Dear Colleagues,

In the past years, interest in following a healthy diet has increased, not only from a certain category of people, but from almost all humans, in order to strengthen their immune systems to resist many diseases, especially the emerging coronavirus (COVID-19). As a result, the demand for healthy and organic food has increased. To fulfill these new needs, modern fertilization programs aiming to reduce dependence on inorganic fertilizers and synthetic agrochemicals while increasing dependence on organic fertilizers has become an urgent need. Therefore, work must be conducted to find new fertilizers and/or formulas, especially those of organic origin. Recently, there has been interest in the manufacture of nutrients in the form of nanometers, as they work to increase nutrient-use efficiency and reduce the risk of environmental pollution.

The main goal of this Special Issue is to highlight recent studies on novel fertilizers/agrochemicals and their impacts on plant physiology, morphology, anatomy, and genetic variations occurring throughout plant growth and, ultimately, crop productivity and its quality as well as soil ecosystem. Research including the description of newly formulated/invented fertilizers and/or agrochemicals, particularly those of organic origin, and their influence on plant development as well as the structure and effectiveness of different bioactive components in plant, food, or feed are very important to understand and determine the potential of these fertilizers and agrochemicals on different crops. Additionally, strengthening plant development under adverse growth conditions by the application of these fertilizers throughout the entire lifecycle of crops is crucial. Studies on the enrichment of different crops by different essential microelements with health benefits throughput the biofortification process will also be included in this research topic.

This Special Issue welcomes original research, reviews, and perspectives on plant nutrition, with a focus on the anatomy, physiology, and genomic response throughout the various stages of growth and development. Studies focusing on the interaction of different nutritional elements are welcomed. The topic also includes the effect of the different macro-/microelements formulated in their nanosize in alleviating both biotic and abiotic stresses such as drought, osmotic stress, heat and cold stress, and pests, and improving plant growth, yield, and quality. Additionally, articles focusing on the effect of different fertilizers/agrochemicals on the content of bioactive components in crops/vegetables are very welcomed.

Studies designed to study the effect of different organic, bio-organic, microbial, or inorganic fertilizers, particularly including nanoparticles on plant growth and productivity, under different adverse growth conditions will be considered in this article collection.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Nevien Elhawat
Dr. Emad Maher Hafez
Guest Editors

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• plant nutrition
• abiotic stress
• bio-organic fertilizers
• nanoparticles
• compost
• rhizosphere microbes
• plant physiology
• plant biochemistry
• agrochemicals