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Agriculture
Special Issues
Salinized Soil Management: Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Productivity
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Salinized Soil Management: Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Productivity

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2026) | Viewed by 3047

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhenhua Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
Interests: phytoremediation; fertilization; soil improvement; salt-affected soil reclamation; wetland
Prof. Dr. Yanchao Bai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
Interests: soil amendment; saline-alkali land; soil carbon storage; heavy metal; plant nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil salinization, driven by unsustainable irrigation, climate change, and coastal intrusion, threatens over 1 billion hectares of global agricultural land, diminishing crop yields and destabilizing ecosystems. Sustainable solutions for this challenge require a paradigm shift toward ecological strategies that restore soil health and transform salt-affected lands into productive, resilient agroecosystems. The core objective lies in advancing innovative soil management systems that harmonize ecological restoration with sustainable agricultural output, ensuring long-term food security and environmental improvement.

This Special Issue will highlight research on ecological and technological interventions for salinized soils, including, but not limited to, phytoremediation with salt-tolerant plants, microbial consortia for nutrient cycling, organic amendments to enhance soil structure, precision nutrient management, and the genomics-driven development of stress-tolerant crops. Emerging tools such as remote sensing for salinity mapping are also within the scope. We invite original research articles, reviews, and case studies that bridge soil science, agronomy, and ecology. Submissions addressing novel methodologies, large-scale restoration frameworks, or interdisciplinary approaches to salinization challenges are also encouraged.

Dr. Zhenhua Zhang
Prof. Dr. Yanchao Bai
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. Agriculture 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 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.

Keywords

  • soil salinization
  • salt stress
  • phytoremediation
  • ecological restoration
  • organic amendments
  • microbial community structure
  • biofertilizer
  • sustainable productivity

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4886 KB  
Article
Differential Pathways of Distinct Organic Amendments in Ameliorating the Root Zone Environment of Saline-Alkali Farmland: A Case Study of Straw, Biochar, and Peat
by Jinqiu Li, Xiangjie Meng and Xin Chen
Agriculture 2026, 16(7), 730; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16070730 - 26 Mar 2026
Viewed by 546
Abstract
Returning organic amendments to saline–alkali soils constitutes a key strategy for soil amelioration, as it enhances crop productivity by modulating the rhizosphere microenvironment. In this study, straw, biochar, and peat were selected as representative organic amendments, and a two-year field experiment—employing a rotational [...] Read more.
Returning organic amendments to saline–alkali soils constitutes a key strategy for soil amelioration, as it enhances crop productivity by modulating the rhizosphere microenvironment. In this study, straw, biochar, and peat were selected as representative organic amendments, and a two-year field experiment—employing a rotational cropping system of Sesbania and Triticale—was conducted to investigate their differential regulatory effects on rhizosphere properties and root development. Results demonstrated that all three amendments induced coordinated shifts in the rhizosphere “extract–microbiota–enzymes–nutrients” nexus, concomitant with significant stimulation of root growth. The hypothesized pathways through which different organic amendments improve the rhizosphere environment vary mechanistically: straw application appears to enhance alkaline phosphatase activity and enrich phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms; it is hypothesized that this promotes root growth by facilitating the mineralization of organic phosphorus. In contrast, peat amendment induces the most pronounced increases in esterase content and sucrase activity, and its growth-promoting effect is likely attributable to accelerated carbon and phosphorus cycling. Biochar, meanwhile, is associated with elevated catalase activity, improved potassium retention, and enhanced organic carbon sequestration; its beneficial function is postulated to stem from mitigation of oxidative stress. Collectively, this study provides initial evidence that distinct organic amendments modulate rhizosphere processes via divergent biochemical and microbial mechanisms—offering a theoretical foundation for their rational selection and application in saline–alkali soil remediation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Salinized Soil Management: Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Productivity)
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20 pages, 4265 KB  
Article
Soil Properties of Reclaimed Coastal Saline–Alkali Farmland in a Chinese Province: Spatial Variability and Soil Profiles
by Qinqin Sun, Chao Chen, Yutian Yao, Haicheng Wu, Mingpeng Zhang, Lei Jin, Hang Zhou, Tianzhu Meng and Hao Peng
Agriculture 2026, 16(6), 638; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16060638 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 572
Abstract
Coastal saline–alkali farmland typically experiences poor crop growth and low yields. Clarifying soil quality and identifying the primary constraining factors are crucial for improving productivity. This study systematically investigated the spatial heterogeneity and vertical distribution of soil physicochemical properties in a coastal reclamation [...] Read more.
Coastal saline–alkali farmland typically experiences poor crop growth and low yields. Clarifying soil quality and identifying the primary constraining factors are crucial for improving productivity. This study systematically investigated the spatial heterogeneity and vertical distribution of soil physicochemical properties in a coastal reclamation area using large-scale field sampling. The results revealed that the plow layer soil in the coastal reclamation zone is characterized by typical saline–alkali conditions, low fertility, and weak nutrient-holding capacity, with a pH range of 8.0 to 9.2. Over 60% of the region had soluble salt (SS) content exceeding 2.0 g/kg, and soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) ranged from 7.2 to 24.9 g/kg, 0.45 to 1.42 g/kg, and 1.4 to 15.7 cmol+/kg, respectively. Correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations between SOM and TN, available potassium (AK), and CEC, while a strong negative correlation was found between pH and AP. Vertically, the soil demonstrated a notable risk of salt efflorescence and nutrient leaching. Soil salinity and alkalinity increased with depth, while SOM, TN, available phosphorus (AP), and nitrate content decreased. In conclusion, effectively suppressing soil salinization, lowering pH, and increasing organic matter content are essential strategies for improving soil structure, enhancing nutrient retention, and boosting the quality of coastal saline–alkali farmland. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Salinized Soil Management: Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Productivity)
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25 pages, 2200 KB  
Article
Diversified Cropping Combined with Biochar Application Enhances Soil Fertility, Biodiversity, and Crop Productivity in a Coastal Saline–Alkali Soil
by Xinqi Qiu, Cong Xu, Dong Yan, Weijie Li, Junzhe Wang, Ziqi Yang, Jie Yuan, Cheng Ji, Jidong Wang and Yongchun Zhang
Agriculture 2025, 15(23), 2492; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15232492 - 30 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1109
Abstract
Conventional cereal production in coastal saline–alkali drylands is constrained by low productivity and soil degradation. While diversified cropping and biochar application have each been shown to enhance soil quality, the effects of their short-term integration into continuous cereal systems remain unclear, particularly regarding [...] Read more.
Conventional cereal production in coastal saline–alkali drylands is constrained by low productivity and soil degradation. While diversified cropping and biochar application have each been shown to enhance soil quality, the effects of their short-term integration into continuous cereal systems remain unclear, particularly regarding crop yield, soil health, and economic returns. A field experiment was conducted to compare a continuous wheat–maize rotation (W) with systems where one cycle of that was replaced by an alfalfa–sweetpotato (A) or rapeseed–soybean (R) rotation, under biochar-amended and non-amended conditions. Diversified rotations increased subsequent wheat yields by 6.6–16.2%. System A achieved 216% and 439% higher cumulative equivalent yield and economic benefit than System W, respectively. Even without biochar, A and R systems increased soil organic matter content, aggregate stability, and fungal richness by 16.3–21.0%, 20.6–26.5%, and 8.60–10.2%, respectively, compared to W. Biochar further enhanced crop yields by 6.36–16.3% and integrated fertility score by 7.78–9.01%, but its initial cost reduced profitability. Comprehensive evaluation conducted via a weighted model indicated that system A, combined with biochar, achieved the optimal balance among productivity, soil fertility, economics, and microbial diversity. These findings demonstrate that integrating “green” (diversified cropping) and “black” (biochar) strategies offers synergistic benefits for sustainable production in coastal saline–alkali drylands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Salinized Soil Management: Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Productivity)
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