Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.7
3.3
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Sustainable Crop Productivity under Climate Change: Resilience, Nutritional Quality and...
sustainability-logo
Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Sustainable Crop Productivity under Climate Change: Resilience, Nutritional Quality and Implications for Future Management

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2025) | Viewed by 4586

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jūratė Žaltauskaitė

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, 46265 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: plant response to climate change; ecotoxicity; remediation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ensuring sustainable agriculture and global food security is one of the biggest challenges under the changing climate. The major factors limiting forage crop productivity and therefore threatening food security are extreme climate events: heat waves, droughts, floods, freezing events, cyclones, etc.

In recent years, extreme climate events have occurred at unprecedented intensity and frequency, and they are projected to further increase in number. The effects of elevated CO2 concentrations and temperatures and reduced soil water content on forage crops are well documented; however, comprehensive information on forage crops’ response to extreme climate events is severely lacking.  

This Special Issue of Sustainability encourages the submission of manuscripts targeted on-field or controlled experiments investigating the impact of extreme climate events (drought, heat wave, flooding, extreme precipitation, freezing, fire, etc.) on forage crops’ productivity. Articles addressing technological advancements in forage crop management are also welcome. High-quality original research articles, short communications or review articles addressing forage crops’ resilience, nutritional quality and management are welcome.

Dr. Jūratė Žaltauskaitė
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. 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

  • climate extremes
  • food security
  • nutritional value
  • sustainable forage crop management

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.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 7920 KiB  
Article
The Relationship Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and Forage Value of Rubus Species Collected from Türkiye’s Flora
by Gülcan Demiroğlu Topçu, Nur Koç Koyun and Ayşegül Korkmaz
Sustainability 2024, 16(21), 9278; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219278 - 25 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1067
Abstract
The increasing drought caused by climate change makes it difficult for rural areas reliant on pasture-based livestock farming to sustain their agricultural practices. Blackberries, a spreading species, have been selected as the material for this study due to their perennial shrub nature and [...] Read more.
The increasing drought caused by climate change makes it difficult for rural areas reliant on pasture-based livestock farming to sustain their agricultural practices. Blackberries, a spreading species, have been selected as the material for this study due to their perennial shrub nature and their tolerance to adverse environmental conditions. Türkiye, the gene center for blackberries, is part of the Mediterranean belt and is located at the intersection of three flora regions—Mediterranean, Euro-Siberian, and Irano-Turanian. This study aims to determine the forage value of the Rubus species and other shrub/tree species (Quercus, Pistacia, and Rosa) collected and identified from these flora regions. Furthermore, a linear regression analysis established a relationship between the forage values and the SPEI, a drought index, considering the combined effects of rainfall and temperature in the collection regions. Among the Rubus species, the highest organic matter content (887.8 g kg−1) was obtained from R. pruinosus. In comparison, the highest protein content (240.1 g kg−1) was found in cultivated blackberries in the Euro-Siberian flora region. P. lentiscus had the highest Ca content (14.4 g kg−1) and offered feed at the “Prime” level with 154 of RFV. The SPEI explained 87% of the variation in fructan, 89% in Mg, and 92% in ADF. Due to the perennial nature of the species studied, a strong relationship was found between their growth and forage values over a 48-month time scale using the SPEI. Consequently, the equations related to ADF, Mg, and fructan content obtained in this study can be recommended for woody species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Crop Productivity under Climate Change: Resilience, Nutritional Quality and Implications for Future Management)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2041 KiB  
Article
Assessment of the Response to Fertilization for the Sustainable Management of Native Grasses from Flooded Savannah Ecosystem Arauca, Colombian Orinoquia
by Arcesio Salamanca-Carreño, Otoniel Pérez-López, Mauricio Vélez-Terranova, Oscar Mauricio Vargas-Corzo, Pere M. Parés-Casanova and Andrés F. Castillo-Pérez
Sustainability 2024, 16(20), 8915; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208915 - 15 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1343
Abstract
The native grasses of the flooded savannah ecosystem are produced under natural conditions and there is little information on the productive and nutritional response to the application of fertilizers. They are proposed as a strategy for adaptation to climate change and for the [...] Read more.
The native grasses of the flooded savannah ecosystem are produced under natural conditions and there is little information on the productive and nutritional response to the application of fertilizers. They are proposed as a strategy for adaptation to climate change and for the sustainable development of livestock farming. The aim of the study was to evaluate the response to low doses of fertilization of native grasses (“bank” grasses: Paspalum plicatulum, Panicum versicolor, and Paspalum sp. “Low” grasses: Leersia hexandra and Hymenachne amplexicaulis) in flooded savannah conditions. The green forage samples were taken in a 1 m2 frame at 28-, 35-, and 42-day cutting intervals and biomass production was estimated with and without fertilization. After 35 days, the nutritional composition was analyzed by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). The effect of fertilization and the grasses × cutting interval interaction influenced (p < 0.05) green forage (GF, t/ha) and dry matter (DM, t/ha). The effect of fertilization and the grasses × fertilization interaction on the nutritional composition only influenced the content of calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) in the “low” grasses, while in the “bank” grasses, it influenced the sodium (Na) content (p < 0.05). The application of fertilizers generated significant differences in forage yield, but not in the general nutritional composition of grasses. However, some numerical variations were observed in favor of fertilized grasses. According to these results, the application of fertilizers will not be required to increase the value of the nutritional composition. Native grasses constitute an important sustainable food resource for livestock in flooded savannah ecosystems. This study constitutes the first approximation to understanding the behavior of native grasses for sustainable management in the flooded savannah ecosystem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Crop Productivity under Climate Change: Resilience, Nutritional Quality and Implications for Future Management)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1332 KiB  
Article
Influence of Cutting Intervals and Transition Periods on Chemical Composition Variability of Selected Tropical Grasses under Flooded Savanna Conditions of Arauca, Colombian Orinoquia
by Mauricio Vélez-Terranova, Arcesio Salamanca-Carreño, Oscar Mauricio Vargas-Corzo, Pere M. Parés-Casanova and Otoniel Pérez-López
Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16301; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316301 - 25 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1532
Abstract
The floodplain savannah is a tropical ecosystem that sustains grazing livestock, mainly by its grass’s diversity, of which scarce knowledge regarding the chemical composition and influencing factors. The aim was to evaluate the chemical composition variability of some native and introduced grasses grown [...] Read more.
The floodplain savannah is a tropical ecosystem that sustains grazing livestock, mainly by its grass’s diversity, of which scarce knowledge regarding the chemical composition and influencing factors. The aim was to evaluate the chemical composition variability of some native and introduced grasses grown in different physiographic positions of the floodplain savannah at transition periods and different cutting intervals. Five grasses from the “bank” (native species: Paspalum plicatulum, Axonopus compressus, Panicum versicolor, and Paspalum sp.; introduced species: Mulato I) and four from the “low” (native species: Leersia hexandra, Acroceras zizanioides, and Hymenachne amplexicaulis; introduced species: Urochloa humidicola) were sampled at 30, 40, and 50 cutting interval days during the “dry–rainy” and “rainy–dry” transition periods. The cuts were made with a 1 m2 frame to estimate forage biomass. The chemical compositions were analyzed by near-infrared spectroscopy. The influences of the cutting intervals and transition periods on chemical composition variables were evaluated through principal component analysis (PCA). Grass chemical variability was explained by eleven variables, including a digestible fraction, namely crude protein (CP), ash, ether extract (EE), total digestible nutrients (TDN), dry matter digestibility (DMD), metabolic energy (ME), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S); and a partial digestible or undigestible fraction, namely neutral detergent fiber (NDF), lignin, and hemicellulose (HC). Grasses from the “low” position or with 30 cutting interval days in the rainy–dry transition period presented the highest proportion of the digestible fraction. Introduced grasses showed reduced nutritional value from 40 days onwards, whereas the L. hexandra, H. amplexicaulis, A. zizanioides, and P. versicolor native grasses were the least affected by the studied cutting intervals and transition periods. These native grasses constitute an important sustainable food resource for livestock in the flooded savanna ecosystem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Crop Productivity under Climate Change: Resilience, Nutritional Quality and Implications for Future Management)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop