Agricultural Water Management最新文献

{"title":"Performance of combined irrigation–fertilization strategies under variable inflow and cutoff conditions in border irrigation systems","authors":"Mohamed Khaled Salahou ,&nbsp;Xiaoyuan Chen ,&nbsp;Yupeng Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110178","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110178","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Efficient irrigation–fertilization management is crucial for sustaining high crop productivity while minimizing nutrient losses and environmental risks. This study examined the interactive effects of inflow rate, cutoff ratio (CR), and fertilizer application length (F) on nitrogen distribution and retention under border irrigation. Field experiments were conducted in 100 m long border-irrigated wheat fields with an average longitudinal slope of 0.0023 m/m, using high (6.91 L m⁻¹ s⁻¹), moderate (4.95 L m⁻¹ s⁻¹), and low (2.81 L m⁻¹ s⁻¹) inflow rates, combined with variable CR and F levels (representing the proportion of border length receiving fertilizer). Results showed that nitrogen distribution and retention were strongly influenced by the interaction between CR and F, and the optimal strategy depended on inflow rate. Under high inflow conditions, the F80 %–CR0.90 combination achieved the most uniform nitrogen distribution within the root zone, with minimal downward movement. For moderate inflow, F80 %–CR0.80 produced a balanced horizontal and vertical nitrogen profile, maintaining high nitrogen use efficiency with low deep percolation. Under low inflow conditions, the F100 %–CR1.00 strategy was most effective, ensuring uniform nutrient distribution, maximizing retention within the 0–60 cm root zone, and minimizing leaching losses. Shorter fertilization lengths (F60 %) led to nitrogen accumulation near the inflow zone and downstream depletion, while inappropriate cutoff ratios either promoted leaching or restricted fertilizer transport. Overall, the results demonstrate that optimal irrigation–fertilization strategies are inflow-dependent, with F80 % being optimal for high and moderate inflow rates, and F100 %–CR1.00 performing best under low inflow. The proposed approach provides a practical framework for improving water–nutrient coordination in border irrigation, enhancing nitrogen use efficiency, and promoting sustainable wheat production in water-limited agricultural regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 110178"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146172778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling salinity and sodicity risks under long-term irrigation with medium salinity water: Kinneret catchment as a case study","authors":"Avishag Amouyal ,&nbsp;Oren Reichmann ,&nbsp;M. Iggy Litaor","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110245","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110245","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change is intensifying droughts and reducing freshwater availability in arid, semi-arid, and Mediterranean regions. Agricultural areas within the Lake Kinneret basin (Israel) are currently irrigated with high-quality Dan Spring water; however, climate projections indicate an approximately 20 % reduction in spring discharge by 2050, prompting consideration of Kinneret water (EC ≈ 1.3 dS m⁻¹) as an alternative irrigation source. This study evaluates the long-term (25 years) effects of Kinneret water irrigation on soil salinity and sodicity using HYDRUS-1D coupled with the geochemical module UNSATCHEM. Field data were collected from a silty clay maize field during one growing season under three irrigation treatments: Kinneret water (EC ≈ 1.3 dS m⁻¹), Mixed water (EC ≈ 0.7 dS m⁻¹), and Dan Spring water (EC &lt; 0.1 dS m⁻¹). Model calibration was performed using an inverse approach, with soil heterogeneity represented through the 95 % prediction uncertainty (95PPU) of hydraulic parameters. The calibrated model adequately reproduced soil water and solute dynamics, with most observations falling within the 95PPU range. Simulation results indicated that irrigation with Kinneret and Mixed water led to increased salinity and sodicity compared to Dan water. Soil water salinity (ECsw) exhibited pronounced seasonal dynamics, preventing long-term salt accumulation in the root zone, whereas sodicity increased gradually over time. After 20 years of Kinneret irrigation, the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) increased from &lt; 1 to ∼7, and the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) from &lt; 1–9. Uncertainty analyses under Kinneret water, incorporating 95PPU and variable Gapon constants showed that salinity and sodicity indices could reach ECsw &gt; 8 dS m⁻¹ , SAR ≈ 9, and ESP ≈ 13 within the root zone. Although SAR and ESP remained below standard sodicity thresholds, uncertainty analyses revealed that values could approach levels that impair soil hydraulic properties in clay-rich soils, especially under repeated wetting–drying cycles, posing long-term risks to soil health and agricultural sustainability. This modeling framework provides valuable insight into salinity and sodicity processes in Mediterranean agro- systems under conditions of water scarcity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 110245"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146777202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating evaporation losses from agricultural ponds with shelter net covers by integrated Dalton model","authors":"Wendi Wang,&nbsp;Francesco Bettella,&nbsp;Vincenzo D’Agostino,&nbsp;Paolo Tarolli","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110237","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110237","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water harvesting infrastructures represent one of effective solution for sustainable water management for agriculture and climate change adaptation strategies. However, evaporation from such structures is a critical challenge for stakeholders as it reduces the effective availability of stored water. Partial surface covering has emerged as a practical solution to suppress evaporation and improve water storage efficiency. In this case, quantifying the effectiveness of cover treatments is essential for water authorities and farmers to assess water loss and make informed decisions before implementation. This study aims to develop a practical method for quantifying the performance of cover treatments in reducing evaporation. An integrated model based on the Dalton equation, was applied to estimate evaporation losses from open ponds and to derive a cover factor for partially covered systems. The model calibrated with field data collected in 2024 and validated with 2025 measurements, achieved strong predictive accuracy (R² = 0.894). Experimental results further demonstrated that a 50 % shade net significantly lowered water surface temperature relative to uncovered ponds, achieving an average evaporation suppression rate of 20 %. Over the four-month monitoring period, the treatment reduced daily water loss by approximately 2.5 m³ , corresponding to a cumulative saving of about 110 m³ compared to uncovered reservoirs. These findings provide a reliable and transferable framework for stakeholders such as water authorities and farmers to estimate evaporation losses under partial cover treatments. Overall, this approach enhances water management efficiency and reduces the risk of inaccurate or costly investments in agricultural water harvesting systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 110237"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146777200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Causation, evolution, and multi-level propagation from meteorological to agricultural drought in Inner Mongolia","authors":"Mengmeng Zhang ,&nbsp;Enliang Guo ,&nbsp;Yongfang Wang ,&nbsp;Ha Si ,&nbsp;Xiangqian Li ,&nbsp;Yao Kang ,&nbsp;Xiling Gu ,&nbsp;Pengqi Zhao ,&nbsp;Heng Xu ,&nbsp;Shuixia Zhao ,&nbsp;Shengjie Cui","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110236","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110236","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the context of global warming and intensified human activity, understanding how meteorological drought (MD) propagates to agricultural drought (AD) across different soil depths is essential for improving agricultural production security. Focusing on Inner Mongolia (IM) as the research area, this study employed the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index and standardized soil moisture index at various soil depths (swvl_<em>1</em>-swvl_<em>4</em>) to represent MD and AD, respectively. The Copula function was applied to identify the non-linear propagation relationship between the MD and AD. Additionally, the Theil-Sen median, Mann-Kendall test, moving-window analysis, and wavelet analysis methods were integrated to reveal the spatiotemporal evolutionary trends of MD and AD and their propagation times (PT). Finally, a spatial causal relationship identification framework integrating Shapley Additive Explanations and Causal Forest was constructed to quantitatively assess the mechanisms influencing MD-AD drought PT across vegetation types. The results showed that MD and AD from swvl_<em>1</em> to swvl_<em>4</em> in the central and eastern IM both exhibited a trend of increasing severity, whereas the western region was primarily characterized by a trend toward humidification. The PT of MD and AD from the first to third layers (MD-AD_{<em>swvl1–3</em>}) increased gradually with soil depth, and PT of less than six months primarily concentrated in central Xilingol, northern Hulunbuir, and the western IM. Northwest of Xilingol, MD-AD_{<em>swvl4</em>} exhibited a distinct distribution of shorter PT (&lt; 6 months) than MD-AD_{<em>swvl1–3</em>}. Furthermore, in the desert steppe (DS) and sand land vegetation (SV) areas, MD-AD_{<em>swvl1–2,4</em>} had shorter PT and propagated more rapidly. The spatial extent and magnitude of the influence of human activity factors on MD-AD_{<em>swvl1–4</em>} were greater than those of meteorological factors. With respect to individual factors, CO₂, grazing intensity, potential evaporation, and temperature exhibited effects that prolonged PT in most vegetation types, while surface runoff and total precipitation delayed or shortened PT. However, in the DS and SV region, the direction of these effects shifted with soil depth. For MD-AD_swvl1–2 and MD-AD_swvl4, all influencing factors prolonged the PT in BF and CNF and shortened the PT in DS and SV, respectively. The findings not only enhance the scientific understanding of drought evolution but also have practical implications for safeguarding agricultural and pastoral production and maintaining regional ecological balance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 110236"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146778819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel variable-rate drip irrigation system to improve water use of vegetable crops in semiarid conditions","authors":"M. Morcillo,&nbsp;M.A. Moreno,&nbsp;R. Ballesteros,&nbsp;J.F. Ortega","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110227","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110227","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Irrigation system design and management focus on achieving the highest uniformity across plots. However, plots are not homogeneous and therefore require different irrigation depths in different areas. In this context, variable-rate irrigation systems have emerged as a solution that allows irrigation doses to be adjusted according to intra-plot heterogeneity. This study aimed to develop a commercially viable variable-rate drip irrigation (VRDI) system. The system delivers differentiated application rates across normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived site-specific management zones (SSMZs), while maintaining a single control unit per irrigation sector. Unlike previous VRDI implementations often reported in vineyards and relying on bespoke emitters or complex zoning and control, the proposed design uses standard, commercially available self-compensating driplines with different nominal flow rates, reducing cost and operational complexity. This study was conducted on a 1.65-ha commercial plot of broccoli (<em>Brassica oleracea</em> L<em>.</em> var<em>. italica</em>). A methodology was developed that covered everything from the identification of management zones to the installation of the VRDI system. Two areas with different productive potentials were determined; in the area with the highest potential, 1.6 L/h emitters were used, whereas in the one with the lowest potential, 2.0 L/h emitters were used to increase yield. Results indicate a reduction in the yield gap between zones. In the least productive area fitted with 2.0 L/h emitters, significant differences were observed compared with its control zone. In this area, an increase in yield and water productivity (WP) of 44.1 % and 16.2 %, respectively, was achieved. In conclusion, this VRDI system provides a simple, practical and commercially applicable solution for optimising water use in agriculture, with potential scalability to other crops and regions as a cost-effective tool for farmers and other stakeholders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 110227"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146777207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and testing of a DRAINMOD-based decision-support tool for designing and evaluating saturated buffers","authors":"Yousef Abdalaal ,&nbsp;Ehsan Ghane ,&nbsp;Josué Kpodo ,&nbsp;A. Pouyan Nejadhashemi ,&nbsp;Mohamed A. Youssef ,&nbsp;Anamelechi Falasy ,&nbsp;Manal Askar ,&nbsp;Sheela Katuwal ,&nbsp;Gabriel M. Johnson ,&nbsp;Natalia Rogovska ,&nbsp;Thomas M. Isenhart","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110201","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110201","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Saturated buffers (SBs) are an effective edge-of-field practice for reducing nitrate loads from agricultural drainage, contributing to improved environmental water quality. However, no software currently exists to design SBs based on site-specific conditions or to quantify their environmental benefits. The objective was to develop and test a DRAINMOD-based tool for predicting drainage discharge and nitrate load removal (NLRSB) under local weather, soil, field drainage, and SB characteristics. We present SBTool, a novel decision-support tool that integrates the DRAINMOD hydrologic model with a nitrate-removal module to simulate SB performance. SBTool was validated using field data from two Iowa sites (2014–2022). Model predictions for discharge (QDD), diverted flow (QDP), and NLRSB showed good agreement with observed data. Prediction errors of QDP and NLRSB were only 5.7 % and 6.1 %, respectively, at the eight-year site, and −17.5 % and −13.6 % at the four-year site. Unlike existing design methods, SBTool enables site-specific evaluation and design of SBs, supporting conservation planning and nutrient trading through credible, field-based quantification of nitrate removal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 110201"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146778241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drought-flood abrupt alternation in the Huaibei plain and its impacts on crops","authors":"Chenhui Liang ,&nbsp;Yonghua Zhu ,&nbsp;Haishen Lü ,&nbsp;Yuxin Huang ,&nbsp;Ruixin Xiao ,&nbsp;Yiding Ding ,&nbsp;Yiling Yao ,&nbsp;Yuxuan Li ,&nbsp;Yixuan Li ,&nbsp;Ke Pei ,&nbsp;Tianrun Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110233","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110233","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Drought-Flood Abrupt Alternation (DFAA) poses a severe threat to agricultural systems. While its ultimate detriment to crop yield is widely recognized, the dynamic response mechanisms of crops across different phenological stages remain poorly understood. Focusing on the Huaibei Plain, a critical grain base in China, this study identified flash drought and flood events using daily soil moisture and precipitation data. Furthermore, by utilizing Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and establishing pre- and post-event feature windows, we quantified the impacts of DFAA on the growth vigor of winter wheat and summer maize. The results indicate that: (1) DFAA events are spatially concentrated in the northern hinterland, showing a recent \"rebound\" in frequency alongside shortened durations. (2) These events predominantly occur during the summer maize growing season (95.83 %), particularly in the Filling-Maturity stage. (3) Compared to winter wheat, summer maize exhibits significantly higher sensitivity and lower recoverability. We identified a critical \"physiological elasticity\" threshold (I_min2 approx-1); exceeding this limit leads to irreversible damage due to the synergistic \"double-strike\" of drought and flood. (4) Crucially, anthropogenic interventions (e.g., irrigation) were found to invert the nature of DFAA impacts, converting potential stress into \"water-heat synchronization\" benefits. These findings provide a scientific basis for developing sub-seasonal early warning systems and proactive resource utilization strategies in transitional climate zones.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 110233"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146778057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil water and salt distribution and their controlling factors under mulched drip irrigation: A meta-analysis","authors":"Shiqi Wang ,&nbsp;Jinbiao Liu ,&nbsp;Yalan Liu ,&nbsp;Changyan Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110222","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110222","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mulched drip irrigation (MDI) improves water use efficiency in arid regions, but also leads to heterogeneous soil water and salt distribution. Based on a meta-analysis of 385 soil profiles from 87 publications, we investigated this distribution and its influencing factors. Results showed that soil water heterogeneity in the 0–40 cm layer is negatively correlated with field capacity, positively correlated with sand content, emitter flow and days after irrigation, and affected by climate and crop type. MDI led to salt redistribution rather than leaching, resulting in desalination in the root zone and salt accumulation in bare areas and deeper layers. Specifically, salt accumulation in bare areas was 1.9 times that in root zones, and accumulation in the 40–60 cm layer under the mulch was 1.38 times. This accumulation correlates positively with initial soil salinity and irrigation amount, and negatively with emitter flow. The depth of salt accumulation under the root zone is not strongly influenced by irrigation (saline water irrigation, irrigation amount) or environmental factors (crop type, groundwater level, initial salinity), but is jointly regulated by emitter flow and soil sand content. When sand content is &lt; 50 %, accumulation becomes shallower with higher flow, concentrating at 20–40 cm; at &gt; 50 % sand content, accumulation depth increases with flow. Saline water irrigation resulted in a more uniform salt profile than freshwater but increased overall salinity in the 0–80 cm layer. These findings provide critical insights for optimizing MDI strategies to achieve sustainable agriculture in arid regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 110222"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146161048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drip irrigation threatens the security of farmland shelterbelts in arid and semi-arid regions","authors":"Chen Zhang ,&nbsp;Yingchun Ge ,&nbsp;Xiaobin Li ,&nbsp;Tao Che ,&nbsp;Shaokun Wang ,&nbsp;Salman Zare","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110213","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110213","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water-saving irrigation is widely adopted in arid and semi-arid regions to enhance agricultural water efficiency, yet its ecological impacts on farmland shelterbelts (FSBs) remain unclear. This study integrates multi-source remote sensing and hydrological modeling to assess FSB security in Zhangye City, Northwest China. A Random Forest classifier was applied to Sentinel-1/2 time-series data (2017–2023) to map FSB distribution and quantify coverage change, while GF-2 imagery provided NDVI time series (2015–2024) to evaluate vegetation vitality. Soil moisture dynamics under drip irrigation were simulated using HYDRUS-2D; soil hydraulic parameters were calibrated using in-situ soil moisture observations from the 2017 drip irrigation season (excluding August) and independently validated with observations from the August 2017 irrigation period. Results show that FSB area declined by 38.9 % from 2017 to 2023, and NDVI in drip-irrigated FSBs was 58 % lower than in flood-irrigated counterparts, indicating chronic water stress. However, during the extreme aridity of 2023, drip-irrigated FSBs exhibited 70 % higher drought resilience. Projections suggest a continued annual loss of 1.253 ± 0.30 km² yr^-¹ until completion of high-standard farmland transformation. Simulations and field observations indicate a 43.75 % reduction in root-zone moisture (40–160 cm), limiting lateral water diffusion and shifting FSB water supply toward groundwater dependence, thereby undermining long-term sustainability. These findings highlight the need to incorporate ecological water requirements into irrigation modernization and to develop targeted farmland shelterbelts restoration strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 110213"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146209955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimized water and nitrogen management improves photosynthesis, yield, and resource use efficiency of maize under mulched drip irrigation","authors":"Yi Fan ,&nbsp;Yuyi Zhang ,&nbsp;Zixiang Wang ,&nbsp;Ying Li ,&nbsp;Yang Wang ,&nbsp;Hejing Tang ,&nbsp;Zhandong Liu ,&nbsp;Xingpeng Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110219","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110219","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Photosynthesis underpins crop yield formation, and understanding its response to integrated water-nitrogen management is essential for sustainable agricultural development. While drip fertigation has proven effective in conserving water, enhancing yield and reducing nutrient losses, its regulatory effects on photosynthetic performance of densely-planted maize under plastic-mulched drip irrigation in arid regions remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, a two-year field experiment was conducted from 2024 and 2025 to investigate the combined effects of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization on maize photosynthesis and yield formation, with irrigation amounts ranging from 42.75 to 52.5 mm and nitrogen application rates from 0 to 360 kg ha⁻¹. The results showed that moderate nitrogen application significantly increased relative chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, maximum quantum efficiency, effective quantum yield of PSII, and photochemical quenching, while markedly reducing non-photochemical quenching. These combined effects promoted carbon assimilation and assimilate accumulation, benefiting grain yield formation. However, excessive nitrogen application diminished these beneficial effects. Among all treatments, irrigation with 47.25 mm of water combined with 240 kg ha⁻¹ of nitrogen fertilization was identified as optimal for improving photosynthesis and grain yield, achieving a two-year average yield of 20,873.78 kg ha⁻¹.Compared with conventional fertigation practices used by local farmers, this optimal treatment reduced irrigation water and nitrogen fertilizer inputs by 10.0 % and 33.3 %, respectively, while increasing grain yield, irrigation water use efficiency, and nitrogen partial factor productivity by 18.77 %, 30.56 %, and 78.17 %, respectively. Structural equation modelling revealed that the optimal fertigation enhanced grain yield primarily through increasing photosynthetic capacity and PSII function. A comprehensive evaluation using the TOPSIS method further indicated that the optimal fertigation provided the greatest synergistic benefits in photosynthetic performance, and resource-use efficiency. Overall, this study results demonstrate that optimizing fertigation can synergistically improve photosystem function, resource-use efficiency and crop productivity, they provide practical guidance for sustainable and efficient maize production under drip irrigation in arid regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 110219"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146209921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}