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Fertilizer Management for Crop Resilience Under Abiotic Stress
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Fertilizer Management for Crop Resilience Under 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: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 2239

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lin Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Center of Technology Innovation for Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice, Sanya 572000, China
Interests: salt stress; deep placement of N fertilizer; rice yield; grain quality
Dr. Longxin He

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Soil and Fertilizer & Resources and Environment, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchang 330200, China
Interests: fragrant rice; nitrogen fertilizer; abiotic stress; soil quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on cutting-edge fertilizer management strategies that enhance crop resilience to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and nutrient-deficient soils. As climate change intensifies these challenges globally, optimizing nutrient use efficiency becomes crucial for maintaining agricultural productivity and sustainability. We invite original research, comprehensive reviews, and insightful case studies exploring innovative fertilization approaches including bio-based fertilizers, micronutrient supplementation, controlled-release formulations, and integrated nutrient management systems. Contributions should investigate how these strategies mitigate stress impacts on crop physiology, yield stability, and produce quality at molecular, physiological, and field levels. In particular, we welcome interdisciplinary studies bridging agronomic practices with molecular mechanisms, socio-economic assessments, and environmentally sustainable solutions. This collection aims to provide practical guidance for farmers, researchers, and policymakers working toward climate-smart agriculture and global food security under increasingly challenging environmental conditions.

Dr. Lin Li
Dr. Longxin He
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

  • abiotic stress tolerance
  • fertilizer management
  • climate-resilient agriculture
  • bio-based fertilizers
  • integrated nutrient management
  • saline-alkali soils

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 6654 KB  
Article
Improving Rice Root Development and Soil Health in Saline Soils: A Biochar and Microbial-Inoculated Biochar with Nitrogen Approach
by Hafiz Muhammad Mazhar Abbas, Song Li, Wentao Zhou, Haider Sultan, Mohammad Nauman Khan, Asad Shah, Ashar Tahir, Hamza Iltaf, Yixue Mu and Lixiao Nie
Plants 2026, 15(6), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15060986 - 23 Mar 2026
Viewed by 717
Abstract
This study investigated the combined effects of microbial-inoculated biochar and nitrogen (N) on rice growth and soil properties under saline conditions. A randomized complete block design with three replications was employed to evaluate three factors: (i) salinity level (non-saline, S0; saline, 0.4% NaCl, [...] Read more.
This study investigated the combined effects of microbial-inoculated biochar and nitrogen (N) on rice growth and soil properties under saline conditions. A randomized complete block design with three replications was employed to evaluate three factors: (i) salinity level (non-saline, S0; saline, 0.4% NaCl, S1), (ii) biochar type (20 t/ha BC, BF, BB, and BFB), and (iii) nitrogen application rate (60 and 120 kg ha−1). Soil physicochemical and biological properties, along with rice root development, were assessed. Salinity significantly reduced soil organic matter (OM) by 9%, nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) by 16%, ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) by 8.18%, and available phosphorus (AP) by 6.81%. Soil enzyme activities, including catalase (CAT), acid phosphatase (ACP), polyphenol oxidase (POX), and β-D-glucosidase (BG), decreased by 32.69%, 29%, 39.18%, and 19.44%, respectively, resulting in suppressed root growth compared with non-saline conditions. The combined treatment of microbial biochar (BFB) and N at 120 kg ha−1 (BFB + N120) markedly improved saline soil quality and rice root performance by maintaining a favorable K+/Na+ balance in roots. Specifically, BFB+N120 increased OM by 145% and 120% compared with N120 and BC alone, respectively, and enhanced NO3−-N, NH4+-N, and soil enzyme activities (CAT, ACP, POX, and BG). These improvements were strongly associated with enhanced root development. Under saline conditions, BFB+N120 increased root dry mass by 429% and 1185.71%, and root length by 63% and 83%, compared with N120 and BC alone, respectively, in the cultivar Jing Liang You 534. Overall, the results demonstrate that microbial-modified biochar combined with nitrogen fertilizer mitigates salt-induced soil degradation by improving physicochemical and biological properties, thereby enhancing nutrient availability, ionic homeostasis, and root growth. This study provides mechanistic insights into the combined role of microbial biochar and nitrogen in the remediation of saline soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertilizer Management for Crop Resilience Under Abiotic Stress)
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20 pages, 6716 KB  
Article
Foliar Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Enhance Rice Yield by Improving Photosynthesis, Ion Balance, and Antioxidant Defense Under Salt Stress
by Lingli Nie, Guoqiang Zhou, Yuqing Yin, Xiayu Guo, Aibin He, Shudong Li, Guoping Wu, Ruijie Zhang, Yanheng Zeng and Hongyi Chen
Plants 2026, 15(5), 826; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15050826 - 7 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1055
Abstract
Salinity stress severely limits rice productivity and grain quality worldwide. Although exogenous foliar application of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) has been reported to enhance crop stress tolerance, its regulatory roles in yield formation and grain quality in rice varieties with differing [...] Read more.
Salinity stress severely limits rice productivity and grain quality worldwide. Although exogenous foliar application of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) has been reported to enhance crop stress tolerance, its regulatory roles in yield formation and grain quality in rice varieties with differing salt tolerance are not well understood. In the present study, two contrasting rice varieties, viz., Jingliangyou 3261 (JLY3261; salt-tolerant) and Yuxiangyouzhan (YXYZ; salt-sensitive), were applied with five nano-TiO2 foliar application treatments—viz., CK: water spray; Ti1: 15 mg L−1; Ti2: 30 mg L−1; Ti3: 45 mg L−1; and Ti4: 60 mg L−1—at the jointing and panicle initiation stages. Plants were irrigated with 0.3% saltwater to simulate salt stress. The results showed that Ti2 and Ti3 treatments led to 8.59% and 14.80% increases in grain yield in JLY3261 and YXYZ, respectively, compared with CK. Ti2 and Ti3 treatments significantly increased the leaf area index, net photosynthetic rate, and aboveground biomass of both varieties at the heading stage. Meanwhile, the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and peroxidase, as well as nitrogen metabolism enzymes including nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase, were improved with a substantial reduction in malondialdehyde contents. Application of nano-TiO2 upregulated the expression of ion transport-related genes such as OsSOSs, OsNHXs and OsHKTs, thus improving leaf K+ accumulation and reducing Na+ content to optimize the K+/Na+ ratio. In addition, Ti2 and Ti3 treatments improved the milled rice rate, head rice rate, and protein content, while they decreased the chalkiness degree of both rice cultivars. Principal component analysis showed that the aboveground biomass at the heading stage was a core evaluation index for both varieties. Overall, foliar application of 30–45 mg L−1 nano-TiO2 was found to be effective regarding growth and yield improvement in rice under saline conditions. This study provides a theoretical basis for agro-management strategies for rice cultivation in saline–alkaline soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertilizer Management for Crop Resilience Under Abiotic Stress)
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