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Agronomy
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Advances Towards Innovative Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture
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Advances Towards Innovative Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Innovative Cropping Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2025) | Viewed by 3112

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Douglas Guelfi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil Science, Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, MG, Brazil
Interests: fertilizer technologies; slow- and controlled-release fertilizers; stabilized fertilizers; greenhouse gas emissions; fertilizers carbon footprint; nutrient use efficiency; soil fertility; nitrogen cycling in agroecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Heitor Cantarella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), Soils and Environmental Resources Center, Campinas, SP, Brazil
Interests: soil fertility management and crop nutrition; nitrogen cycling in agroecosystems; fertilizers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fertilizers support world food production and soil health around the world. This Special Issue will address scientific research focused on advances, innovations, and technologies to improve fertilizer use efficiency in sustainable food production systems. Fertilizer innovations and their mechanisms promote improvements in nutrient budgets in soil and balanced crop nutrition, decreasing yield gaps. We invite the submission of manuscripts on slow- and controlled-release fertilizers, nitrification, urease inhibitors and biodegradable polymer coatings for fertilizers, which are all innovative technologies addressing improvements in nutrient management in agricultural soil. We also encourage contributions that investigate carbon footprint, nitrous oxide and ammonia mitigation practices. Innovations related to phosphate, potassium, sulfur, magnesium, calcium and micronutrient fertilizers are also important topics for consideration, alongside new findings related to interfaces among organic matter and microorganisms, biostimulants and nutrients in organo-mineral fertilizers. It is in light of such rapid advances in fertilizer innovations that we have created this Special Issue. Therefore, we kindly invite authors to submit original research or systematic reviews related to cutting-edge fertilizer technologies.

Prof. Dr. Douglas Guelfi
Dr. Heitor Cantarella
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. Agronomy 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

  • sustainable agriculture
  • fertilizer technologies
  • nutrient use efficiency
  • innovations

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1284 KB  
Article
Phosphorus Use Efficiency and Canopy Spectral Reflectance of Alfalfa Fertilized with Aquaculture-Derived Bio-Based Fertilizers in an Andisol
by Luis Inostroza, Juan Hirzel, Francisco Salazar, Hamza Armghan Noushahi and Gerson Monzón
Agronomy 2026, 16(3), 348; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16030348 - 30 Jan 2026
Viewed by 468
Abstract
Aquaculture-derived bio-based fertilizers (BBFs) represent a promising alternative to inorganic P in Andisols for sustainable alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivation. However, their agronomic performance and physiological impacts on alfalfa remain poorly understood. This study evaluated three BBFs, consisting of composted fish sludge [...] Read more.
Aquaculture-derived bio-based fertilizers (BBFs) represent a promising alternative to inorganic P in Andisols for sustainable alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivation. However, their agronomic performance and physiological impacts on alfalfa remain poorly understood. This study evaluated three BBFs, consisting of composted fish sludge (CFS), dried fish sludge (DFS), and fish bone meal (FBM), in comparison with inorganic P (InoP) and a zero-P control (NoP). Forage yield (FY), P use efficiency (PUE), spectral canopy indices, and leaf gas-exchange parameters were assessed across five harvests in a Mediterranean environment. Results showed significant differences among fertilizer types driven by their distinct P release dynamics. DFS consistently maintained stable leaf P concentrations, enhanced PUE and P uptake, and lead to higher FY, improved photosynthesis, and water use efficiency (WUE). It performs statistically similarly to the inorganic P. In contrast, CFS released P too slowly, which in turn lowered leaf P concentration, P uptake, and PUE, resulting in the lowest photosynthesis and WUE. FBM produced intermediate responses but maintained WUE comparable to inorganic fertilizer. Gas-exchange measurements demonstrated that photosynthesis ranged from 9.01 to 16.7 μmol m−2 s−1, with no significant difference between DFS and inorganic P. Transpiration remained stable across BBF treatments (mean 3.2 mmol m−2 s−1). The canopy reflectance indices such as RARS, Gite2, and PSSR proved to be strong predictors of both P concentration and PUE in alfalfa. In conclusion, DFS emerged as the most efficient BBF that matched inorganic fertilizer to enhance P nutrition, plant physiology, and FY. These findings highlight the potential of aquaculture-derived BBFs, particularly DFS as sustainable P sources for improving alfalfa productivity while reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances Towards Innovative Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture)
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27 pages, 1002 KB  
Article
Recycled Phosphorus from Biomass Ash: Fertilizer Performance Across Crops
by Philipp Koal, Birgitta Putzenlechner and Bettina Eichler-Löbermann
Agronomy 2026, 16(2), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16020224 - 16 Jan 2026
Viewed by 566
Abstract
Biomass ashes represent a promising secondary phosphorus (P) source, yet their agronomic performance depends on feedstock origin, processing, and crop-specific interactions. This study evaluated the P fertilizer efficacy of raw and processed biomass ashes derived from cereal straw and paludiculture biomass, compared with [...] Read more.
Biomass ashes represent a promising secondary phosphorus (P) source, yet their agronomic performance depends on feedstock origin, processing, and crop-specific interactions. This study evaluated the P fertilizer efficacy of raw and processed biomass ashes derived from cereal straw and paludiculture biomass, compared with triple superphosphate (TSP), using two sequential greenhouse pot experiments with maize, amaranth, and blue lupine. Processed ash products, particularly compacted ashes and ash–straw mixtures, increased plant biomass and P uptake to levels comparable to or exceeding those achieved with TSP. The cumulative P uptake of the three crops reached up to 250–300 mg pot−1 under processed ash treatments, exceeding the uptake under TSP (≈150–180 mg pot−1) and the unfertilized control (≤80 mg pot−1). However, crop-specific differences were observed: amaranth benefited most from the ash products, whereas combinations of ashes with lupine were less favorable. Beside acting as a P source, processed biomass ashes also increased soil pH by about 0.5 units, improved soil aggregation by increasing macroaggregates (>2 mm) to up to 20% compared with only about 7% in TSP and the control, and promoted favorable shifts in Hedley P fractions. Soil enzyme activities were governed primarily by crop species, with amaranth stimulating phosphatase activity the most. Further research should aim to refine crop-specific application strategies for processed biomass ashes and to elucidate their impacts on soil structure and P dynamics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances Towards Innovative Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture)
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19 pages, 7384 KB  
Article
Lignin-Modified Petrochemical-Source Polyester Polyurethane Enhances Nutrient Release Performance of Coated Urea
by Xiaomin Hu, Baishan Liu, Siyu Chen, Qi Chen, Heping Chen, Jingjing Dong, Kexin Zhang, Junxi Wang, Min Zhang and Zhiguang Liu
Agronomy 2025, 15(9), 2030; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15092030 - 25 Aug 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1543
Abstract
The development of controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) has faced significant challenges due to high hydrophilicity and short release lifespan of bio-based materials, as well as non-renewable and high cost of polyester polyols (PPs). In this study, lignin-based polyols (LPs) and PPs were modified to [...] Read more.
The development of controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) has faced significant challenges due to high hydrophilicity and short release lifespan of bio-based materials, as well as non-renewable and high cost of polyester polyols (PPs). In this study, lignin-based polyols (LPs) and PPs were modified to form a cross-linked polymer film on the surface of urea through an in situ reaction. This approach effectively balanced the slow-release ability and environmental protection of controlled-release fertilizer films. A two-factor, five-level orthogonal test was designed for the mass ratio of lignin/polyester polyol and polyol/polyaryl polymethylene isocyanate (PAPI), comprising a total of 25 treatments. The results indicated that the appropriateness of lignin polyols increased the hydrogen bond content of polyurethane membrane, improved the mechanical strength of the fertilizer membrane shell, and effectively reduced friction losses during storage and transportation. Moreover, optimizing the polyol-to-PAPI ratio minimized coating porosity, produced a smoother and denser surface, and prolonged the nitrogen release period. When the lignin polyol dosage was 25% and the polyol to PAPI ratio was 1:2, the nitrogen release time of the prepared coated urea extended to 32 days, which was 3.5 times longer than that of lignin polyurethane coated urea (7 days). The incorporation of lignin and the optimal ratio of coating materials significantly improved the controlled-release efficiency of coated fertilizer, providing theoretical support for the sustainable agricultural application of biomass. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances Towards Innovative Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture)
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