About this Research Topic

Background

Nutrient management is a key to maintaining soil fertility, improving crop productivity and ensuring environmental sustainability. However, traditional crop and nutrient management practices have led to a deterioration of soil health and an inability to maintain optimal crop productivity and quality with the original input level, and to ensure environmental sustainability of cropping systems. This Research Topic aims to bring together cutting-edge research and practices focused on innovative approaches in nutrient management, highlighting their fundamental role in promoting and maintaining soil health while optimizing crop production and its ecosystem functions.

This Research Topic aims to engage researchers, agronomists, soil scientists, environmentalists, policymakers, and agricultural practitioners involved in advancing the understanding and implementation of effective nutrient management practices. It seeks to facilitate knowledge exchange and promote discussions on sustainable approaches to soil fertility, crop nutrition, and GHGs emission reductions. This collection will serve as a comprehensive resource for understanding the multifaceted aspects of nutrient management in the context of sustaining soil health and optimizing crop production, ensuring the sustainability of cropping systems. By presenting innovative approaches and research results, this topic aims to contribute to the development of strategies that promote sustainable agricultural practices (e.g. reducing pollution and GHGs emissions) while ensuring the long-term health and productivity of agricultural soils.

The topic addresses original research articles, reviews, case studies, and perspectives that explore various aspects of nutrient management in the context of soil health and sustainable crop production. Contributions may cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:

- Precision nutrient management: Exploration of new technologies, tools and approaches to precision agriculture for efficient and targeted distribution of nutrients to crops while minimizing environmental impact. Assessment of nutrient dynamics and use efficiency, using innovative agronomic, crop and soil modeling, remote sensing and AI assisted approaches.

- Nutrient balancing and optimization: Studies focused on optimal nutrient balancing, including the application of fertilization strategies and the use of soil and plant tests for precise nutrient application.

- Nutrient cycling and soil health: Investigations into the dynamics of nutrient cycling in different soils, emphasizing the impact of different crop and nutrient management practices on soil fertility, structure, and microbial communities.

- Sources of organic and alternative nutrients: Evaluation of organic amendments, fertilizers, biofertilizers, and alternative nutrient sources, and assessment of their effectiveness in improving soil health and sustaining crop yields.

- Nutrient management for climate resilience: Studies explaining how nutrient management practices can contribute to climate-resilient crops and soils, by considering factors such as changing climate patterns, seasonal variations, and extreme weather events and their impacts on the performance of cropping systems. And on the other hand, how these practices may allow the release of fewer pollutants and GHGs.

- Economic evaluations: Cost-benefit assessments of nutrient application and management strategies.

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

Keywords: Precision nutrient management, Modeling, Soil health, Nutrient use efficiency, Climate resilience

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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