Humic Substances: Chemistry and Multidimensional Role in Agricultural Systems and Pollution Management

Dear Colleagues,

Humic substances (HSs), the sophisticated and enigmatic dark-colored heterogeneous organic mixtures omnipresent in soils, sediments, and natural waters, are structurally recalcitrant compounds primarily associated with agriculture.

Humic substances are universal amphiphiles and possess unique chelating properties with both organic and inorganic species; they regulate the bioavailability of a wide range of compounds, e.g., nutrients and pollutants; they also ameliorate soils and promote plant growth, displaying auxin-like activity and improving physiological and metabolic performance; they display electron-shuttling behavior and may act as environmental signals. Therefore, HSs have multiple essential functions in water quality improvement, soil chemistry, and sustainable agriculture. However, the elusiveness regarding the molecular structures and the multidisciplinary roles of HSs remains.

In the Special Issue “Humic Substances: Chemistry and Multidimensional Role in Agricultural Systems and Pollution Management” all scientific contributions (e.g., research papers, review articles, communications, short notes, and opinions) that provide innovative insights into the related topics are welcome, and the topics include the following:

• The structure and physicochemical properties of HSs;
• HS benefits by shifting to more sustainable agriculture;
• The impact of HSs and HS-containing materials on soils, waters, plants, crop production, and living organisms (humans, birds, animals, and fishes);
• Interactions between HSs and toxic compounds, both organic and inorganic, related to environmental health;
• Organic waste management techniques, e.g., composting and adsorption, connected to HSs’ fate.

Dr. Maria Roulia
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. Agronomy 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.

• humic substances
• humic acid
• fulvic acid
• humin
• soil
• water quality
• pollutant sequestration
• organic/inorganic nutrients
• plant growth
• waste management