; plant–microbe interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As climate change, water scarcity, and soil degradation increasingly threaten global food security, innovative and sustainable agricultural practices have become essential for enhancing productivity and environmental resilience. In this context, the Special Issue “Advances in Dryland Agriculture Science” aims to gather cutting-edge research on agricultural technologies in arid and semi-arid regions, with a particular focus on plant biology, physiology, and technology to enhance crop productivity in dryland areas. The Special Issue will also explore advanced techniques such as intercropping, crop rotation, conservation tillage, and residue management, alongside comprehensive studies on soil and water conservation, efficient utilization of water and nutrient resources, soil carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas reduction. These studies not only contribute to optimizing resource use efficiency but also play a crucial role in improving soil health and boosting crop yields in dryland environments. By integrating innovative approaches to water and nutrient management with advances in plant biology and crop physiology, this research will offer new strategies to enhance soil quality, build ecosystem resilience, and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The integration of these diverse practices will provide valuable support in addressing the challenges faced by agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions and facilitate the achievement of sustainable agricultural development in these critical areas.

Prof. Dr. Liangshan Feng
Guest Editor

Dr. Hangyu Dong
Guest Editor Assistant

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. Life 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

  • dry farming
  • climate smart agriculture
  • soil and water protection
  • conservation tillage
  • intercropping
  • crop rotation
  • saving irrigation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 5379 KB  
Article
Comprehensive Evaluation of Leaf Structure, Photosynthetic Characteristics, and Drought Resistance in Six Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Cultivars
by Weihao Wu, Chongcheng Yang, Shiting Lin, Wei Li, Suhui Ou, Jinson Guo, Xiaojia Huang, Xuemin Liu and Feng Feng
Life 2025, 15(9), 1346; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15091346 - 26 Aug 2025
Viewed by 664
Abstract
Drought stress is one of the key abiotic stress factors limiting the growth and development, yield formation, and improvement in the quality of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus). However, systematic evaluations of drought tolerance in jackfruit germplasm resources remain limited. In this study, [...] Read more.
Drought stress is one of the key abiotic stress factors limiting the growth and development, yield formation, and improvement in the quality of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus). However, systematic evaluations of drought tolerance in jackfruit germplasm resources remain limited. In this study, six jackfruit cultivars were used as materials. By systematically comparing 26 indicators, including leaf structural characteristics, chlorophyll concentration, and photosynthetic parameters, the primary evaluation indicators for jackfruit drought tolerance were identified, and clear microscopic structural images of leaves from different jackfruit cultivars were obtained. In this study, significant differences were observed among different jackfruit germplasm resources in terms of leaf structure, chlorophyll concentration, and photosynthetic characteristics. Comprehensive analysis identified A. ‘Changyou’ as the jackfruit cultivar with the highest drought tolerance score and A. ‘Siji’ as the variety with the lowest drought tolerance score. By establishing a systematic evaluation system for jackfruit drought tolerance, it was found that jackfruit cultivars with high drought tolerance had significantly thicker palisade parenchyma than other cultivars, a rougher leaf epidermis, and more densely distributed stomata on the leaves, while their chlorophyll concentration was significantly lower than that of cultivars with lower drought tolerance scores. Jackfruit cultivars with the lowest drought resistance scores had significantly lower net photosynthetic rates, transpiration rates, stomatal conductance, and light saturation points than other cultivars. This study’s results established a drought resistance evaluation system for jackfruit germplasm resources, providing theoretical support for the selection and breeding of high-drought-resistant superior jackfruit cultivars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Dryland Agriculture Science)
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15 pages, 2393 KB  
Article
Effects of Irrigation Water Amount and Humic Acid on β-Glucan Synthesis in Post-Anthesis Grains of Naked Oats
by Chunxiang Sun, Qi Wang, Wen Sun, Junying Wu, Shihua Gao, Yandi Liu and Baoping Zhao
Life 2025, 15(3), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15030343 - 21 Feb 2025
Viewed by 799
Abstract
Naked oats offer substantial nutritional and health benefits, primarily due to their main dietary fiber component, soluble β-(1,3)(1,4)-D-glucan (β-glucan). In a pool experiment, humic acid (HA) was applied once during both the booting and anthesis stages at varying irrigation amounts (60 mm, 120 [...] Read more.
Naked oats offer substantial nutritional and health benefits, primarily due to their main dietary fiber component, soluble β-(1,3)(1,4)-D-glucan (β-glucan). In a pool experiment, humic acid (HA) was applied once during both the booting and anthesis stages at varying irrigation amounts (60 mm, 120 mm, and 180 mm) to assess changes in β-glucan content in grains post-anthesis. Results indicated that at 5 days post-anthesis (DPA), the β-glucan content (3.14% W/W) in grains increased by 16%with the application of HA, compared to the control treatment of spraying an equal volume of water (p < 0.01). The β-glucan content (4.13%, 4.51%) at 15 and 25 DPA reflects increases of 9% and 5% compared to the control. Overall, the application of HA enhanced the β-glucan content in grains, with levels gradually increasing at 5, 15, and 25 DPA; however, the amplitude of the increase gradually declined over time. The β-glucan content in grains at 5 and 15 DPA, along with glucose content in panicles at 20 DPA, directly influenced the β-glucan content in grains at 25 DPA. At 10 DPA, the distribution of sucrose in the leaves and panicles influences the soluble sugar content, subsequently regulating the β-glucan content in the grains at 15 DPA. Specifically, the sucrose content in the leaves exerts a positive regulatory effect, whereas in the panicles exerts a negative regulatory effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Dryland Agriculture Science)
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15 pages, 2930 KB  
Article
FONPS6, a Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase, Plays a Crucial Role in Achieving the Full Virulence Potential of the Vascular Wilt Pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Niveum
by Jiaqi Li, Yanyang Gao, Bowen Li, Li Zhang, Yi Fang, Hongtao Zou and Xuhong Ye
Life 2025, 15(2), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15020142 - 21 Jan 2025
Viewed by 850
Abstract
NPS6 is one of the nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) family members. The roles of NPS6 in ascomycetes are well known, but its roles in Fusarium oxysporum are unidentified. We investigated its function in the growth, morphology, stress sensitivity, allelochemical secretion, and [...] Read more.
NPS6 is one of the nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) family members. The roles of NPS6 in ascomycetes are well known, but its roles in Fusarium oxysporum are unidentified. We investigated its function in the growth, morphology, stress sensitivity, allelochemical secretion, and pathogenesis in F. oxysporum (FoNPS6). The partial deletion of FoNPS6 orthologs (ΔFON-NPS6) resulted in hypersensitivity to H2O2 and KO2, iron depletion, and reduced virulence. Full virulence was restored by complementation. ΔFON-NPS6 not only inhibited spore formation but also displayed hyphal growth patterns that differed significantly from the wild-type strain. Plant leaching released allelochemicals, which FON-NPS6 broke down. All of these findings show that FoNPS6 quantitatively increases F. oxysporum’s pathogenicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Dryland Agriculture Science)
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