Fertilizer Management: Enhancing Crop Yield and Produce Quality

Dear Colleagues,

The decreasing global supply of fertilizer and skyrocketing increase in its value have led to a demand for fertilizer management strategies that are cost effective and ensure that the yield potential of the crops and desired quality will be achieved. Fertilizer management (FM) is crucial to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in fertilization programs, whether they are soil-based, foliar-based, or a combination of both, including organic and inorganic (synthetic) fertilization strategies; additionally, the use of soil–plant nutrient diagnostic tools and advanced fertilization technologies is also important. Moreover, FM should aim to minimize nutrient loss and maximize the nutrient use efficiency of the crops, which are influenced by soil types, climatic conditions, cropping systems, and farmers’ practices. FM underpins sustainable cropping systems as it places both soil health or fertility status and crop nutritional requirements as its core components, ensuring that over- and under-fertilization of the crops, which both have negative impacts not only on crop yields and produce quality but also on the environment, are prevented. This Special Issue highlights the significance of FM in improving crop yield and addresses the most pressing quality issues in food and industrial crops in a cost-effective manner across various cropping systems, with a strong preference for research work carried out under open-field conditions. Further, it welcomes work that sheds light on the pivotal role of FM, with a focus on balanced fertilization strategies for improving crop yields and the quality of produce

Dr. Johnvie Goloran
Guest Editor

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