Aims and scope

Plant and Soil publishes original papers and review articles exploring the interface of plant biology and soil sciences, and that enhance our mechanistic understanding of plant-soil interactions. We focus on the interface of plant biology and soil sciences, and seek those manuscripts with a strong mechanistic component which develop and test hypotheses aimed at understanding underlying mechanisms of plant-soil interactions. In addition, we consider manuscripts that deal with plant nutrition, agronomy or ecology that shift our fundamental understanding of plant productions systems. These manuscripts must be of outstanding quality. Simple fertiliser trials, which are valuable in plant nutrition and ecological research in their own right, will still not be considered. Manuscripts are expected to be based on studies that are hypothesis-driven. Articles including a major molecular or modelling component also fall within the scope of the journal. All contributions appear in the English language, with consistent spelling, using either American or British English.  

Plant and Soil provides rapid publication of full-length papers describing the results of original research. Articles accepted for publication in Plant and Soil report novel findings of general significance. Reviews, mini-reviews, opinion papers and commentaries are usually solicited by members of the Editorial Board. However, individuals who wish to prepare a review or a mini-review are encouraged to contact the Editor-in-Chief (hans.lambers@uwa.edu.au) prior to submitting a manuscript. Plant and Soil also publish Special Issues containing a collection of articles on a theme considered by the editors to be of general interest to our readers. These Special Issues may consist of a selection of presentations from a scientific meeting or a collection of papers organised by an individual or group. In all cases, manuscripts submitted for publication as part of a Special Issue will be subject to the same rigorous peer-review process required of regular submissions. Individuals or groups wishing to organise a Special Issue of Plant and Soil should contact the Managing Editor, Lieve Bultynck (plso-plants@uwa.edu.au) to discuss the feasibility of the project.