Enhancement of Fertilizer Use Efficiency for Sustainable Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

Fertilizers are most of the vital components in modern intensive agriculture. The application of fertilizers in agriculture has markedly increased the production of food, feed, and fiber. However, a significant portion of nutrients applied to the soil through fertilizer amendment is not taken up by plants and is lost through leaching, volatilization, nitrification, or other means. Such a loss increases the cost of fertilizer, degrades soil, and pollutes the environment. To alleviate these problems, enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) are produced and used. The Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO) defines EEFs as products with characteristics that allow increased plant uptake and therefore reduce potential nutrient losses to the environment (e.g., gaseous losses, leaching or runoff) when compared to an appropriate reference fertilizer that does not contain additives. The AAPFCO further categorizes EEFs into two distinct subcategories: 1) stabilized fertilizers (e.g., nitrification inhibitors (NIs) and urease inhibitors (UIs)) and 2) controlled or slow-release fertilizers (e.g., polymer-coated fertilizers (PCFs)). Basically, EEFs are designed to improved nutrient use efficiency by minimizing nutrient losses, thereby improving agricultural sustainability and environmental quality.

This Special Issue aims to discuss effectiveness of EEFs in sustainable agriculture. This will include (i) the state-of-the-art on technologies applied in EEF production and their application in different cropping systems, (ii) improving the efficiency, profitability, and environmental friendliness of EEFs, (iii) use of EEFs within the 4R concept (right source, right rate, right time, right place) of nitrogen (N) management for sustainable agriculture, (iv) EEFs impacts on soil fertility, yield, soil carbon pool, and microbial dynamics, and (v) EEFs as mitigation tools for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from intensive agricultural systems.

We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting comprehensive reviews, case studies, research articles, or meta-analyses that focus on scientific methods, technological advances, and innovative research, in order to provide an opportunity to learn the state-of-the-art and cultivate a discussion on prospects and future directions of the use of EEFs in agriculture. Papers selected for this Special Issue will be subject to a rigorous peer review procedure with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications.

Prof. Dr. Pil Joo Kim
Prof. Suvendu Das
Prof. Sang Yoon Kim
Guest Editors

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• slow-release fertilizers
• nitrification inhibitors
• urease inhibitors
• nanocomposite fertilizer
• GHG emissions
• ammonia volatilization
• nitrogen dynamics
• nutrient use efficiency