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Call for papers - Sustainable agriculture

Guest Editors:
Subhojit Datta: ICAR - Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, India
Islam Hamim: Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh
Durgesh Kumar Jaiswal: Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), India
Rungroch Sungthong: Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 15 December 2023


New Content ItemWith the growing human population, increasing demand for food, and the global impact of climate change, the development and adoption of sustainable agricultural practices are critical to ensure a healthy and sustainable future of mankind. Moving towards eco-sustainable societies has led the research community to seek for innovative approaches to sustainably increase agricultural production and resilience. In support of UN Sustainable Development Goals "To end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture" (SDG2) and “To protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss” (SDG15), the editors of BMC Plant Biology announce the launch and call for research articles on "Sustainable Agriculture". This collection seeks research contributions on various aspects of Sustainable Agriculture, providing insights into the environmental, social and economic factors that affect sustainable agricultural practices and their management.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Subhojit Datta: ICAR - Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, India

Dr. Subhojit Datta is a plant geneticist who has made significant contributions to the field of crop improvement through his expertise in modern biotechnology techniques such as genomics, transgenics, and genomics-assisted breeding in crops like jute, chickpea, and pigeonpea. One of Dr. Datta's most notable contributions is the development of cry1Ac- and cry1Aabc-induced stable resistance to pod borer in chickpea and pigeonpea in India. Dr. Datta has contributed to the development of mapping resources and functional EST-SSR markers, which are important tools for genetic analysis and plant breeding. His work has significantly advanced the understanding and application of modern biotechnology in crop improvement.

Islam Hamim: Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh

Dr. Islam Hamim is an Associate Professor of plant pathology at Bangladesh Agricultural University. He does translational research on the interactions of pathogens and beneficial microbes with plants, insects, pollinators, and fungi in agricultural and natural eco-systems to develop sustainable pest and disease management approaches in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. During his PhD with Prof. Dr. John Hu at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA, he studied the diversity, co-infections, and transgenic resistance mechanisms of papaya viruses. As a JSPS postdoc with Dr. Ken Komatsu at the Tokyo University of Agricultural and Technology, Japan, Dr. Hamim conducted research on molecular mechanisms underlying genetic diversity and symptom expressions of RNA viruses.  With an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship, he has recently started a research collaboration with Prof. Dr. Lena Wilfert on the distribution and impacts of pathogens and beneficial microorganisms associated with managed and native bees in Bangladesh.

Durgesh Kumar Jaiswal: Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), India.

Dr Durgesh Kumar Jaiswal is an Assistant Professor at Graphic Era (Deemed to be University, Dehradun, India). He obtained his PhD in Biotechnology at Banaras Hindu University (Varanasi, India), and he was a D.S. Kothari post-doctoral fellow at Savitribai Phule Pune University (Pune, India). His research focuses on micro-biotechnology, soil-microbiology, and sustainable agriculture, primarily exploring and formulating the microbial consortium for phyto-stimulator of crops, biodegradation of pesticides, and integrated pest and disease management to provide solutions for agriculture sustainability. He is an editorial board member of BMC Microbiology and BMC Plant Biology.

Rungroch Sungthong: Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Rungroch Sungthong obtained his Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Environment in 2014 at the University of Seville in Andalucía, Spain. He works on multidisciplinary research projects in microbiology, environmental sciences, and plant-microbe interactions. Currently, he is exploring the pharmaceutical potential of phytochemicals derived from diverse tropical species at the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. His enthusiasms focus on implementing beneficial microbes in sustainable crop production and agroforestry. The roles of microbes in the restoration of pesticide-polluted agroecosystems and the optimization of water/nutrient recirculation in aquaponics are among his current interests.

About the collection

With the growing human population, increasing demand for food, and the global impact of climate change, the development and adoption of sustainable agricultural practices are critical to ensure a healthy and sustainable future of mankind. Moving towards eco-sustainable societies has led the research community to seek for innovative approaches to sustainably increase agricultural production and resilience. In support of UN Sustainable Development Goals "To end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture" (SDG2) and “To protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss” (SDG15), the editors of BMC Plant Biology announce the launch and call for research articles on "Sustainable Agriculture". This collection seeks research contributions on various aspects of Sustainable Agriculture, providing insights into the environmental, social and economic factors that affect sustainable agricultural practices and their management. This collection will therefore consider a broad range of submissions exploring the following areas of research:

•    Technological progress and sustainable agriculture
•    Climate change and sustainable agriculture
•    Resource management and optimization for sustainable agriculture
•    Organic/sustainable farming
•    Reduction of land use
•    Environmental GWAS for genome prediction
•    Genetics and epigenetics to improve plant yield
•    Clean crop production
•    Crop yield potential and soil nutrition
•    Crop physiology and post-harvest management
•    Agricultural drought
•    Remote sensing
•    Machine learning in agricultural practices
•    Biotechnological intervention and sustainable agriculture
•    Engineering microbial consortium, bioremediation and sustainable agriculture
•    Life cycle assessment of integrated farming system
•    Roles of plant-microbe interactions in agricultural sustainability
•    Aquaponics, as hybrid technology to achieve food security and space farming
•    Soilless crop production and water/nutrient recirculation

Image credit: © ollo / Getty Images / iStock

  1. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbiotic relationships with various terrestrial plants and have attracted considerable interest as biofertilizers for improving the quality and yield of medicinal plant...

    Authors: Yan-Hong Wu, Yong Qin, Qing-Qing Cai, Min Liu, Dong-Mei He, Xin Chen, Hai Wang and Zhu-Yun Yan
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:597
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Developing sustainable agricultural practices is currently becoming an increasingly relevant challenge. As the worldwide population rises and climate change affects agriculture globally, new and sustainable ap...

    Authors: Subhojit Datta, Islam Hamim, Durgesh Kumar Jaiswal and Rungroch Sungthong
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:588
    Content type: Editorial Published on:

  3. Green chili is the predominant vegetable in tropical and subtropical regions with high economic value. However, after harvest, it exhibits vigorous metabolic activities due to the high moisture level, leading ...

    Authors: Muhammad Wasim Haider, Muhammad Nafees, Rashid Iqbal, Sajid Ali, Habat Ullah Asad, Farrukh Azeem, Muhammad Arslan, Muhammad Habib Ur Rahman, Abdel-Rhman Z. Gaafar and Mohamed S. Elshikh
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:576
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Strobilanthes cusia (Nees) Kuntze is a traditional medical plant distributed widely in south China. The indole compounds that originated from the plant are responsible for its pharmacological activities. However,...

    Authors: Chang Liu, Mengya Cheng, Chao Ma, Junfeng Chen and Hexin Tan
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:527
    Content type: Research Published on:

    The Correction to this article has been published in BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:583

  5. Lentil is an essential cool-season food legume that offers several benefits in human nutrition and cropping systems. Drought stress is the major environmental constraint affecting lentil plants’ growth and pro...

    Authors: Sajitha Biju, Sigfredo Fuentes and Dorin Gupta
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:498
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Phosphorus (P) imbalances are a recurring issue in cultivated soils with pastures across diverse regions. In addition to P deficiency, the prevalence of excess P in soil has escalated, resulting in damage to p...

    Authors: Cíntia Cármen de Faria Melo, Danilo Silva Amaral, Anderson de Moura Zanine, Daniele de Jesus Ferreira, Renato de Mello Prado and Marisa de Cássia Piccolo
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:497
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. Reproductive stage drought stress (RDS) is a major global threat to rice production. Due to climate change, water scarcity is becoming an increasingly common phenomenon in major rice-growing areas worldwide. U...

    Authors: Aparna Eragam, Ankita Mohapatra, Vishnu Shukla, Rajashekar Varma Kadumuri, Abin Panackal George, Latha Putta, Srividhya Akkareddy, Sreenivas Chavali, Lakshminarayana R. Vemireddy and Eswarayya Ramireddy
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:493
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Soil fertility decline due to nutrient mining coupled with low inorganic fertilizer usage is a major cause of low crop yields across sub-Saharan Africa. Recently, biochar potential to improve soil fertility ha...

    Authors: Cosmas Wacal, Daniel Basalirwa, John Byalebeka, Mitsuri Tsubo and Eiji Nishihara
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:473
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. The aim of this study was to compare and investigate the effects of 1-(3-phenyl-propyl) cyclopropene (PPCP) and melatonin (MT) as anti-ethylene agents on postharvest senescence, quality, chilling tolerance, an...

    Authors: Emad Hamdy Khedr, Nagwa Khedr and Mohamed Abdel-Haleem
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:464
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. Soil salinity, soil infertility, and freshwater scarcity are among the major constraints affecting agricultural ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Hence, there is a need to look for salt-to...

    Authors: Muziri Mugwanya, Fahad Kimera, Khaled Madkour, Mahmoud A. O. Dawood and Hani Sewilam
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:417
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is the sole source of phosphorus for plants. It is a limiting factor for plant yield in most soils worldwide. Due to economic and environmental constraints, the use of Pi fertilizer is...

    Authors: Laura Cuyas, Pascale David, Damien de Craieye, Sophia Ng, Mustapha Arkoun, Claude Plassard, Mohamadi Faharidine, Delphine Hourcade, Francesca Degan, Sylvain Pluchon and Laurent Nussaume
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:401
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. Strawberries are one of the most widely cultivated fruits in the world, and their popularity continues to grow due to their unique taste, high nutritional value, and numerous health benefits. The success of st...

    Authors: Nafiye Unal, Ibrahim Kahramanoglu, Hanifeh Seyed Hajizadeh, Jale Bilgin and Volkan Okatan
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:400
    Content type: Research Published on:

  13. Currently, using unconventional water sources in agriculture has become necessary to face overpopulation worldwide. Therefore, a pot experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of irrigation with saline...

    Authors: Abu El-Eyuoon Abu Zied Amin
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:382
    Content type: Research Published on:

  14. Most of Camellia oleifera forests have low fruit yield and poor oil quality that are largely associated with soil fertility. Soil physical and chemical properties interact with each other affecting soil fertility...

    Authors: Yu Chen, Jinjia Zheng, Zhijian Yang, Chenhao Xu, Penghui Liao, Shaosheng Pu, Yousry A. El-Kassaby and Jinling Feng
    Citation: BMC Plant Biology 2023 23:378
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines, to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Sustainable agriculture" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.