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Analysis of institutional authors

De Francisco, MarinaAuthorOrtiz, RaquelAuthorObrador, AnaAuthorGonzalez, DemetrioAuthorGasco, GabrielAuthorAlmendros, PatriciaCorresponding Author

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May 6, 2025
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The Effect of Complexed, Nanosized, and Conventional Zinc Sources Applied at Varying Rates to an Acidic Mediterranean Soil on Two Successive Lettuce Crops

Publicated to: Agronomy-Basel. 15 (4): 896- - 2025-04-03 15(4), DOI: 10.3390/agronomy15040896

Authors:

de Francisco, M; Ortiz, R; Obrador, A; Gonzalez, D; Gascó, G; Almendros, P
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Affiliations

Univ Politecn Madrid UPM, Agron Food & Biosyst Engn Sch, Dept Agr Prod, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author
Univ Politecn Madrid UPM, Res Ctr Management Agr & Environm Risks, CEIGRAM, Chem & Food Technol Dept, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author

Abstract

This study investigates the current application and ageing effects of various Zn sources on acidic Mediterranean soil. Two successive lettuce crops were grown in soil fertilised with 0, 15, 30, 60, and 140 mg Zn kg-1 using commercial ZnO nanoparticles, Zn complex, and Zn sulphate. Plant growth, Zn biofortification, dietary implications, human health, and the soil Zn status were evaluated. Zinc bioavailability was influenced by the source, application rate, and chemical ageing. The bioavailability of Zn in the soil increased from 4.60 to 66.7 compared to the control treatment. Zinc applied in the form of ZnSO4 was the most bioavailable form in the first year of cultivation. Advanced specialty fertilisers such as ZnO nanoparticles and Zn-lignosulfonate, along with the conventional fertiliser ZnSO4, demonstrated a residual effect allowing effective Zn uptake by plants in the second crop. Zn concentrations in lettuce leaves were 3.33-34.6 times higher than the control treatment. Application of 30 mg Zn kg-1 and higher of commercial ZnO nanoparticles, Zn complex, and Zn sulphate heptahydrate resulted in some toxicity. Higher application rates of these sources may pose a potential risk to the population, as indicated by the health risk index. These Zn sources represent a promising alternative for enhancing plant growth and providing a sustained release of Zn in several successive crops, making them a potential alternative to conventional fertilisers. Their unique properties can optimise nutrient management strategies and promote sustainable crop production.
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Keywords

Acid soilAginAgingBioavailabilityBiofortificationConcentration (composition)DietaryDietary mineralLeafy vegetableNanoparticleSoil pollutionZincZn complexZno nanoparticles

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Agronomy-Basel due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2025, it was in position 21/129, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Agronomy.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2026-04-26:

  • WoS: 1
  • Scopus: 1
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-26:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 4.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 4 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 8.
  • The number of mentions in news outlets: 1 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
  • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://oa.upm.es/93027/

As a result of the publication of the work in the institutional repository, statistical usage data has been obtained that reflects its impact. In terms of dissemination, we can state that, as of

  • Views: 35
  • Downloads: 31
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Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ, MARINA DE) and Last Author (ALMENDROS GARCIA, PATRICIA).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been ALMENDROS GARCIA, PATRICIA.

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Awards linked to the item

This research was funded by the Comunidad de Madrid through the call Research Grants for Young Investigators from the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (project: ECOnanoZn, reference APOYO-JOVENES-21-FUF0C0-61-VOXTPR).
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