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Sustainable Agriculture: Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management
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Sustainable Agriculture: Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil Conservation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (7 September 2023) | Viewed by 11092

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Khagendra Raj Baral

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agri-Environment Branch, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast BT9 5PX, Northern Ireland, UK
Interests: nutrient management; soil health; greenhouse gas emissions; nitrogen and carbon cycling
Dr. Yam Kanta Gaihre

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
International Fertilizer Development Center, P.O. Box 2040, Muscle Shoals, AL 35662, USA
Interests: nutrient management; fertilizers and environment; GHG emissions; C and N cycling; nitrogen-use efficiency; balanced fertilization; integrated soil fertility management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable agriculture comprises with the production of high and stable food and feed, adapting under various environmental stresses while maintaining soil health, lowering nutrient losses, and protecting the environment. A higher production of food and feed demands a higher amount of external inputs, including fertilizers. Fertilizers (inorganic or organic) supply nutrients to plants, but synchronizing the supply of nutrients with the plant’s demand via external sources is challenging. The imprecise and imbalanced application of nutrients increases the losses of nutrients into the atmosphere (soil, air and water), leading to sub-optimal crop yields and affecting soil health. Therefore, in this Special Issue we are aiming to publish the latest novel soil fertility and nutrient management research that contributes to sustainable agriculture.

We will focus on soil fertility and nutrient management from both pot and field experiments (field crops and grasslands). We also welcome intensive review and synthesis papers. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Nutrient management in field crops and grasslands;
  • Nitrogen and phosphorus cycling;
  • Fertilizers (organic inputs, inorganic fertilizers) and bio-fertilizers;
  • Greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation strategies;
  • Soil fertility management;
  • Conservation agriculture;
  • Balanced fertilization;
  • Nutrient balance;
  • Precision agriculture;
  • Organic agriculture.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Khagendra Raj Baral
Dr. Yam Kanta Gaihre
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • nutrient management in field crops and grasslands
  • nitrogen and phosphorus cycling
  • fertilizers (organic inputs, inorganic fertilizers) and bio-fertilizers
  • greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation strategies
  • soil fertility management
  • conservation agriculture
  • balanced fertilization
  • nutrient balance
  • precision agriculture
  • organic agriculture
  • fertilizer use efficiency
  • GHG emissions

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3388 KiB  
Article
Effect of Urea-Calcium Sulfate Cocrystal Nitrogen Fertilizer on Sorghum Productivity and Soil N2O Emissions
by Prakriti Bista, Mohamed Eisa, Dovilė Ragauskaitė, Sundar Sapkota, Jonas Baltrusaitis and Rajan Ghimire
Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8010; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108010 - 15 May 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3005
Abstract
Urea cocrystal materials have recently emerged as high nitrogen (N) content fertilizers with low solubility capable of minimizing N loss and improving their use efficiency. However, their effects on crop productivity and N2O emissions remain underexplored. A greenhouse study was designed [...] Read more.
Urea cocrystal materials have recently emerged as high nitrogen (N) content fertilizers with low solubility capable of minimizing N loss and improving their use efficiency. However, their effects on crop productivity and N2O emissions remain underexplored. A greenhouse study was designed to evaluate sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) yield, N uptake, and N2O emissions under six N treatments: C0 (without fertilizer), UR100 (urea), UC100 (CaSO4⋅4urea cocrystal) at 150 kg N ha−1, and CaSO4⋅4urea cocrystal at 40%, 70%, and 130% of 150 kg N ha−1 (UC40, UC70, and UC130, respectively). The results demonstrated that UR100, UC100, and UC130 had 51.4%, 87.5%, and 91.5% greater grain yields than the control. The soil nitrate and sulfur concentration, N uptake, and use efficiency were the greatest in UC130, while UR100 had significantly greater N2O loss within the first week of N application than the control and all the urea cocrystal treatments. UC130 minimized the rapid N loss in the environment as N2O emissions shortly after fertilizer application. Results of this study suggest the positive role of urea cocrystal in providing a balanced N supply and increasing crop yield in a more environmentally friendly way than urea alone. It could be good alternative fertilizer to minimize N loss as N2O emissions and significantly increase the N use efficiency in sorghum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture: Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management)
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12 pages, 1006 KiB  
Article
Mitigation of Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Rice–Wheat Cropping Systems with Sub-Surface Application of Nitrogen Fertilizer and Water-Saving Irrigation
by Yam Kanta Gaihre, Wendie D. Bible, Upendra Singh, Joaquin Sanabria and Khagendra Raj Baral
Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7530; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097530 - 4 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1646
Abstract
Management of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and irrigation can play a critical role to increase nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). However, the impacts of N application at the root zone via urea briquette deep placement (UDP) and water-saving irrigation alternate wetting and drying (AWD) on [...] Read more.
Management of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and irrigation can play a critical role to increase nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). However, the impacts of N application at the root zone via urea briquette deep placement (UDP) and water-saving irrigation alternate wetting and drying (AWD) on N2O emissions are not well-understood. A greenhouse study was conducted to investigate the impacts of UDP on N2O emissions, NUE, and grain yields of rice and wheat compared with broadcast prilled urea (PU). For rice, the effect of UDP was evaluated under continuous flooding (CF) and AWD, while the control (no N) and PU were tested only under CF. In rice, UDP under CF irrigation produced similar emissions to PU-CF, but UDP under AWD irrigation increased emissions by 4.5-fold compared with UDP under CF. UDP under CF irrigation increased (p < 0.05) rice grain yields and N recovery efficiency (RE) by 26% and 124% compared with PU-CF, respectively. In wheat, UDP had no effects (p > 0.05) on emissions compared with PU. However, it produced higher wheat grain yields (9%) and RE (35%) over PU. In conclusion, UDP under CF irrigation increases the RE and grain yields of rice without increasing N2O emissions, but the yield may reduce and N2O emissions may increase under AWD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture: Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management)
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14 pages, 3274 KiB  
Article
Geospatial Visualization and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Rice Soil of a Newly Developed Industrial Zone in Bangladesh
by Mahmuda Akter, Mohammad Humayun Kabir, Mohammad Ashraful Alam, Hammadullah Al Mashuk, Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Mohammad Saiful Alam, Graham Brodie, S. M. Mofijul Islam, Yam Kanta Gaihre and Golum Kibria Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman
Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7208; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097208 - 26 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2395
Abstract
With rapid industrialization in Gazipur areas of Bangladesh, untreated industrial effluents have been polluting rice soils which could exert potential ecological risk. Therefore, four different types of industries including chemical (SL), textile and paints (MIX), dyeing (CK), and sweater and dyeing (RD) were [...] Read more.
With rapid industrialization in Gazipur areas of Bangladesh, untreated industrial effluents have been polluting rice soils which could exert potential ecological risk. Therefore, four different types of industries including chemical (SL), textile and paints (MIX), dyeing (CK), and sweater and dyeing (RD) were selected to monitor the intensity of heavy metal pollution in rice soils and ecological risk assessment. The di-acid digestion method was used for the determination of Pd, Cd, and Ni, and the DTPA extraction method was used for Fe, Zn, and Cu. ArcGIS was used to visualize the spatial patterns of heavy metal pollution, and different pollution indices were calculated to assess the ecological risk. The highest concentration (mg kg−1) of Cd (0.72), Pb (104.20), and Ni (5.02) was found in soils of the MIX industrial area. The highest concentration (mg kg−1) of Fe (147.65) and Zn (11.27) was found in the SL industry, while the highest Cu (7.67) was found in the CK industry. It was evident from the spatial distribution that the soils of paddy fields adjacent to the different industries are more contaminated than background soil. Although the potential ecological risk of heavy metal was low, different pollution indices indicated low to high pollution. Thus, the adjacent rice field soil of different industries is being contaminated by different heavy metals which may raise ecological risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture: Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management)
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14 pages, 1711 KiB  
Article
Integrated Plant Nutrient Systems Improve Rice Yields without Affecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Lowland Rice Cultivation
by S. M. Mofijul Islam, Yam Kanta Gaihre, Md. Rafiqul Islam, Amina Khatun and Aminul Islam
Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11338; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811338 - 9 Sep 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2290
Abstract
Efficient management of fertilizers and irrigation could mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase crop yields. Field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of an integrated plant nutrient system (IPNS) and water regime—alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and continuous flooding (CF)—on GHG [...] Read more.
Efficient management of fertilizers and irrigation could mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase crop yields. Field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of an integrated plant nutrient system (IPNS) and water regime—alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and continuous flooding (CF)—on GHG emissions and rice yield. Fertilizer treatments included control (no N), prilled urea (PU), urea deep placement (UDP), and IPNS (50% N from poultry litter and 50% N from PU). Gas sampling and analysis were performed using a closed-chamber technique and gas chromatography. IPNS produced significantly (p < 0.05) higher seasonal total methane (CH4) emissions (9–15%) compared to the UDP treatment, but the emissions with IPNS were similar to those of PU. IPNS had an interaction effect with the water regime on nitrogen oxide (N2O) emissions. IPNS produced more emissions than PU under AWD, but their emissions were similar under CF irrigation. IPNS produced a significantly higher total global warming potential (GWP) than UDP but a GWP similar to the PU treatment in both Aus (pre-monsoon) and Aman (wet) seasons. AWD irrigation reduced the total GWP by 8% over CF without yield reductions. IPNS significantly increased rice yields compared to broadcast PU but yields were similar to those of UDP. These findings suggest that both IPNS and UDP could be effective in increasing crop yields without increasing GHG emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture: Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management)
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