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Crop Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 4941

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Dr. Jingguang Chen

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School of Agriculture, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
Interests: mineral nutrients; genetics; gene cloning; molecular breeding
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Dear Colleagues,

The efficient use of mineral nutrients provides national food security and high-quality agricultural products, beautifies the living environment, supports nutrient-efficient breeding, and promotes the healthy development of the fertilizer industry. However, the growth rate of crop nutrient use efficiency is much slower than that of global fertilizer use. Thus, the agricultural interface faces unprecedented challenges in terms of improving crop nutrient use efficiency. This Special Issue aims to communicate all advances and perspectives in crop nutrition research nationally and internationally. Key topics include the molecular biology and the physiological process of crop nutrition; the relationship between soil, fertilizers, and crop nutrients; the influence of plant–microbe interactions on nutrient balance; the changing rules and adjustment principles of various fertilizers in soil; the nutrition of the plant rhizosphere; fertilization and the environment; and fertilization and agricultural product quality. Innovative scientific works, new techniques and methods, communications, literature reviews, and discussions are welcome.

Dr. Jingguang Chen
Guest Editor

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Keywords

crop yield
crop nutrition
fertilizer use

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3774 KB

Open AccessArticle

Establishing Leaf Tissue Nutrient Standards and Documenting Nutrient Disorder Symptomology of Greenhouse-Grown Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)

by Danielle Clade, Patrick Veazie, Jennifer Boldt, Kristin Hicks, Christopher Currey, Nicholas Flax, Kellie Walters and Brian Whipker

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(17), 9266; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15179266 - 22 Aug 2025

Viewed by 497

Abstract

Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum L.) is a popular annual culinary herb grown for its leaves or seeds. With the increase in hydroponic herb production in controlled environments, a need exists for leaf tissue nutrient standards specific to this production system. The objective of this study was to develop comprehensive foliar mineral nutrient interpretation ranges for greenhouse-grown cilantro. Cilantro plants were grown in a hydroponic sand culture system to induce and document nutritional disorders. Plants were supplied with a modified Hoagland’s solution, which was adjusted to individually add or omit one nutrient per treatment while holding all others constant. Deficiency and toxicity symptoms were photographed, after which the plant tissue was collected to determine plant dry weight and critical tissue nutrient concentrations. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), boron (B), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) deficiencies, as well as B toxicity, were induced. Deficiencies of copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and molybdenum (Mo) were not observed during the experiment. Additional foliar tissue analysis data (n = 463) were compiled to create nutrient interpretation ranges for 12 essential elements based on a hybrid meta-analysis Sufficiency Range Approach (SRA). This approach defines ranges for deficient, low, sufficient, high, and excessive values. For each element, the optimal distribution was selected according to the lowest Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) value. A Normal distribution best represented K and S. A Gamma distribution best represented P, Ca, Mn, and Mo, whereas a Weibull distribution best represented N, Mg, B, Cu, Fe, and Zn. These interpretation ranges, along with descriptions of typical symptomology and critical tissue nutrient concentrations, provide useful tools for both diagnosing nutritional disorders and interpreting foliar nutrient analysis results of greenhouse-grown cilantro. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency)

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23 pages, 3489 KB

Open AccessArticle

Optimizing Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Yield in Winter Barley: A Three-Year Study of Fertilization Systems in Southern Germany

by Martin Mittermayer, Franz-Xaver Maidl, Joseph Donauer, Stefan Kimmelmann, Johannes Liebl and Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(1), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15010391 - 3 Jan 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1424

Abstract

Various fertilization systems have been developed to optimize nitrogen (N) application, yet their effectiveness remains a topic of debate in both science and practice. This study evaluates the effects of 28 N fertilization treatments on yield, quality, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), N surplus, and economic optima in two winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties—a multi-row and a two-row type—across a three-year field trial (2021–2023). Specifically, it compares the performance of fertilizer requirement calculations based on the German Fertilizer Application Ordinance (GFO), multispectral sensor-based fertilization systems, and fixed N input treatments. Under the trial conditions (highly productive fields without organic fertilization for decades), the GFO system consistently achieved high yields (>10 t ha⁻¹) and NUE (up to 88%) for both barley varieties, often near economically optimal N rates and with minimal N surpluses. Sensor-based systems demonstrated promising potential for yield optimization and reducing N input; however, they did not result in significantly higher yields. Further research is needed to assess the performance of these fertilization systems under different conditions, such as sandy soils in regions with early-summer droughts or in systems involving organic fertilization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency)

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19 pages, 3596 KB

Open AccessArticle

Efficiency of Biofortification with Zn and Se in Soybean: Yield and Overall Mineral Content in Plant

by Zdenko Lončarić, Ivana Varga, Franjo Nemet, Katarina Perić, Jurica Jović, Vladimir Zebec, Vladimir Ivezić, Dario Iljkić, Lucija Galić and Aleksandra Sudarić

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(23), 11349; https://doi.org/10.3390/app142311349 - 5 Dec 2024

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Abstract

Since plant’s edible parts are one of the most important sources of nutrition, agronomic biofortification plays a huge role in overcoming mineral deficiency worldwide. The field-based research trial was set up in 2 years (2020 and 2021) with seven different treatments of foliar Zn and Se biofortification: 1. control (without Se or Zn solutions); 2. Se_1 treatment: 10 g/ha Se; 3. Se_2 treatment: 20 g/ha Se; 4. Se_3 treatment: 30 g/ha Se; 5. Zn_1 treatment: 3 kg/ha Zn; 6. Zn_2 treatment: 6 kg/ha Zn; 7. Se_3 Zn_2 treatment: 30 g/ha Se + 6 kg ha Zn. There were six soybean varieties of the 00 to I maturity group (Ika, Korana, Lucija, Sonja, Sunce, and Toma) included in the study, which originated from the Agricultural Institute Osijek, Croatia. After sampling the plants at the harvest, the macro- and micronutrient status in the grain, pods, leaves, and stems were determined, as well as nutrient removal by the plant. In general, biofortification treatment has a very significant influence (p < 0.001) on both Zn and Se accumulation in soybean grain and the removal of the elements within all above-ground organs. The highest increments of Zn in the soybean grain were determined at the Zn_2 treatment, which was 43% higher than the control treatment. The Toma variety accumulates the highest Zn in the grain (61.47 mg/kg), and the Lucija variety accumulates the highest Se (1070.71 µg/kg). The Se content in the soybean grain was the highest at the Se_3 treatment, where it was 53 times higher compared to the control. The linear regression showed that for each kg Zn and g Se applied, the grain status increased by 3.18 mg/kg and 338.71 µg/kg, respectively. The highest Zn nutrient use efficiency (NUE) of foliar biofortification for grain (2.6%) and vegetative mass (4.4%) was with 3 kg/ha (Zn_1). Generally, for all the Se treatments, it was found that the seed and vegetative mass yields of 4.0 t/ha have average Se NUE, around 38%, and vegetative mass of around 6%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency)

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14 pages, 598 KB

Open AccessArticle

Using an Uptake Enhancer to Mitigate Nitrogen Leaching While Enhancing Uptake Efficiency

by Zoyolo Somi, Elmarie Kotzé and Elmarie Van der Watt

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(12), 5271; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14125271 - 18 Jun 2024

Viewed by 908

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) has the most crucial influence on raising agricultural productivity of all other plant nutrients given to crops. However, 50% of the N given to crops is dissipated to the environment globally, resulting in environmental concerns due to leaching. Current research shows that intensive agricultural production systems, which are still used in a large proportion around the world, are prone to N loss. This study aimed to investigate the effect of uptake enhancer applications on N movement in the soil profile based on 10 cm depth intervals, as well as its effects on N uptake and vegetative growth of oats at 4-week intervals over a 16-week period, using sandy soil as a growing medium. Oats were cultivated in a glasshouse setting in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) columns of 60 cm in height. Six treatments were employed at the 3rd leaf growth stage, and each was replicated four times. The experiment had a constructive and a destructive part, which was employed to monitor crop N uptake at four growth stages. Analyses of soil and plant samples were carried out in all the growth stages. The treatments containing the uptake enhancer prevented N from leaching, particularly at the top 20 cm soil depth, with impressive reductions of 194% at 0–10 cm depth and 186% at 10–20 cm depth, during the first 4 weeks after planting. The uptake enhancer also promoted early vegetative growth and crop performance with 15%. In conclusion, the study revealed that employing the uptake enhancer can improve the efficacy of N fertilizer, thereby reducing the application rate of the fertilizer in agroecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency)

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