Innovative Fertilization Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant–Soil Interactions".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 597
Special Issue Editor
Interests: vegetable crops; vegetable production systems; greenhouse and open-field systems; fertigation; root dynamics; salinity; organic fertilization and soilless cultivation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Soil degradation presents a major challenge to global agriculture, threatening long-term productivity and food security. Key factors such as erosion, compaction, loss of organic matter, salinization, and acidification are increasingly compromising soil health. It is estimated that up to 40% of arable soils are acidic and approximately 20% of irrigated land suffers from salinization. Climate change further exacerbates these issues by accelerating degradation processes and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
Although inorganic fertilizers have played a vital role in achieving high crop yields, their extensive use raises serious environmental concerns, including increased greenhouse gas emissions and a significant carbon footprint. To address these challenges, innovative fertilization strategies are needed—approaches that reduce dependency on inorganic inputs while maintaining or enhancing soil fertility and supporting sustainable crop production.
Such strategies may include the use of biofertilizers, green manures, organic amendments, circular economy principles, and agronomic practices aimed at improving nutrient use efficiency. Integrating multiple methods can enhance both adaptability and effectiveness across diverse agroecological contexts.
This Special Issue invites original research, reviews, and case studies focusing on fertilization strategies that reduce reliance on inorganic fertilizers while sustaining crop productivity and minimizing environmental impact.
Dr. Rui Manuel Almeida Machado
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
- soil fertility
- fertilization strategies
- sustainable crop production
- organic amendments
- nutrient use efficiency
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.
