Strategies to Reduce Fertilizers: How to Maintain Crop Productivity and Profitability in Agricultural Acidic Soils

Although the increased use of synthetic fertilizers has improved soil nutrient availability and crop productivity, it has also resulted in an increase in soil acidification which can be harmful to the long-term sustainability of agroecosystems. This is particularly the case for the 40% of arable lands worldwide that are naturally acid. As fertilizer prices increase, it is becoming more challenging to maintain crop productivity and profitability. Consequently, new strategies are needed to reduce fertilizer use that will help us achieve a more sustainable agriculture by promoting crops and varieties that are more resource-efficient (i.e. nutrients) and more able to adapt to specific soil conditions such as low fertility, low pH and associated aluminium and manganese toxicity. This will ensure the continued cultivation of agricultural lands, minimize fertilizer inputs, and reduce transport costs - especially in remote areas - promoting organic local amendments and strengthening resource-poor low-income family farming.

The main scope of this Research Topic is to provide a highly interdisciplinary discussion on:

• Mechanisms of soils to store nutrients

• Root phenotyping approaches to evaluate crop adaptation to low fertility soils

• New insights into aluminum stress tolerance in crops

• Advances in chemical, biological, and physical parameters in soils derived from volcanic ash

• Fertilizer management of crops based on crop nutrition diagnostics tools