Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture is historically vital to the prosperity of civilizations and has withstood the pressure of the environment and population growth due to genetic improvement and plant management. Most agricultural crops are subject to environmental stresses such as drought and salinity. In many cases, these stresses act together, limiting crop productivity. In this view, innovative management strategies can improve the productivity of agricultural crops subjected to unfavorable environmental conditions, such as drought and salinity.

This Special Issue focuses on developing and evaluating management strategies for crops subjected to drought and salt stress. For this reason, it welcomes studies of an interdisciplinary nature from research fields related to agriculture, including horticulture, genetics, plant ecophysiology, irrigation, soils, and plant nutrition. Research articles will cover various agricultural crops and solutions for growing them under drought and salt stress conditions. Original research articles and reviews will be accepted.

Prof. Dr. Francisco Vanies Da Silva Sá
Prof. Dr. Alberto Soares De Melo
Prof. Dr. Miguel Ferreira Neto
Guest Editors

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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. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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• horticulture
• field crops
• cereal crops
• industrial crops
• plant physiology
• plant ecophysiology
• plant nutrition
• irrigation management
• plant breeding
• crosstalk stress

Title: Elicitor-driven enhancement of salt stress tolerance in arugula
Authors: Miguel Ferreira Neto
Affiliation: Universidade Federal do Semiárido, Brazil
Abstract: The possibility of using low-quality water with high concentrations of salts for irrigation is directly related to the crop's tolerance to salinity. We aimed to investigate the effects of exogenous application of organic acids on the growth, physiological responses, and yield of arugula cultivars irrigated with saline water. The experiment was conducted in a 3 x 5 randomized block design in a greenhouse. We used as the first factor three arugula cultivars: Cultivada, Gigante and Rokita. The second factor was composed of the arugula cultivars submitted to five combinations of treatments: control (0.54 dS m-1); salt stress (4.0 dS m-1); salt stress + ascorbic acid (50 µM L-1); salt stress + gib-berellic acid (50 µM L-1); and salt stress + salicylic acid (50 µM L-1). The saline water used in the treatments was desalter reject with electrical conductivity of 9.0 dS m-1 diluted with supply water up to 4 dS m-1. The exogenous application of salt stress tolerance elicitors (ascorbic acid, gibberellic acid, and salicylic acid) was performed via foliar spray on arugula cultivars. We found that the Cultivada cultivar is sensitive to irrigation with saline water of 4.0 dS m-1 and soil salinity of 6.0 dS m-1, with decreased photosynthetic activity and biomass production when irrigated with saline wa-ter of 4.0 dS m-1, however, the exogenous application of gibberellic acid (50 µM L-1) mitigated the negative effects of salt stress in this cultivar, from the increase in biomass accumulation, leaf expan-sion, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, and water use efficiency. Gigante and Rokita cultivars are tolerant to irrigation with saline water of 4.0 dS m-1 and soil salinity of 6.0 dS m-1. These findings have significant practical implications for farmers who use saline water for irrigation in arugula production.

Title: ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGUS Gigaspora albida (Gigasporaceae) NA PHYSIOLOGY, GROWTH AND NUTRITIONAL BALANCE OF CORN CREOLE (Poaceae) UNDER DIFFERENT SALT LEVELS
Authors: Nildo da Silva Dias
Affiliation: Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido
Abstract: Abstract: The reverse osmosis saline waste is a water alternative in rural areas. However, its high salinity promotes negative impacts on plants and soil. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMFs) can attenuate salt stress in plants, reducing salts' adverse effects and promoting growth improvements. The present study evaluated the attenuating effect of AMF Gigaspora albida on physiology, growth, and Na+, P, and K+ balance in native maize under saline waste dilutions. The study was carried out in a greenhouse, in a completely randomized design, in a 3 x 4 factorial scheme, with six replications. The treatments were the combination of three mycorrhizal conditions: (M1- control plants without fungal inoculum, M2- plants with fungal inoculum of G. albida, and M3- plants with fungal inoculum of G. albida, plus soil microbiota), and four electrical conductivity levels of saline waste (ECa): 0.5, 1.8, 3.1, and 4.4 dS m-1. Irrigation with saline wastewater affects the physiology of native maize. When cultivated between 1.8 and 3.1 dS m-1, maize in the M3 condition had better growth, more significant Na+ and Na+/K+ ratio reduction in the aerial part, and better accumulated more K in the tissues.

Title: Morphophysiology of soursop seedlings irrigated with fish farming effluent under NPK doses
Authors: Francisco Vanies Da Silva Sá
Affiliation: Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA)
Abstract: Soursop is a tropical fruit grown in the Brazilian semiarid region, where there are frequent problems of quantitative and qualitative scarcity of water for irrigation. The utilization of alternative water sources, such as fish farming effluent, can increase water availability; however, it poses risks due to its high salinity levels. Therefore, new management strategies need to be investigated. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the morphophysiology of soursop seedlings subjected to irrigation with saline fish farming effluent at different NPK doses. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, employing a randomized complete block design, in a 2 x 5 factorial scheme. The factors consisted of two irrigation water source (local supply water with an electrical conductivity of 0.5 dS m-1 and fish farming effluent with an electrical conductivity of 3.5 dS m-1) and five doses of NPK (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, and 125% of the fertilizer recommendation 100:300:150 mg dm-3 of the N:P2O5:K20), with four repetitions. The seedlings were grown in containers with 2 dm3 filled with sandy soil for 90 days after sowing. The seedlings were evaluated for growth, biomass accumulation, photosynthesis, NPK and sodium. The superior growth and photosynthetic performance of soursop plants irrigated with fish farming effluent are associated with their ability to maintain ionic homeostasis between sodium and potassium. Soursop seedlings respond differently to NPK fertilization when they are irrigated with low-salinity water and fish farming effluent. The recommendation for NPK fertilization for soursop seedlings irrigated with low-salinity water is 95:285:143 mg dm-3 of the N:P2O5:K20, and for soursop seedlings irrigated with fish farming effluent is 69:207:104 mg dm-3 of the N:P2O5:K20.

Title: Modulation of drought-induced stress impact in cowpea genotypes by exogenous salicylic acid application
Authors: Alberto Soares De Melo
Affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Bairro Universitário, 58429-500, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil
Abstract: Plant endogenous mechanisms are not always sufficient to mitigate drought stress, so the exogenous application of elicitors such as salicylic acid is necessary. In this study, we assessed the mitigating action of salicylic acid in cowpea genotypes under drought conditions. An experiment was conducted in a completely randomized block design, with treatments arranged in a 2×6 factorial scheme, corresponding to two cowpea genotypes (Pingo de Ouro-1-2 and BRS Paraguaçu) and six treatments of drought stress and salicylic acid (T1 = Control, T2 = drought stress (stress), T3 = stress + 0.1 mM of salicylic acid (SA), T4 = stress + 0.5 mM of SA, T5 = stress + 1.0 mM of SA, and T6 = stress + 2.0 mM of SA). Plants were evaluated for leaf area, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, proline content, the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and dry grain production. Drought stress reduces leaf area, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, and consequently, the production of both cowpea genotypes. BRS Paraguaçu growth and production outcompete Pingo de Ouro-1-2, regardless of stress condition. Exogenous application of 0.5 mM of salicylic acid in cowpea leaves improves the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the production of both genotypes. The application of 0.5 mM of salicylic acid mitigates drought stress in cowpea, and the BRS Paraguaçu genotype is more tolerant to drought stress.