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Water–Fertilizer Utilization and Sustainable Agriculture

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 22 November 2024 | Viewed by 867

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Guest Editor
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment and Agro-Products Safety, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Interests: water-fertilizer utilization; photosynthetic physiology; crop stress; Irrigation and farming system
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Special Issue Information

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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Keywords

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

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 3731 KiB  
Article
Continuous Straw Returning Combined with Nitrogen Application Improve Soil Properties and Yield of Double Cropping Maize in Subtropical Regions
by Zhenwei Li, Kashif Khan, Li Yang, Yanqiong Pan and Xunbo Zhou
Sustainability 2024, 16(12), 5265; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16125265 - 20 Jun 2024
Viewed by 611
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the impact of straw returning (SR) combined with appropriate N application rates on soil properties and maize yield for a double cropping maize system in South China. From 2021 to 2022, a two-year field experiment was conducted (the [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate the impact of straw returning (SR) combined with appropriate N application rates on soil properties and maize yield for a double cropping maize system in South China. From 2021 to 2022, a two-year field experiment was conducted (the perennial orientation study began in 2018) with two nitrogen application rates, 0 kg ha−1 (N0) and 250 kg ha−1 (N250), under various straw treatments (SR and traditional planting). The findings revealed that SR, along with the nitrogen application of 250 kg ha−1 (N250), increased soil total nitrogen (TN), soil total phosphorous (STP), and the soil total potassium (STK) content besides soil organic carbon (SOC) and labile organic carbon (LOC); similarly, their interaction improved SOC and LOC in the 0–20 cm soil layer. In addition, within the 20–40 cm soil layer, SR and N250 also increased the soil TN, SOC, LOC, STP, and STK content. Notably, these soil properties exhibited a decrease with increasing soil depth. Furthermore, SR and N250 led to improvements in the grain yield and yield component of maize. Combining SR with N250 led to a significant 101.53% increase in SOC content from 2018 to 2022. Our research indicates that implementing N rates of 250 kg ha−1 under SR is an effective method to boost maize grain yield, enhance soil chemical characteristics, and ensure safe and productive maize cultivation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water–Fertilizer Utilization and Sustainable Agriculture)
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