Tropical Forages

Dear Colleagues,

Tropical forages occupy an indispensable and unique role within planetary ecosystems, fostering intricate interactions among soil, plant life, animals, the environment, and human livelihoods. The exploration of a wide range of topics including the genetic diversity, metabolomics, ecology, ecosystem services, physiology, agronomy, management, and utilization of tropical forages, offers to provide crucial insights for improving livelihoods and protecting the environment. This knowledge not only offers pathways for enhancing existing food systems but also serves as a toolkit for addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change, ecosystem depletion, food insecurity and gender dynamics.

Tropical Forages adapt to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions and this adaptability makes them invaluable to farmers. Recognizing the need for a transformative approach to improve food systems, sustainable management of forage-based systems and forage conservation and utilization practices emerge as imperative measures with potential applications in tropical regions. Departing from traditional extractive patterns that characterized the concentration and specialization of production systems in the previous century, there is a call for strategies that ensure the preservation and enhancement of ecosystem services.

In the forthcoming Special Issue of Plants, the spotlight will be on the profound relevance of tropical forages to agriculture and the environment. This focused exploration seeks to address urgent global demands by delving into research advances and innovative solutions. Through a collaborative effort within the scientific community, this Special Issue aims to not only deepen our understanding of tropical forages but also pave the way for sustainable practices that align with contemporary environmental and agricultural imperatives.

Dr. Jacobo Arango
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 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.

• tropical grasses and legumes
• agroecosystems management
• biotic and abiotic stress tolerance
• forage conservation
• forage improvement
• forage quality
• animal production
• nutrient cycling
• crop-livestock systems
• mitigation strategies