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Fertilizer and Abiotic Stress
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Fertilizer and Abiotic Stress

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 July 2025 | Viewed by 3158

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Zhaowen Mo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Crop Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Interests: environmental effects on crop growth and production; crop physiology and ecology; crop cultivation and management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on "Fertilizer and Abiotic Stress" is designed to explore the intricate relationship between fertilizer application and plant responses to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and nutrient deficiencies. This issue will delve into the latest research on fertilizer management strategies that can mitigate the negative impacts of abiotic stress on crop productivity. We aim to publish studies that investigate the effects of different fertilizer types, rates, and application methods on plant stress tolerance and yield. Additionally, we welcome submissions that address the role of soil amendments, nutrient management, and the use of biostimulants in enhancing plant resilience. This issue will also consider the environmental implications of fertilizer use, including nutrient leaching and greenhouse gas emissions, and how sustainable practices can be integrated into modern agricultural systems. By fostering a comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions between fertilizers and abiotic stress, this Special Issue seeks to contribute to the development of more sustainable and efficient agricultural practices.

Dr. Zhaowen Mo
Guest Editor

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. 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

  • fertilizer management
  • abiotic stress
  • plant stress tolerance
  • nutrient use efficiency
  • soil amendments
  • drought tolerance
  • salinity stress

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 3791 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Growth Performance of Nile and Red Tilapia and Its Influence on Morphological Growth and Yield of Intercropped Wheat and Sugar Beet Under a Biosaline Integrated Aquaculture–Agriculture System
by Khaled Madkour, Fahad Kimera, Muziri Mugwanya, Rafat A. Eissa, Sameh Nasr-Eldahan, Kholoud Aref, Walaa Ahmed, Eman Farouk, Mahmoud A. O. Dawood, Yasmine Abdelmaksoud, Mohamed F. Abdelkader and Hani Sewilam
Plants 2025, 14(9), 1346; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091346 - 29 Apr 2025
Viewed by 391
Abstract
Integrated aquaculture–agriculture systems (IAASs) offer a sustainable approach to mitigating soil salinity by utilizing aquaculture effluents for irrigation. This study evaluates the growth performance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) under varying salinity conditions and investigates [...] Read more.
Integrated aquaculture–agriculture systems (IAASs) offer a sustainable approach to mitigating soil salinity by utilizing aquaculture effluents for irrigation. This study evaluates the growth performance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) under varying salinity conditions and investigates their effluents on intercropped wheat and sugar beet. A field experiment was conducted using a randomized block design with seven treatments: control (chemical fertilizers dissolved in freshwater) and brackish water effluents from Nile tilapia and red tilapia at salinities of 5 ppt and 10 ppt as monocultures or mixed polycultures. Fish growth parameters were assessed, while wheat and sugar beet morphological and yield traits were monitored. Statistical analyses, including correlation and principal component analysis, were performed. Red tilapia outperformed Nile tilapia at 10 ppt salinity, achieving the highest final weight (174.52 ± 0.01 g/fish) and weight gain (165.78 ± 0.01 g/fish), while the mixed polyculture at 10 ppt exhibited optimal feed conversion (FCR: 1.32 ± 0.01). Wheat growth and yield traits (plant height, stalk diameter, and panicle weight) declined significantly under salinity stress, with 10 ppt treatments reducing plant height by ~57% compared to the control. Conversely, sugar beet demonstrated resilience, with total soluble solids (TSS) increasing by 20–30% under salinity. The mixed effluent partially mitigated salinity effects on wheat at 5 ppt but not at 10 ppt. This study highlights the potential of IAAS in saline environments, demonstrating red tilapia’s adaptability and sugar beet’s resilience to salinity stress. In contrast, wheat suffered significant reductions in growth and yield. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertilizer and Abiotic Stress)
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21 pages, 5518 KiB  
Article
Soil Amendments and Slow-Release Urea Improved Growth, Physiological Characteristics, and Yield of Salt-Tolerant Rice Under Salt Stress Conditions
by Rongyi Li, Xiayu Guo, Yucheng Qi, Yuyuan Wang, Jianbo Wang, Pengfei Zhang, Shenghai Cheng, Wenli He, Tingcheng Zhao, Yusheng Li, Lin Li, Junchao Ji, Aibin He and Zhiyong Ai
Plants 2025, 14(4), 543; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14040543 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 699
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the effects of different soil amendments coupled with nitrogen fertilizer on the morpho-physiological characteristics and yield of salt-tolerant rice under saline conditions. The soil amendments, i.e., S1: zeolite amendment, S2: coconut coir amendment, S3: humic acid amendment, [...] Read more.
The present study aimed to investigate the effects of different soil amendments coupled with nitrogen fertilizer on the morpho-physiological characteristics and yield of salt-tolerant rice under saline conditions. The soil amendments, i.e., S1: zeolite amendment, S2: coconut coir amendment, S3: humic acid amendment, and S0: no amendment, and fertilizer treatments, i.e., N1: urea, N2: slow-release urea, and N0: no N fertilizer, were kept in main plots and sub-plots, respectively, in a split-plot design. The salt-tolerant variety ‘Shuangliangyou 138’ was exposed to 0.3% salt irrigation water. The results showed that during the entire growth period, compared to S0, the S1 and S3 treatments increased the SPAD values by an average of 6.3%and 5.5%, respectively, the leaf area index by an average of 24.5% and 19.8%, the canopy interception rate by an average of 11.5% and 4.1%, and the aboveground biomass by an average of 36.8% and 13.9%, respectively. Moreover, under S1 and S3 conditions, the tiller number per square meter, leaf water potential, leaf water content, and chlorophyll contents were also improved under the slow-release urea than urea. Moreover, slow-release urea promoted root vitality and nutrient absorption as well as enhanced the activity of antioxidant and nitrogen metabolism enzymes than urea under the S1 and S3 conditions. In sum, the rational application of soil amendments and slow-release urea could improve the rice productivity on saline-alkali land. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertilizer and Abiotic Stress)
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21 pages, 2975 KiB  
Article
Patterns and Mechanisms of Legume Responses to Nitrogen Enrichment: A Global Meta-Analysis
by Juan Tang, Wei Li, Ting Wei, Ruilong Huang and Zhuanfei Zeng
Plants 2024, 13(22), 3244; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13223244 - 19 Nov 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1514
Abstract
Nitrogen (N), while the most abundant element in the atmosphere, is an essential soil nutrient that limits plant growth. Leguminous plants naturally possess the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen through symbiotic relationships with rhizobia in their root nodules. However, the widespread use of [...] Read more.
Nitrogen (N), while the most abundant element in the atmosphere, is an essential soil nutrient that limits plant growth. Leguminous plants naturally possess the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen through symbiotic relationships with rhizobia in their root nodules. However, the widespread use of synthetic N fertilizers in modern agriculture has led to N enrichment in soils, causing complex and profound effects on legumes. Amid ongoing debates about how leguminous plants respond to N enrichment, the present study compiles 2174 data points from 162 peer-reviewed articles to analyze the impacts and underlying mechanisms of N enrichment on legumes. The findings reveal that N enrichment significantly increases total legume biomass by 30.9% and N content in plant tissues by 13.2% globally. However, N enrichment also leads to notable reductions, including a 5.8% decrease in root-to-shoot ratio, a 21.2% decline in nodule number, a 29.3% reduction in nodule weight, and a 27.1% decrease in the percentage of plant N derived from N2 fixation (%Ndfa). Legume growth traits and N2-fixing capability in response to N enrichment are primarily regulated by climatic factors, such as mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP), as well as the aridity index (AI) and N fertilizer application rates. Correlation analyses show that plant biomass is positively correlated with MAT, and tissue N content also exhibits a positive correlation with MAT. In contrast, nodule numbers and tissue N content are negatively correlated with N fertilizer application rates, whereas %Ndfa shows a positive correlation with AI and MAP. Under low N addition, the increase in total biomass in response to N enrichment is twice as large as that observed under high N addition. Furthermore, regions at lower elevations with abundant hydrothermal resources are especially favorable for total biomass accumulation, indicating that the responses of legumes to N enrichment are habitat-specific. These results provide scientific evidence for the mechanisms underlying legume responses to N enrichment and offer valuable insights and theoretical references for the conservation and management of legumes in the context of global climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertilizer and Abiotic Stress)
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Review

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34 pages, 1492 KiB  
Review
Toward Low-Emission Agriculture: Synergistic Contribution of Inorganic Nitrogen and Organic Fertilizers to GHG Emissions and Strategies for Mitigation
by Shahzad Haider, Jiajie Song, Jinze Bai, Xing Wang, Guangxin Ren, Yuxin Bai, Yuming Huang, Tahir Shah and Yongzhong Feng
Plants 2025, 14(10), 1551; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14101551 - 21 May 2025
Viewed by 141
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) and organic-source fertilizers in agriculture are important to sustain crop production for feeding the growing global population. However, their use can result in significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide [...] Read more.
Nitrogen (N) and organic-source fertilizers in agriculture are important to sustain crop production for feeding the growing global population. However, their use can result in significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), which are important climate drivers. This review discusses the interactive effects, uncovering both additive and suppressive outcomes of emissions under various soil and climatic conditions. In addition to examining the effects of nitrogen and the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), it is crucial to comprehend the mechanisms and contributions of organic fertilizers to GHG emissions. This understanding is vital for developing mitigation strategies that effectively reduce emissions while maintaining agricultural productivity. In this review, the current knowledge is utilized for the management of nitrogen practices, such as the optimization of fertilization rates, timing, and methods of application, in terms of the nitrogen use efficiency and the related GHG emissions. Moreover, we discuss the role of organic fertilizers, including straw, manure, and biochar, as a mitigation strategy in relation to GHG emissions through soil carbon sequestration and enhanced nutrient cycling. Important strategies such as crop rotation, tillage, irrigation, organic fertilizers, and legume crops are considered as suitable approaches for minimizing emissions. Even with the progress made in mitigating fertilizer-related emissions, research gaps remain, specifically concerning the long-term effect of organic fertilizers and the interactions between microbial communities in the soil and fertilization practices. Furthermore, the differences in application practices and environmental conditions present considerable obstacles to accurate emission quantification. This review underlines the importance of conducting more thorough research on the combined application of N and organic fertilizers in multiple cropping systems to evolve region-specific mitigation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertilizer and Abiotic Stress)
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