Topic Editors

Dr. Hua Bai
School of Agricultural Sciences, Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO, USA
Dr. Dimitra A. Loka
Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops, Hellenic Agricultural Organization-Demeter, 41335 Lycovrissi, Greece
College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China

Crop Ecophysiology: From Lab to Field, 2nd Volume

Abstract submission deadline
31 October 2025
Manuscript submission deadline
31 December 2025
Viewed by
1458

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the successful completion of Volume I of “Crop Ecophysiology: From Lab to Field” and the great interest in this research topic, we are pleased to announce the launch of Volume II. Increasing crop productivity is an important goal in agriculture. Despite extensive research on the effects of abiotic and biotic stressors on plant growth and development processes, several questions still remain. This topic focuses on crop ecophysiology, seeking ways to help producers to understand crop growth and overcome the risks associated with external factors. Studies on crop growth and development, including seed germination and dormancy, seedling development, photosynthesis, plant water use, mineral nutrition, source–sink relations, and harvest index, are within the scope of this topic. Studies on the mechanism of crop response to environmental stress under controlled or field conditions (high temperature, cold stress, drought stress, high salinity, and combined stresses), pests, pathogens, and other plants are also welcome. In addition, agricultural practices that improve the use efficiency of resources such as water, radiation, N2, and CO2, and reduce dependence on external energy input (soil tillage, agrochemicals and mineral fertilizers, etc.) will also be considered for this topic. Original research manuscripts as well as reviews are accepted.

Dr. Hua Bai
Dr. Dimitra A. Loka
Dr. Wei Hu
Topic Editors

Keywords

  • crop growth and development
  • biotic stress
  • abiotic stress
  • agricultural practices

Participating Journals

Journal Name Impact Factor CiteScore Launched Year First Decision (median) APC
Agriculture
agriculture
3.6 3.6 2011 17.7 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Agronomy
agronomy
3.7 5.2 2011 15.8 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Crops
crops
- - 2021 30.5 Days CHF 1000 Submit
International Journal of Plant Biology
ijpb
- 1.1 2010 14.4 Days CHF 1200 Submit
Plants
plants
4.5 5.4 2012 15.3 Days CHF 2700 Submit

Preprints.org is a multidiscipline platform providing preprint service that is dedicated to sharing your research from the start and empowering your research journey.

MDPI Topics is cooperating with Preprints.org and has built a direct connection between MDPI journals and Preprints.org. Authors are encouraged to enjoy the benefits by posting a preprint at Preprints.org prior to publication:

  1. Immediately share your ideas ahead of publication and establish your research priority;
  2. Protect your idea from being stolen with this time-stamped preprint article;
  3. Enhance the exposure and impact of your research;
  4. Receive feedback from your peers in advance;
  5. Have it indexed in Web of Science (Preprint Citation Index), Google Scholar, Crossref, SHARE, PrePubMed, Scilit and Europe PMC.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Journals
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
16 pages, 4943 KiB  
Article
Reduced Root Cortical Tissue with an Increased Root Xylem Investment Is Associated with High Wheat Yields in Central China
by Pengzhen Du, Yong-He Zhu, Jacob Weiner, Zhengli Sun, Huiquan Li, Tao Feng and Feng-Min Li
Plants 2024, 13(8), 1075; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13081075 - 11 Apr 2024
Viewed by 390
Abstract
Trait-based approaches are increasingly used to understand crop yield improvement, although they have not been widely applied to anatomical traits. Little is known about the relationships between root and leaf anatomy and yield in wheat. We selected 20 genotypes that have been widely [...] Read more.
Trait-based approaches are increasingly used to understand crop yield improvement, although they have not been widely applied to anatomical traits. Little is known about the relationships between root and leaf anatomy and yield in wheat. We selected 20 genotypes that have been widely planted in Luoyang, in the major wheat-producing area of China, to explore these relationships. A field study was performed to measure the yields and yield components of the genotypes. Root and leaf samples were collected at anthesis to measure the anatomical traits relevant to carbon allocation and water transport. Yield was negatively correlated with cross-sectional root cortex area, indicating that reduced root cortical tissue and therefore reduced carbon investment have contributed to yield improvement in this region. Yield was positively correlated with root xylem area, suggesting that a higher water transport capacity has also contributed to increased yields in this study. The area of the leaf veins did not significantly correlate with yield, showing that the high-yield genotypes did not have larger veins, but they may have had a conservative water use strategy, with tight regulation of water loss from the leaves. This study demonstrates that breeding for higher yields in this region has changed wheat’s anatomical traits, reducing the roots’ cortical tissue and increasing the roots’ xylem investment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Crop Ecophysiology: From Lab to Field, 2nd Volume)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 3338 KiB  
Article
Improving Tuber Yield of Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) through Nitrogen Fertilization in Sandy Farmland
by Xu Zheng, Jianguo Liu, Zhibo Cheng, Yingqiang Sun, Luhua Li and Jiaping Wang
Plants 2024, 13(8), 1063; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13081063 - 10 Apr 2024
Viewed by 474
Abstract
The cultivation of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) on marginal lands is a feasible and effective way to increase food production in Northern China. However, the specific influence of nitrogen fertilizer application on the growth dynamics, tuber expansion, overall yield, and nitrogen [...] Read more.
The cultivation of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) on marginal lands is a feasible and effective way to increase food production in Northern China. However, the specific influence of nitrogen fertilizer application on the growth dynamics, tuber expansion, overall yield, and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of tiger nuts cultivated on these sandy lands is yet to be fully elucidated. From 2021 to 2022, we conducted a study to determine the effect of N fertilizers on the leaf function morphology, canopy apparent photosynthesis (CAP), tuber yield, and NUE of tiger nut. The results indicate that the tuber yield and NUE are closely related to the specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area index (LAI), leaf nitrogen concentration per area (NA), CAP, and tuber expansion characteristics. Notably, significant enhancements in the SLA, LAI, NA, and CAP during the tuber expansion phase ranging from the 15th to the 45th day under the 300 kg N ha−1 treatment were observed, subsequently leading to increases in both the tuber yield and NUE. Moreover, a maximum average tuber filling rate was obtained under the N300 treatment. These improvements led to substantial increases in the tuber yield (32.1–35.5%), nitrogen agronomic efficiency (NAE, 2.1–5.3%), nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPP, 4.8–8.1%), and nitrogen recovery efficiency (NRE, 3.4–5.7%). Consequently, 300 kg N ha−1 of N fertilizers is the most effective dose for optimizing both the yield of tiger nut tubers and the NUE of tiger nut plants in marginal soils. Structural equation modeling reveals that N application affects the yield and NUE through its effects on leaf functional traits, the CAP, and the tuber filling characteristics. Modeling indicates that tuber expansion characteristics primarily impact the yield, while CAP predominantly governs the NUE. Above all, this study highlights the crucial role of N fertilizer in maximizing the tiger nut tuber yield potential on marginal lands, providing valuable insights into sustainable farming in dry areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Crop Ecophysiology: From Lab to Field, 2nd Volume)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop