Cereal Production Systems: Climate-Fertilizer-Crop Yield Dynamics

Dear Colleagues,

Cereals represent a significant part of crop production, providing a source of carbohydrates and protein in human and animal nutrition. In addition, cereals are a source of raw materials for other human activities, and are useful in agriculture, food processing, the distilling and energy industries, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, etc.

The yield and quality of cereal grain and straw are influenced by a wide range of factors. Some of these are influenced by human activity. These include fertilisation and soil management, the selection of suitable varieties and pre-crops, and the application of chemicals. Other factors are beyond human control, such as weather conditions or soil characteristics.

There can be many problems in growing cereals. These include reduction in crop rotation to adapt to market demands; shortage of manure due to reduced livestock numbers; high prices of mineral fertilisers, especially P, K, and Ca; and unpredictable climatic events and the associated high incidence of diseases and pests.

All these can lead to the full potential of modern cereal varieties not being realised, which will affect grain yields or on quality parameters, such as starch content, protein, Zeleny Sedimentation Test, etc., which further determine its subsequent use in industry.

Last but not least, the weather also plays a key role. Global warming and climate change are now scientifically confirmed events. While air, surface, and subsurface water temperatures are rising globally, precipitation patterns vary from location to location; they can stay the same, decrease, or increase. Global warming and climate change do not have to lead to excessive negativity; it is just a question of adaptation. Some crops and technologies suffer under current conditions and are no longer sustainable; however, at the same time, there is an opportunity to grow other, as yet unused, crops in given localities.  These can outperform established crops in terms of their characteristics—it is just a matter of finding out how to do it, introducing it, and passing on the experience to others.

Finally, soil is also important. Farmers have a significant impact on soil’s chemical, physical, or biological properties. Fertilisation methods, tillage technology, choice of pre-crop, and the use of plant protection products all have an impact on the health of soil and its ability to withstand adverse environmental conditions.

In this Special Issue, we want to focus on the abovementioned factors and publish articles that will help us to better understand their relationships. Weather, climate change, fertilisation and soil management practices, crop rotations, and the effect of crop protection products are all factors that affect the yield and quality of cereals and their stability. This Special Issue aims to provide relevant sources of scientific publications for sustainable production, or suggestions for possible changes that will help maintain or improve cereal yields and quality and the soil environment. At the same time, articles that help improve our understanding of the relationship between weather and crop production are welcome.

Dr. Lukáš Hlisnikovský
Dr. Veronika Zemanová
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. 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.

• cereals
• climate
• preceding crop
• fertilization
• grain yield
• grain quality
• straw yield
• soil health
• soil chemistry and biology
• yield stability
• mineral fertilizers
• organic manures
• tillage