Water–Fertilizer Utilization and Sustainable Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

Healthy crops can grow in suitable environmental conditions. Pollutants released into the environment by industrial and agricultural activities degrade the soil quality. On the other hand, the excessive use of fertilizers, particularly nitrogen fertilizers, causes significant environmental pollution, and the presence of excess nutrients in air and water can affect human health, the environment, and the economy. In recent years, agricultural regions around the globe have been subjected to extensive and increasing water constraints. Agriculture production is highly dependent on water and increasingly subject to water risks. Improving nutrient and water management is therefore essential to a sustainable and productive agro-food sector. Agronomic practices such as returning straw to the field, zero tillage, intercropping and crop rotation, the efficient utilization of water and fertilizers, and the addition of green manure and organic fertilizers are all conducive to improving the farmland’s ecological environment. These practices involve recycling farmland materials, improving the photosynthetic capacity of crops, and limiting the application of pesticides to control diseases, pests, and weeds. A full and comprehensive understanding of the agronomic and physiological factors affecting the optimum utilization of nutrients, as well as water management practices, is needed. In this Special Issue, we aim to exchange knowledge on any aspect related to crop photosynthetic and nutritional physiology, sustainable farming system, and water–fertilizer utilization, thus facilitating the core ideas and innovative techniques in order to improve agricultural production.

Prof. Dr. Xunbo Zhou
Guest Editor

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• water utilization
• straw management
• crop physiology
• farmland ecosystem
• water–fertilizer interaction
• irrigation and farming system
• nutrient use efficiency