Role of Atmospheric Aerosols in Nutrient Disruption and Crop Performance: Pathways, Magnitude, and Mitigation for Sustainable Agriculture

Atmospheric aerosols (natural dust and anthropogenic particulate matter) are important influencers for nutrients (N, P, Fe, trace metals) and pollutants that can modify soil chemistry, plant nutrient uptake, and crop productivity. While aerosol deposition can supply limiting nutrients, it can also deliver acidifying species and toxic trace metals or change nutrient stoichiometry — causing nutrient disruption that alters fertilizer effectiveness, soil microbial functioning, and crop yield. Changes in aerosol composition (from intensified agriculture, combustion, and industrial emissions) alter acidity and metal solubility, modifying the form and mobility of deposited nutrients and contaminants; such changes may increase leaching or create toxic conditions that reduce nutrient use efficiency. Based on the following objectives, this Research Topic welcomes submissions looking to:

• Quantify seasonal aerosol deposition fluxes of major nutrients (N, P), micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Mn), and contaminants (Pb, Cd).
• Characterize chemical speciation and bioavailability of deposited nutrients/contaminants.
• Determine effects of realistic aerosol deposition on soil nutrient pools, microbial activity, and crop uptake under field and controlled conditions.
• Assess interactions between aerosol deposition and fertilizer application (timing and rates) on nutrient use efficiency and crop yield.
• Develop simple empirical models to estimate regional nutrient-disruption risk and derive management recommendations.

This Research Topic explores how atmospheric aerosols influence nutrient dynamics and crop performance, focusing on sources, transport pathways, and deposition processes. It examines how aerosols alter soil chemistry, nutrient availability, and plant physiological functions through mechanisms such as acidification, heavy metal accumulation, and particulate deposition on leaf surfaces. The topic quantifies the magnitude of these impacts across diverse agro-ecological regions, highlighting both negative effects (nutrient imbalance, reduced photosynthesis, yield loss) and potential benefits (micronutrient inputs). The topic also considers how weather variability and climate extremes, including wet and dry periods, temperature swings, and episodic storm events, modulate these processes, shaping the magnitude and timing of aerosol-driven nutrient disruption across agro-ecological regions.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: atmospheric aerosols, nutrient disruption, fertilizer application, crop yield, human health, agriculture, pollutants, soil chemistry

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.