Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Cropping Systems—2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable food production faces major challenges related to climate change, land degradation, and increasing pressure on limited natural resources. Therefore, improving soil fertility and optimizing plant nutrition are central to developing sustainable farming systems capable of meeting rising food demands while reducing the environmental impacts of agricultural production. Soil fertility refers to the availability of essential nutrients and their uptake by plants, whereas soil health expands this concept to include the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil and their interactions with plant nutrition. Both soil fertility and quality (soil health) are strongly influenced by sustainable cropping practices and should be considered beyond the goal of maximizing yields by addressing environmental protection and long-term system resilience.

The second edition of this Special Issue will bring together interdisciplinary perspectives on emerging concepts, technologies, and practices that advance soil health, soil quality, nutrient cycling, and crop nutrition across diverse cropping systems. We encourage contributions that relate to integrative strategies that combine established approaches (e.g., composting and crop rotation) with emerging innovations, such as precision nutrient management and biofertilizers. We also welcome studies that address the maintenance of healthy and fertile soils through the balanced management of physical, chemical, and biological components while improving nutrient use efficiency, environmental performance, and agricultural productivity. Submissions that consider the social, economic, and policy dimensions supporting sustainable soil and nutrient management are particularly encouraged. We welcome submissions of original research articles and comprehensive reviews exploring these innovative strategies for soil fertility management and nutrient use efficiency in sustainable crop production. Other potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Organic farming management;
• Ecologically based nutrient management strategies;
• Feedback between plant nutrition and other aspects of sustainable farming;
• Biological nutrient acquisition and plant–microbe interactions;
• Innovations in organic amendments, biofertilizers, and biofortification;
• Novel fertilizer formulations and enhanced efficiency products;
• Nutrient management modeling and impacts;
• Breeding for nutrient use efficiency and adaptations to nutrient limitations;
• Rhizosphere processes governing nutrient dynamics and acquisition;
• The integration of crops with livestock for nutrient cycling;
• Agroecological intensification and redesigning cropping systems;
• Policy, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable nutrient management;
• Life cycle assessment of nutrient flows and soil fertility practices.

We welcome submissions that report original research findings, either in the form of field studies, greenhouse experiments, modeling efforts, and synthesis/meta-analysis papers, provided that they review the important themes relevant to the scope of this Special Issue. Approaches related to multidisciplinary systems that consider interactions among biological, technological, and socioeconomic factors are especially encouraged.

Manuscript submissions will be rigorously peer-reviewed. Both empirical research articles and comprehensive review papers will be considered for publication in this Special Issue. Please use the following link for more information: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/about.

Dr. Daniel Menezes-Blackburn
Dr. Bingjie Jin
Dr. Dong-Xing Guan
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. 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.