Optimizing water and nutrient management in field crops: physiological and technological innovations

Plant physiology research, specifically concerning water and mineral nutrition, is a cornerstone for advancing sustainable field crop production and supporting global food security. Major field crops such as rice, maize, wheat, and potato are responsible for nourishing billions, yet their productivity remains acutely sensitive to the availability and management of water and nutrients. Although substantial progress has been made in dissecting the physiological, molecular, and genetic frameworks governing plant absorption, transport, and assimilation of these resources, persistent knowledge gaps hinder the full realization of these insights in field conditions. Recent research has illuminated the complex interplay between crops and their fluctuating environments, uncovering regulatory networks involved in drought and nutrient stress responses. However, significant challenges persist in translating laboratory advances into scalable, effective management practices that respond to climate variability, soil diversity, and evolving agronomic needs.This Research Topic aims to deepen and unify current understandings of the physiological and molecular bases underpinning crop responses to water and mineral nutrition, while driving the development and validation of innovative management strategies. The objective is to directly address how field crops acquire, distribute, and utilize water and nutrients under real-world conditions, to unravel the genetic and signaling pathways underpinning stress resilience, and to advance the deployment of precision agriculture tools that monitor and optimize crop resource use. Key research questions include the efficiency of resource acquisition and allocation across species and genotypes, the mechanisms of adaptation to combined water and nutrient stresses, and the real-world performance of novel management techniques in diverse agroecosystems.This Research Topic focuses exclusively on major field crops—including, but not limited to, rice, maize, wheat, and potato. To stimulate further advances in plant water and nutrition management, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Crop-specific mechanisms of water uptake, long-distance transport, and leaf-level assimilation under field conditionso Physiological and molecular determinants of drought, flooding, and osmotic stress tolerance in field cropso Molecular and whole-plant processes governing mineral nutrient uptake, transport, sensing, and homeostasiso Strategies for identifying, monitoring, and managing nutrition deficiencies, with a focus on in-situ soil and plant diagnosticso Development, evaluation, and modeling of precision irrigation and fertilization technologies for different environmental and soil contextso Integration of fertigation, soil moisture sensing, remote diagnostics, and crop modeling for real-time management Topic editors: Liguo Jia, Hao Zhang, Dafeng Hui Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79037/optimizing-water-and-nutrient-management-in-field-crops-physiological-and-technological-innovations