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Forage and Sustainable Agriculture
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Forage and Sustainable Agriculture

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Physiology and Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 2538

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Peizhi Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: forage stress biology; forage germplasm resources and genetic breeding; forage genome and gene function; medicinal plant cultivation, development, and utilization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wei Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: grassland ecosystem restoration effect and mechanism; ecosystem carbon nitrogen water cycle and its coupling process; biodiversity and ecosystem service function
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Qian Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Grassland Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urümqi 830052, China
Interests: forage genetics and breeding

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forages are fundamental to livestock production, significantly lowering costs by reducing the need for harvested feed. Beyond economics, they are vital for ecological health, as perennial grasslands represent a major global carbon sink, enhancing soil organic carbon stocks and helping to offset CO2 emissions. Modern forage research focuses on management practices that boost productivity while reducing the carbon footprint of agriculture. This includes improving forage nutritive value to enhance animal performance and mitigate methane emissions, as well as integrating legumes and cover crops into rotations to boost soil fertility, reduce erosion, and improve water infiltration.

This Special Issue, titled “Forage and Sustainable Agriculture", highlights the critical role of forages in building resilient and environmentally sound agricultural systems. We invite gather cutting-edge contributions on improved management strategies, technological innovations, and the multi-faceted impacts of forages on plant, animal, soil, and environmental health. Researchers are invited to submit original work and reviews that explore the potential of forages to support a more sustainable agricultural future.

Prof. Dr. Peizhi Yang
Dr. Wei Zhang
Dr. Qian Li
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-blind 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

  • forage crops
  • forage management
  • legumes
  • sustainable agriculture

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3688 KB  
Article
Transcriptomic Profiling Reveals the Seed Aging Process in Elymus sibiricus, a Dominant Alpine Grass
by Ming Sun, Li Wang, Xinchao Sun, Jiajun Yan, Wenlong Gou, Jing Liu, Chanjuan Wu, Yilin He, Guo Yue, Dongbin Li, Rongxia Wang, Xiong Lei and Shiqie Bai
Plants 2026, 15(9), 1328; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15091328 - 27 Apr 2026
Viewed by 360
Abstract
Seed aging is a critical biological process that leads to progressive loss of seed vigor, thereby constraining germplasm conservation and agricultural productivity. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this process in grass species, we performed transcriptomic analyses to characterize regulatory networks underlying seed [...] Read more.
Seed aging is a critical biological process that leads to progressive loss of seed vigor, thereby constraining germplasm conservation and agricultural productivity. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this process in grass species, we performed transcriptomic analyses to characterize regulatory networks underlying seed aging in Elymus sibiricus, a dominant forage species on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Seeds were subjected to artificial accelerated aging (45 °C, 80% relative humidity, 1–6 days), followed by physiological evaluation and RNA sequencing. Seed vigor and germination percentage declined markedly with aging, accompanied by extensive transcriptional reprogramming. Integrative analyses identified pyruvate metabolism, MAPK signaling, and peroxisome function as key processes associated with vigor loss during late-stage aging. WGCNA further revealed that genes encoding heat shock proteins and glutathione metabolism-related enzymes were co-localized within the same module, suggesting a possible synergistic role in preserving seed viability during aging. In addition, WRKY24, ARF9, and ARF19 were identified as candidate hub transcription factors. WRKY24 may contribute to aging by modulating antioxidant defense-related genes (e.g., TRX1 and NRPC1), while ARF9 and ARF19 may regulate ROS homeostasis through predicted downstream targets, including FQR1, PER2, MAO1B, ANN5, and MT2B. Together, these findings support a hypothetical regulatory model in which WRKY and ARF transcription factors coordinate redox homeostasis and hormone signaling to regulate seed longevity in E. sibiricus. This study provides a systems-level framework for understanding seed aging in perennial grasses and identifies potential genetic targets for improving seed storability, with implications for germplasm conservation and alpine grassland sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forage and Sustainable Agriculture)
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15 pages, 1454 KB  
Article
Moderate Grazing Promotes Fine Root Production in a Northern Saline–Alkaline Grassland
by Meng Cui, Congcong Zheng, Huajie Diao and Yingzhi Gao
Plants 2026, 15(9), 1324; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15091324 - 26 Apr 2026
Viewed by 205
Abstract
Grasslands are key terrestrial ecosystems in which root dynamics regulate soil carbon and nutrient cycling. Although grazing constitutes the predominant land use practice in grassland ecosystems, its impacts on root dynamics remain inadequately elucidated, particularly across a gradient of grazing intensities. In this [...] Read more.
Grasslands are key terrestrial ecosystems in which root dynamics regulate soil carbon and nutrient cycling. Although grazing constitutes the predominant land use practice in grassland ecosystems, its impacts on root dynamics remain inadequately elucidated, particularly across a gradient of grazing intensities. In this two-year field experiment, an improved root window method was applied to investigate the effects of four grazing intensities (no grazing, light grazing, moderate grazing, heavy grazing) on root production, root mortality, root standing crop, root turnover, and root lifespan in the saline–alkaline grassland in northern China. The results showed that root production and root mortality exhibited pronounced seasonal dynamics, with peaks in June and August for root production and in September for root mortality. These seasonal patterns were primarily driven by precipitation and were not significantly altered by grazing intensity. Moderate grazing significantly increased root production by 51.2% through changes in soil bulk density and selective livestock grazing, supporting the intermediate disturbance hypothesis. Root turnover was predominantly shaped by plant community composition and interannual precipitation, as opposed to grazing intensity. Overall, these findings indicate that moderate grazing promotes root growth, providing important insights into the sustainable utilization of saline–alkali grassland resources. In other words, appropriate measures must be taken to effectively manage grazing activities in the fragile saline–alkaline grasslands of northern China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forage and Sustainable Agriculture)
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17 pages, 7121 KB  
Article
Habitat Filtering Shapes Root Endophytic Microbiome Assembly and Its Association with Fruit Quality in Lycium ruthenicum from the Tarim Basin
by Aihua Liang, Fengjiao Wang, Tianyi Liu, Yuting Liao and Zixin Mu
Plants 2026, 15(6), 979; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15060979 - 22 Mar 2026
Viewed by 462
Abstract
Lycium ruthenicum is a typical desert halophyte with strong stress resistance and high medicinal value in the Tarim Basin. Root endophytic microbes play critical roles in host adaptation, nutrient cycling, and secondary metabolite accumulation. To clarify the diversity patterns of root endophytic bacteria [...] Read more.
Lycium ruthenicum is a typical desert halophyte with strong stress resistance and high medicinal value in the Tarim Basin. Root endophytic microbes play critical roles in host adaptation, nutrient cycling, and secondary metabolite accumulation. To clarify the diversity patterns of root endophytic bacteria and fungi and their relationships with environmental factors and fruit quality, high-throughput sequencing was used to analyze microbial community characteristics of Lycium ruthenicum collected from different habitats in the Tarim Basin. The results showed that rarefaction curves of alpha diversity indices (Chao1, Shannon, Pielou_e) tended to be saturated, indicating sufficient sequencing depth. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) revealed significant habitat-driven differentiation in both bacterial and fungal community structures. Community composition analysis showed that the relative abundance of dominant taxa at the phylum and genus levels differed significantly among sampling sites. Co-occurrence network analysis indicated that bacterial and fungal networks exhibited high modularity and were dominated by positive synergistic interactions, with Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Sphingomonas, Alternaria, and Fusarium as key hub genera. Moreover, root endophytic communities were significantly correlated with climatic variables, soil physicochemical properties, and fruit quality traits, including anthocyanin (AC), proanthocyanidin (PA), total flavonoids (TF), and total polyphenols (TP). Several keystone microbial genera were closely associated with the accumulation of functional metabolites in fruits. This study reveals the biogeographic distribution and co-occurrence characteristics of root endophytes in Lycium ruthenicum and provides a theoretical basis for understanding microbe–host–environment interactions and the quality improvement of desert medicinal plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forage and Sustainable Agriculture)
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17 pages, 7234 KB  
Article
Breeding of a Multifoliolate Alfalfa Population Using CRISPR/Cas9-Generated Mutants and Evaluation of Agronomic Traits and Nutritive Value
by Yuxin Wang, Yiyu Wang, Jianglei Wang, Lan Mu, Weiliang Kou, Shuifen Huang, Shaoli Zhou, Ming Cai, Jianghua Chen and Haitao Chen
Plants 2026, 15(6), 953; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15060953 - 19 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a major forage legume worldwide. Developing multifoliolate germplasm has been explored as a strategy to improve forage nutritive value and support more efficient forage livestock production. Here, we developed a multifoliolate population, SJ-ML, using CRISPR/Cas9-generated palmate-like pentafoliate [...] Read more.
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a major forage legume worldwide. Developing multifoliolate germplasm has been explored as a strategy to improve forage nutritive value and support more efficient forage livestock production. Here, we developed a multifoliolate population, SJ-ML, using CRISPR/Cas9-generated palmate-like pentafoliate mutants as donor parents. Molecular and phenotypic analyses indicated a stable inheritance of the edited alleles and the multifoliolate trait in SJ-ML. SJ-ML was evaluated under solar greenhouse and field conditions, with the recipient cultivar ‘Aohan’ as the greenhouse control and the commercial cultivars ‘Galaxie-Max’ and ‘GN5’ as field controls. SJ-ML showed a greater leaf area and a higher leaf-to-stem ratio, without reductions in yield or plant height. Nutritive analyses indicated that SJ-ML had a higher crude protein content, relative feed value, digestible dry matter, and dry matter intake, while acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and lignin were lower than those of the controls. Across regrowth stages, SJ-ML generally maintained a higher nutritive value than controls. These results support SJ-ML as a multifoliolate germplasm resource for improving nutritive value without a trade-off in agronomic traits, with potential relevance for sustainable agriculture through enhanced forage protein value and a reduced reliance on supplemental protein in some ration contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forage and Sustainable Agriculture)
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