Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.5
4.7
Journals
Plants
Special Issues
Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Agriculture: Natural Bioactives and Advanced Fertilization
share announcement

Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Agriculture: Natural Bioactives and Advanced Fertilization

A Special Issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 3630

Editors

Prof. Dr. Isidora Radulov

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” from Timisoara, Aradului Street No. 119, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: bioactives; innovative extraction techniques; plant nutrition; alternative fertilizers
Dr. Adina Berbecea

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” from Timisoara, Aradului Street No. 119, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: biocompounds; soil health; sustainable crop; waste reuse; antioxidants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Amidst global challenges like climate change, soil degradation, and rising food demand, sustainable agriculture is more crucial than ever. Natural bioactives derived from plants, microorganisms, and other natural sources are vital for enhancing crop resilience and productivity. These compounds, including phytohormones, antioxidants, and antimicrobial agents, stimulate plant growth, improve stress tolerance, and protect against pests and diseases. By leveraging the synergistic effects of bioactives, we can reduce reliance on synthetic chemicals, promoting a more eco-friendly and sustainable agricultural approach. There has been a significant push towards sustainably sourced bioactives, utilizing by-products and waste materials from the food industry. This not only reduces waste, but also provides a cost-effective source of valuable bioactive compounds. Innovative methods like supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) are gaining popularity. These eco-friendly techniques efficiently recover bioactive compounds from various sources, including agro-industrial and marine food waste. These trends highlight the dynamic and evolving nature of bioactive research, emphasizing sustainability, health benefits, and innovative extraction methods. By harnessing these approaches, we aim to enhance crop productivity, improve soil health, and reduce the environmental impact of agricultural practices. This Special Issue of Plants offers valuable insights and practical solutions for advancing sustainable agricultural systems.

2025/02/20 02:45:55

2025/02/20 02:50:44

2025/02/20 02:55:15

Prof. Dr. Isidora Radulov
Dr. Adina Berbecea
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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • natural bioactives
  • advanced fertilization
  • plant resilience
  • innovative extraction techniques
  • phytohormones
  • antioxidants
  • soil health

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

23 pages, 5474 KB  
Article
Phenolic Constituents Drive Antimicrobial and Antibiotic-Enhancing Activities of Cannabis sativa Seed Extracts Obtained by Two Extraction Methods
by Doris Floares (Oarga), Diana Obistioiu, Anca Hulea, Ersilia Alexa, Marinel Nicolae Horablaga, Adina Berbecea, Florin Crista, Cristina Dehelean and Isidora Radulov
Plants 2026, 15(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010027 - 21 Dec 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1521
Abstract
Hemp seeds (Cannabis sativa L.) are a rich source of phenolic compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial potential. Still, their genotype-dependent variability and ability to enhance antibiotic efficacy remain insufficiently explored. This study compared three Romanian hemp seed cultivars (Lovrin 110, Silvana, and [...] Read more.
Hemp seeds (Cannabis sativa L.) are a rich source of phenolic compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial potential. Still, their genotype-dependent variability and ability to enhance antibiotic efficacy remain insufficiently explored. This study compared three Romanian hemp seed cultivars (Lovrin 110, Silvana, and LV 585) extracted by conventional hydroalcoholic extraction (CE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) to evaluate their phenolic composition, antimicrobial effects, and synergistic interactions with amoxicillin and miconazole. HPLC identified genotype- and method-dependent differences, with UAE extracts showing substantially higher levels of epicatechin, quercetin, rosmarinic acid, resveratrol, and ferulic acid. These patterns showed stronger antimicrobial inhibition against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts, confirmed by MIC, fold-reduction, and percent enhancement assays. The most pronounced synergy occurred in Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Candida albicans. PCA revealed two dominant phenolic-activity axes: a rosmarinic/resveratrol/ferulic axis associated with potent inhibition in Escherichia coli and C. albicans, and a quercetin-driven axis linked to Gram-positive bacteria. Overall, UAE extracts displayed superior phenolic enrichment and bioactivity, demonstrating that specific phenolic structures—not total phenolic content—govern antimicrobial performance and antibiotic-enhancing potential in hemp seed extracts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Agriculture: Natural Bioactives and Advanced Fertilization)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 12334 KB  
Article
Bioponics in Tomato Cultivation Toward Sustainable Farming: Evaluation of a Circular Tri-Trophic System Incorporating Aquaponics and Insects
by Anastasia Mourantian, Michalis Chatzinikolaou, Maria Feka and Efi Levizou
Plants 2025, 14(18), 2882; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14182882 - 16 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1399
Abstract
Bioponics is a promising agricultural system designed to integrate circular economy principles by recovering nutrients from organic waste. In this context we implemented a tri-trophic circular system, where insect larvae fed on crop residues and fruits were processed into insect meal for fish [...] Read more.
Bioponics is a promising agricultural system designed to integrate circular economy principles by recovering nutrients from organic waste. In this context we implemented a tri-trophic circular system, where insect larvae fed on crop residues and fruits were processed into insect meal for fish feed. The water used in fish rearing then irrigated tomato crops in an aquaponic setup, closing the nutritional loop. Tomato was cultivated in this system with the aim of thoroughly evaluating its applicability via assessing the dynamics of growth, yield, and functional responses of the crop across three treatments: coupled aquaponics (CAP), decoupled aquaponics (DCAP), and hydroponics (HP, as control). DCAP matched HP in all parameters assessed and even outperformed it in fertilizer use efficiency by 31%. In contrast, CAP showed reduced growth and yield (by 38%) and limitations in photochemical efficiency and photosynthetic performance, likely due to significant deficiencies in potassium and phosphorus (9-fold and 2-fold lower than in HP, respectively). DCAP demonstrated strong potential to achieve similar crop outcomes to conventional hydroponics with enhanced resource efficiency. Overall, adopting the DCAP variant of aquaponics in this circular nutrition system is a promising alternative to conventional hydroponics, supporting a transition toward more environmentally resilient farming practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Agriculture: Natural Bioactives and Advanced Fertilization)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop