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Crop Management and Sustainable Agriculture
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Crop Management and Sustainable Agriculture

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1348

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elpiniki Skoufogianni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, 38221 Volos, Greece
Interests: medicinal plants; aromatic plants; sustainable agriculture; agronomy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Aikaterini Molla

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Hellenic Republic Ministry of Rural Development and Food, Acharnon 2, 10176 Athens, Greece
Interests: soil science; contamination; heavy metals; nutrients; phytoremediation; agronomy; sustainable agriculture; agronomy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Integrated crop management is a holistic approach to agricultural production that optimizes crop yield while minimizing negative environmental impacts, and it combines various strategies to improve soil health, enhance biodiversity and reduce dependency on chemical inputs. Sustainable agriculture is a farming approach that aims to meet current food production needs without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same—it integrates the environmental, economic and social to ensure long-term agricultural viability. When integrated crop management and sustainable agriculture are used together, they create a resilient and adaptive agricultural system that balances economic profitability, environmental management and social well-being. This synergy ensures that farming remains productive and sustainable while addressing challenges such climate change, soil degradation and food security. Additionally, this synergy can promote soil conservation, biodiversity protection and the reduction of carbon emissions. The farmers benefit from higher yields and lower input costs due to efficient resource management and reduce reliance on expensive synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and review papers exploring various aspects of crop management and sustainable agriculture. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, enhanced soil health and fertility, reduced chemical dependency, biological control methods, water-saving irrigation techniques, crop rotation, precision agriculture and eco-friendly and organic farming practices. Contributions covering other relevant areas that promote sustainable agricultural practices are also highly appreciated.

Dr. Elpiniki Skoufogianni
Dr. Aikaterini Molla
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • sustainable agriculture
  • soil health
  • soil fertility
  • organic amendments
  • soil nutrient management
  • organic farming
  • biological control methods
  • precision farming
  • crop rotation
  • intercropping practices
  • climate changes effects
  • safe food supply
  • sustainable food production
  • environmental protection
  • lower input costs
  • efficiency in water management
  • biodiversity conservation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1449 KB  
Article
Eco-Friendly Chitosan–Jojoba Soil Amendments Improve Growth and Resilience of Cucumber and Suppress Root-Knot Nematodes Under Greenhouse Conditions
by Rehab Y. Ghareeb, Ahmed S. Shehata, Ahmed M. Gad, Hassan A. H. Ibrahim and Sayed Aboshosha
Sustainability 2026, 18(7), 3192; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18073192 - 24 Mar 2026
Viewed by 470
Abstract
Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita) are among the most destructive pests affecting cucumber production, causing significant reductions in plant growth and yield. This study investigated the efficacy of chitosan-based soil amendments, alone and in combination with hot or cold jojoba (Simmondsia [...] Read more.
Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita) are among the most destructive pests affecting cucumber production, causing significant reductions in plant growth and yield. This study investigated the efficacy of chitosan-based soil amendments, alone and in combination with hot or cold jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) leaf extracts and leaf powder, in suppressing nematode infestation and enhancing cucumber vegetative growth under greenhouse conditions. Treatments were evaluated for their impact on nematode reproduction, including egg masses, eggs per egg mass, second-stage juveniles (J2s), female numbers, and gall formation, as well as on plant growth parameters such as height, leaf number, and fresh and dry biomass. Chitosan alone reduced egg masses, eggs per egg mass, and J2s by 43.83%, 56.35%, and 50.63%, respectively, while hot water extract reduced them by 44.10%, 54.18%, and 50.48%. Cold extract was less effective, with reductions of 31.36%, 48.29%, and 40.31%, whereas leaf powder alone caused reductions of 44.20%, 54.60%, and 45.00%. Combined applications exhibited higher efficacy: hot extract + chitosan reduced egg masses, eggs per egg mass, and J2s by 61.64%, 59.45%, and 55.57%, leaf powder + chitosan by 64.38%, 60.70%, and 60.71%, and the triple treatment (leaf powder + chitosan + hot extract) achieved the highest suppression, reducing egg masses, eggs per egg mass, and J2s by 75.90%, 74.66%, and 69.22%, respectively. All treatments significantly enhanced cucumber growth compared with the naturally infested control. The triple treatment increased plant height by 38.5%, leaf number by 42.1%, fresh shoot biomass by 46.3%, and dry shoot biomass by 44.8%. Single treatments also improved growth, though to a lesser extent, reflecting a synergistic effect of chitosan and jojoba-derived amendments. These findings demonstrate that integrating biopolymer-based amendments with plant-derived bioactive compounds can simultaneously suppress root-knot nematode populations and promote cucumber growth. This study provides a solid basis for developing sustainable and eco-friendly integrated pest management strategies that reduce reliance on chemical nematicides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Management and Sustainable Agriculture)
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22 pages, 420 KB  
Article
Phosphorus Fertilization Improves Growth, Yield, Resource-Use Efficiency and Sustainability in Common Vetch (Vicia sativa L.) Cultivars Under Rainfed Mediterranean Conditions
by Paschalis Papakaloudis and Christos Dordas
Sustainability 2026, 18(6), 2878; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18062878 - 14 Mar 2026
Viewed by 413
Abstract
Common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) is a well-adapted winter legume in the Mediterranean area, used for both forage and grain production. Phosphorus (P) is a key nutrient influencing plant growth, development, yield, and nutritional quality. This study evaluated how phosphorus availability (0 [...] Read more.
Common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) is a well-adapted winter legume in the Mediterranean area, used for both forage and grain production. Phosphorus (P) is a key nutrient influencing plant growth, development, yield, and nutritional quality. This study evaluated how phosphorus availability (0 vs. 60 kg ha−1 P2O5) affected the growth, physiological characteristics, yield and environmental resource-use efficiency of two common vetch cultivars, BK-45 and Evinos, over two growing seasons (2020–2021 and 2021–2022). Phosphorus fertilization significantly enhanced vegetative growth, increasing plant height (37.5%) and leaf area index (57%) compared with the control. Improved physiological performance was also observed, as P application increased the chlorophyll content (SPAD) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), particularly during later growth stages. Evinos showed better growth and chlorophyll content around anthesis, whereas BK-45 retained more chlorophyll at maturity. These influences on canopy development and photosynthetic capacity translated into improved yield components, with increases in seeds per pod (40%) and pods per plant (33%), resulting in a higher seed yield (0.127 kg m−2 vs. 0.06 kg m−2 in the control). The dry biomass increased by 50%, with BK-45 showing the strongest response to P fertilization. P fertilization also improved water-use efficiency (WUE) and radiation-use efficiency (RUE), thereby promoting resource use and also the sustainability of the crop. These findings underscore that phosphorus fertilization plays a key role in improvement of common vetch seed yield, forage yield and the sustainability of the cultivars, with the interactions depending on the seasonal variation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Management and Sustainable Agriculture)
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