Innovations in Soil Fertility Improvement for Sustainable Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

Soil is the essential provider of nutrients and water for plant growth. The enhancement of soil fertility plays a pivotal role in improving crop yields and promoting agricultural sustainability. The irrational use of mineral fertilizers and intensive farming practices has had adverse effects on biodiversity, significantly deteriorating the physical and chemical properties of soils. Optimizing nutrient management (such as the utilization of organic fertilizers, biochar, and other sustainable amendments alongside a reduction in mineral fertilizer application) and implementing prudent tillage practices (including conservation tillage, straw incorporation, crop rotation, and intercropping) can effectively enhance soil fertility, improve crop quality, and facilitate agricultural sustainability.

This Special Issue focuses on the impact of various tillage and nutrient management practices on soil fertility. The issue aims to comprehensively cover interdisciplinary research from various fields such as agricultural science, soil science, and environmental science. Topics include but are not limited to conservation tillage, straw returning, crop fertilization, crop rotation and diversity, and integrated nutrient management. All types of articles, such as original research, opinions, and reviews, are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Xiaoliang Qin
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. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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.

• nutrient management
• conservation tillage
• crop rotation and intercropping
• straw return
• soil fertility
• soil nutrient turnover
• sustainable agriculture
• agroecosystem
• crop productivity