Dear Colleagues,

Due to the success of the first volume of this Special Issue and the undiminished enthusiasm for this topic, we are launching its second volume.

In this volume, we focus more on soil–plant relationships under Eu- and Dysstress. We aim to specifically focus on how soil may be treated so that plants can better tolerate short-term or long-term salt and drought (water) stress. This includes stress hardening and priming. Carbon agriculture will also be considered thematically. Many countries and international organizations have also studied and discussed carbon agriculture as a crucial issue. Long-term agricultural cultivation and large-scale mechanized production have resulted in soil compaction that seriously damages crop yield and quality. The use of additive ingredients, including biochar and compost in the soil, increases the proportion of organic components in the soil. It is worth exploring the effects of changes in the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil on plant stress performance, such as the amendment of superabsorber (superabsorbent polymers, SAP) or PGPR (plant growth-promoting bacteria).

Another hypothesis to be addressed states that, to maintain agricultural productivity with regard to the food and fodder production potential of saline soils, halophytes (broadly defined as salt-loving wild species and salt-tolerant crops) can be cultivated. The cellular mechanisms of halophyte adaptation to abiotic stress are of great significance to science. Some species accumulate salts in their cells and/or secrete the substances through their organs/salt glands/trichomes; they can therefore be employed to reverse salinization. To develop advanced breeding and seed production techniques, obtaining physiological/ecological information pertaining to how halophytes adapt to saline soils is vital. This approach and concept of sustainable resource utilization is based on the principle of efficiency, namely using marginal land effectively, while the resources saved can be more profitably concentrated on productive lands.

Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Koyro
Prof. Dr. Kristina Toderich
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Huchzermeyer
Guest Editors

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• soil–plant relationships
• salt and drought (water) stress
• Eu- and Dysstress
• carbon agriculture
• soil physical, chemical, and biological properties
• soil compaction
• biochar and compost
• superabsorber (superabsorbent polymers, SAP)
• PGPR (plant growth-promoting bacteria)
• Rhizobacteria
• fodder production
• halophytes
• saline agriculture
• mechanisms of salt resistance
• marginal land use efficiency

• Plant Ecophysiological Adaptation to Environmental Stress in Plants (10 articles)