Dimitrios Bilalis
Ioannis Roussis
Ioanna Kakabouki- Laboratory of Agronomy, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Editorial on the Research Topic
Soil tillage and nitrogen fertilization methods for sustainable productivity of industrial crops
Industrial crops are grown mainly for processing rather than human consumption. Some of the examples of industrial crops include oilseeds, fiber crops, tobacco, hemp, hops, energy crops, and other plants used in bio-based materials and renewable energy. With growing demand for plant-based industrial materials and bio-energy in the past few decades, there is now greater interest in expanding the use of industrial crops (Erb et al., 2012; Stolarski, 2021). This situation is also expected in the coming years, as industrial crops will have an increasingly significant role in the sustainable development of industry (Singh, 2010; Jablonowski and Schrey, 2021).
Despite this potential, the agricultural sector is faced with a number of challenges that may affect the growth and sustainability of the production of industrial crops. This is mainly due to the fact that the rate of growth of the population and urbanization is high, which has led to a decrease in arable land (Beckers et al., 2020). Climate change has also contributed to an increase in several biotic and abiotic factors, including pests, diseases, drought, and heat stress, and consequently affects crop productivity and efficiency. In addition, resource-intensive farming methods have resulted in the degradation of soils and poor soil fertility (Abebaw, 2025; Begna and Wakweya, 2026).
For the sustainability of industrial crop agriculture in the long term, it is important that agricultural practices are adopted and implemented to maintain soil health and environmental quality (Corato et al., 2024). Sustainable land management practices are aimed at enhancing the physicochemical, biological, and hydrological properties of the soil and conserving natural resources (Abebaw, 2025). Within the context of sustainable land management practices, soil tillage and nitrogen fertilizer application are important in regulating soil processes, nutrient cycling, and crop performance (Corato et al., 2024; Ţopa et al., 2025).
Soil tillage impacts the properties of soil such as structure, porosity, residue distribution, organic matter, and nitrogen, which are all direct functions of soil fertility and crop growth (Zhang et al., 2021). The application of nitrogen fertilizers is one of the most critical factors that influence soil-plant interactions, fertilizer use efficiency, and crop productivity. Nitrogen (N) behavior in the soil is affected by fertilizer type, timing and method of application, as well as the adopted soil tillage system (Vilakazi et al., 2022). For instance, the conservation tillage systems may differently affect N mineralization, leaching, soil moisture, and crop N uptake as compared to conventional intensive tillage systems (Busari et al., 2015). Moreover, the adoption of reduced tillage methods might require adjustments in N fertilization techniques in order to enhance fertilizer efficiency and minimize N losses to the environment (Ali et al., 2025).
The combined use of conservation tillage and optimized nitrogen fertilizer application represents a promising approach in enhancing the availability of nitrogen in the soil, maintaining crop yield, and mitigating environmental degradation. Both approaches contribute to soil fertility as well as the sustainability of industrial cropping.
Scapino et al. carried out a 3-year field experiment on barley, where hybrid and conventional varieties were compared under different planting densities, minimum and reduced tillage, and nitrogen fertilization regimes. The hybrid barley produced 8% more grain than the conventional variety due to its superior stay-green properties, despite the production of 20% fewer ears. Hybrid barley also contained lower amounts of protein and was more prone to deoxynivalenol contamination, but emitted 9% fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition, minimum tillage reduced emissions by 21%, indicating that hybrid barley can contribute to making barley production more sustainable.
Ouyang et al. evaluated the effect of various fertilizer treatments on cannabidiol (CBD) production in hemp plants over two years in Yunnan, China. The results shown that female hemp plants produced higher yields with higher CBD content than male hemp plants. However, fertilizer application, whether calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer or boron fertilizer, did not show a significant effect on either the yield or the production of CBD. The authors concluded that approaches to breeding and harvesting are more effective than fertilizers in stimulating CBD synthesis.
In the study of Bruno et al., the N turnover in a maize-soybean rotation system under no-tillage was investigated. In particular, the source of N for maize was predominantly the soil, and up to 37% of N in maize shoots was derived from fertilizer. On the other hand, the soybean crop derived very little nitrogen from maize residues and residual fertilizer, which was only 9% of the N in soybean grain. This underlined the limited role of maize residues and fertilizer in soybean N nutrition.
In another research, Zhang et al. examined the interactive effects of no-tillage and N application on soybean yields in arid regions of Xinjiang, China. They demonstrated that 150 kg N ha−1 application in no-till practice increased soil water capacity, N availability, photosynthesis, and soybean yields by 75.7-83.4% compared to no-till without N application. This study confirmed the possibility of achieving equal yields through no-tillage and N use practices in conventional tillage.
Sun et al. investigated the interaction between molybdenum (Mo) and N in tobacco. They observed that nitrogen had a significant effect on N metabolism and amino acid synthesis, while Mo efficiency was affected by the presence of N. When Mo and N were optimized, both increased nitrogen accumulation, dry matter content, and the concentration of key biochemical compounds, which are very important for the quality characteristics of tobacco.
Finally, Giraldo-Sanclemente et al. assessed N fertilization strategies in coffee cultivation at the Alsacia Coffee Farm in Costa Rica. They found that N fertilizer type (urea, urea with a urease inhibitor, or ammonium nitrate) had minimal effect on coffee yield. Variability in yields was mainly influenced by soil factors, with soil fertility, especially phosphorus, being a notable consideration. In Sector A of the farm, characterized by higher clay and phosphorus availability, yields approached twice those of Sector B. Although the urea fertilizer had higher nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, the use of a urease inhibitor reduced these emissions per unit of coffee production. This study bears witness to the need to adopt site-specific nutrient management, which, on one side, prevents environmental pollution while also maintaining high productivity.
In conclusion, the studies presented in this Research Topic recognize the importance of site-specific soil and nutrient management, optimal tillage systems, as well as effective genotype choice in reaching sustainable intensification in industrial crop production. Based on the strategic combination of N fertilization, conservation tillage, and micronutrient management, it becomes possible to enhance production efficiency, mitigate negative impacts on the environment, as well as improve soil conditions, thus meeting the needs of the future of industrial crop production.
Author contributions
DB: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft. IR: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. IK: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft.
Conflict of interest
The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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Keywords: climate change, conservation tillage, nitrogen (N) fertilization, nutrient management, site-specific soil, yield and quality improvement
Citation: Bilalis D, Roussis I and Kakabouki I (2026) Editorial: Soil tillage and nitrogen fertilization methods for sustainable productivity of industrial crops. Front. Agron. 7:1770973. doi: 10.3389/fagro.2025.1770973
Received: 18 December 2025; Accepted: 19 December 2025;
Published: 06 January 2026.
Edited and reviewed by:
Davey Jones, Bangor University, United KingdomCopyright © 2026 Bilalis, Roussis and Kakabouki. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Ioannis Roussis, cm91c3Npc0BhdWEuZ3I=; Ioanna Kakabouki, aS5rYWthYm91a2lAYXVhLmdy