Optimizing Nitrogen Fertilizer Use in Crop Production

Dear Colleagues,

Nitrogen (N) is fundamental to global crop production and food security, yet its application in agriculture represents a critical nexus of economic, environmental and sustainability challenges. While indispensable for achieving high yields, inefficient nitrogen use leads to substantial economic losses for farmers and contributes to severe environmental consequences, including greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution and ecosystem degradation.

This Special Issue aims to collate innovative research and comprehensive reviews that advance the precision and sustainability of nitrogen management in cropping systems. We seek contributions that explore a wide spectrum of solutions, from novel sensing technologies and decision support tools to advances in precision agriculture and remote sensing; the development and evaluation of enhanced-efficiency fertilizers and biologicals; the implementation of 4R nutrient stewardship and decision support systems; the design of circular nutrient systems and integrative assessments of socio-economic adoption barriers, life cycle analysis and policy frameworks.

The overarching goal is to synthesize cutting-edge knowledge that bridges the gap between agronomic productivity and ecological stewardship, providing a pathway toward a more resilient and circular agri-food system. We invite submissions that offer actionable insights for researchers, agronomists, policymakers and farmers dedicated to optimizing this vital resource.

Prof. Dr. Min Sun
Dr. Noor Hafeez
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nitrogen is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1200 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.