About this Research Topic

Background

Diffuse water pollution from agricultural sources in the form of excessive nutrient run-off and drainage discharge is a persistent global contamination source for rural and agricultural catchment streams which affects the water quality. Surface and subsurface runoff has a complex composition including Phosphorus and Nitrogen compounds. Anthropogenic eutrophication from such nutrients is recognised as a significant global water pollution problem which is often linked with intensive agricultural practices and has a strong potential to impact the health and security of aquatic ecosystems and water supplies.

Despite significant worldwide investment in agricultural water pollution mitigation and control measures, agricultural runoff is still regarded as a major factor in water quality degradation. Environmental technological and systems innovations for excess nutrient control represent an opportunity to help move towards sustainable agricultural production and water quality protection. The conventional approach to solving this problem is currently compartmentalized but it is becoming evident due to the operational limitations (e.g., land area and appropriate hydraulic retention times for constructed wetlands) that an integrated and managed approach involving coupling source control processes, process control systems, and end treatment technology are required to achieve optimal perennial results.

This Research Topic will focus on the challenge of diffuse agricultural water pollution and the application of innovative integrated nutrient control, recovery, and recycling systems to concurrently enable more sustainable agricultural production while protecting rural water quality in agricultural catchments. The goal is to examine four inherently multidisciplinary but connected areas. Potential topics that authors can address are given below each goal.

(1) Nutrient/trace element accumulator plant species and their synergistic relationship with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and microbes to ameliorate elevated nutrient runoff such as those used in vegetative buffer strips and constructed wetlands.
• How various plant species differ in the accumulation of nutrients (particularly N and/or P) and how the activity between microbes and fungi in their root zone could stimulate further nutrient uptake to lessen excess soil nutrient loss.
• Examples of studies examining and comparing different plants and activities in their root zones for enhanced nutrient uptake in addition to their potential application to mitigate soil nutrient runoff.

(2) Recovery of elemental and/or nutrient-rich vegetation for use as biofertilizers.
• How effective is green manure and/or vegetative waste as a biofertilizer?
• Example studies of where green manure and vegetative waste might arise on a farm (i.e. harvested riparian zones) and its nutrient/elemental richness value as a biofertilizer.

(3) Innovative passive systems involving pristine or functionalized biochar for nutrient control and/or recovery in the context of use as a biofertilizer. For example,
• How efficient is biochar for nutrient sorption and subsequent use as a biofertilizer for various types of crops?
• Examples of studies where biochar was used to retain nutrients in passive systems with the potential to be later used as a biofertilizer.

(4) Investigation of the social, political, and economic contexts that facilitated agricultural practices and legacies associated with diffuse agricultural pollution to establish a better understanding of the sensibilities and hesitation surrounding mitigation measures and help design improved communication and application measures for future adoption. For example,
• How effective are agri-environmental schemes where riparian buffers or other natural solutions are fostered, and what problems or barriers are there for farmers in applying these measures?
• Examples of past methods and approaches to identify relevant factors underpinning the current challenge of high levels of diffuse agricultural water pollution.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: phytoremediation, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, vegetative buffer strip, agri-environmental scheme, nutrients, phosphorus, nitrogen, circular economy, retention, recovery, agriculture, nutrient accumulators, constructed wetland, nature based solutions, engineered solutions, water management, sustainable agricultural, climate change, bioretention, retention pond

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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