Sustainability Assessment of Agricultural Cropping Systems
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 3747
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sustainable agriculture; protein crops; nitrogen fixation; microorganism and plants; crop production; crop biodiversity
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The challenge for modern agriculture is to reduce the risk of weather, which is growing due to climate change, and at the same time resigning many current agricultural practices which lead to negative side-effects. In this respect, tillage systems can play a key role as one of the most important technological advances for sustainable agriculture in recent decades. Currently, low-intensity tillage systems are known as the most appropriate to limit the effects of drought. Despite economic and environmental benefits from such systems, their adoption in many countries still remain low. Soil compaction, residue management, germination problems, weed and pest incidence, and as a result, lower crop yields compared to conventional tillage are the main reason for this. Nevertheless, the adaptation of agriculture to changing climatic conditions will require the implementation of sustainable tillage, which can protect soils from biological degradation and maintain the soil quality, as well as retain most of the rainfall water in the zone where plants can use it. In addition, crop rotations, despite the recommendations, have become very poor, and their sustainability is often questioned. Therefore, mitigation measures and new production methods are sought after, which will allow adapting crops to changing conditions and temperature fluctuations and precipitation on the farm level in a sustainable way. In the conditions of a changing climate, the assessment of the suitability of the agricultural crops and used production technologies are some of the major currents of research. In this Special Issue of Sustainability, we would like to provide up-to-date information regarding the most recent and important findings related to sustainability in the cropping system using niche, novel crops or rediscovered legumes. We welcome both original research and review articles focused on the current impact of cropping systems involving no tillage on soil, microorganism and plant interactions, and crop yields. Papers regarding introducing new plant species (e.g., herbs and legume plants) in cropping systems to maintain biodiversity in modern agriculture are also welcome as valuable contributions to this Special Issue.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Karolina Ratajczak
Dr. Grażyna Szymańska
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- sustainable agriculture
- low-intensity tillage systems
- biodiversity in modern agriculture
- limitation of the effects of drought
- residue management
- cover crops
- changing climatic conditions
- sustainable crop rotation
- microorganisms
- soil
