Soils are essential to the function of all terrestrial ecosystems and to food production. Soil ecosystem health and its impact on sustainable crop practices have gathered increasing attention in the context of climate change and food security. Soil microbiome indeed consists of a heterogeneous pool of bacteria, fungi, algae, viruses and archaea, able to decompose organic matter and affect several biogeochemical processes that can ultimately affect crop growth, as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Understanding the intricate interactions between plants, soil abiotic and biotic features, and climate-smart agricultural practices is crucial for enhancing agricultural sustainability and food security. For instance, recent research advances have highlighted the significance of Mycorrhizae and root system architecture in enhancing nutrient and water uptake, and soil biogeochemical cycles. Additionally, research has emphasized the potential of practices such as conservation tillage and cover cropping in mitigating soil nutrient loss and improving soil health.
This growing research area holds the potential for identifying novel approaches to enhance soil health and crop yield, and develop climate-resilient crop varieties, new strategies of soil carbon sequestration and precision agricultural techniques. Furthermore, ongoing research efforts may lead to the optimization of soil management practices to mitigate the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity and food security.
BMC Plant Biology announces the launch of the Collection Climate-smart soils to enhance sustainable crop yield aiming to bring together research on climate-smart soils and sustainable crop enhancement. This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), and welcomes submissions that explore the role of soil and soil biota in nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, GHG emissions, and ecosystem services, as well as innovative agricultural practices to improve crop yield and resilience in the context of climate change and food security challenges. We invite researchers and experts in the field to submit research articles that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Climate-smart agricultural practices for sustainable crop production
- Developing novel approaches to enhance soil health and crop yield, including climate-resilient crop varieties and precision agricultural techniques
- Soil health, crop productivity and water quality in the context of climate change
- Climate-smart soil management: global potential, process controls and mitigation practices
- Soil management to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
- Strategies for mitigating soil nutrient loss, e.g. nutrient management, conservation tillage and cover cropping
- Role of the soil ecosystem on the regulation of biogeochemical cycles, crop yield and plant biology
- Soil biota-plant interactions and their impact on crop yield
- Soil-plant interactions under climate change
- Influence of extremophiles on soil fertility and crop productivity
- Nutrient and water uptake mechanisms in plant, the role of mycorrhizae and root system architecture
- Nutrient uptake and loss from agricultural soils, and impact on GHG emissions
- Soil carbon sequestration strategies
- Ecosystem services and carbon sequestration in the context of sustainable agriculture
- Use of biofertilizers to enhance sustainable crop yield
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