Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110114
Junid Ahmad , Yunchen Wang , Liguang Zhang , Wasi Ul Hassan Shah , Rizwana Yasmeen , Heshan Sameera Kankanam Pathiranage
Climate change significantly impacts global agricultural productivity, making it essential to examine its precise influence on production efficiency. This study evaluates the impact of climate change on agricultural production efficiency among the global leading agriculture-producing economies from 1990 to 2021. Using a DEA–Malmquist Productivity Index, the study estimates total factor productivity change (TFPC) and decomposes it into efficiency change (EC) and technological change (TC), both without and with explicit climate variables (temperature, precipitation). Average TFPC without climate factors is 1.0428, indicating 4.28 % productivity growth over the period, primarily driven by technological change. When climate variables are incorporated, the average TFPC is 1.0409; the mean difference of −0.0019 (≈ −0.18 %) shows a small but non-negligible climate impact on productivity growth. Regional variations are heterogeneous: South America and Africa exhibit diverse climate impacts, while Oceania shows the least climate effect. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests confirm significant differences in TFPC (and components) between climate and non-climate specifications and across regions. The findings underscore technology's key role in sustaining productivity under climate stress and highlight the need for region-specific adaptation policies to complement technological diffusion.
{"title":"Impact of climate change on agricultural production efficiency in leading agriculture-producing economies: A DEA Malmquist Productivity Index","authors":"Junid Ahmad , Yunchen Wang , Liguang Zhang , Wasi Ul Hassan Shah , Rizwana Yasmeen , Heshan Sameera Kankanam Pathiranage","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110114","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110114","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change significantly impacts global agricultural productivity, making it essential to examine its precise influence on production efficiency. This study evaluates the impact of climate change on agricultural production efficiency among the global leading agriculture-producing economies from 1990 to 2021. Using a DEA–Malmquist Productivity Index, the study estimates total factor productivity change (TFPC) and decomposes it into efficiency change (EC) and technological change (TC), both without and with explicit climate variables (temperature, precipitation). Average TFPC without climate factors is 1.0428, indicating 4.28 % productivity growth over the period, primarily driven by technological change. When climate variables are incorporated, the average TFPC is 1.0409; the mean difference of −0.0019 (≈ −0.18 %) shows a small but non-negligible climate impact on productivity growth. Regional variations are heterogeneous: South America and Africa exhibit diverse climate impacts, while Oceania shows the least climate effect. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests confirm significant differences in TFPC (and components) between climate and non-climate specifications and across regions. The findings underscore technology's key role in sustaining productivity under climate stress and highlight the need for region-specific adaptation policies to complement technological diffusion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"324 ","pages":"Article 110114"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145897861","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}
Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110105
Songbai Wu , Li Chen , Ninglian Wang , Na Wei , Sheng Hu , Haoyue Liu , Tal Svoray , Shmuel Assouline
Edge zones along deep-cut channels in rainfed plateaus are crucial farmlands but suffer persistent soil moisture (SM) reduction that constrain crop productivity. To quantify these dynamics, hourly SM at 10, 40, and 70 cm depths was monitored at three sites (at 3.5, 7, and 11.5 m from the channel edge) during the 2023–2024 apple growing season in the Weibei rainfed Plateau. Results show 8–27 % lower SM in edge zones than inner zones, especially at 40 and 70 cm soil depths, with the strongest impacts during fruit growth stage. Deficits intensified near channel margins due to root uptake by sidewall trees, which consumed 25–43 % of rainfall in growing season. Only heavy rainstorms penetrated deep enough to fully replenish root-zone water, while smaller events provided short-lived relief. The difference in soil water storage (DSWS) between inner and edge zones increased with cumulative reference evapotranspiration and initial DSWS, but declined with greater rainfall depth. In dry years, edge-zone apple trees faced intensified competition from sidewall vegetation, capturing proportionally less rainfall than inner-zone trees. These findings highlight vegetation–rainfall interactions as dominant controls of edge-zone water stress and underscore the need for management strategies that integrate vegetation regulation with rainstorm-mimicking irrigation to sustain orchard productivity in rainfed plateaus.
{"title":"Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture in edge zones along deep-cut channels of rainfed agricultural plateaus","authors":"Songbai Wu , Li Chen , Ninglian Wang , Na Wei , Sheng Hu , Haoyue Liu , Tal Svoray , Shmuel Assouline","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Edge zones along deep-cut channels in rainfed plateaus are crucial farmlands but suffer persistent soil moisture (SM) reduction that constrain crop productivity. To quantify these dynamics, hourly SM at 10, 40, and 70 cm depths was monitored at three sites (at 3.5, 7, and 11.5 m from the channel edge) during the 2023–2024 apple growing season in the Weibei rainfed Plateau. Results show 8–27 % lower SM in edge zones than inner zones, especially at 40 and 70 cm soil depths, with the strongest impacts during fruit growth stage. Deficits intensified near channel margins due to root uptake by sidewall trees, which consumed 25–43 % of rainfall in growing season. Only heavy rainstorms penetrated deep enough to fully replenish root-zone water, while smaller events provided short-lived relief. The difference in soil water storage (DSWS) between inner and edge zones increased with cumulative reference evapotranspiration and initial DSWS, but declined with greater rainfall depth. In dry years, edge-zone apple trees faced intensified competition from sidewall vegetation, capturing proportionally less rainfall than inner-zone trees. These findings highlight vegetation–rainfall interactions as dominant controls of edge-zone water stress and underscore the need for management strategies that integrate vegetation regulation with rainstorm-mimicking irrigation to sustain orchard productivity in rainfed plateaus.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"323 ","pages":"Article 110105"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902319","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}
Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110100
Fatemeh Nadi , Julio Abad-González , David Pérez-Neira
Wheat is a strategic crop of global importance, with a primary function of supplying calories and protein to meet human nutritional needs. In this regard, it is crucial to study the sustainability and the economic viability of this crop in order to improve food security. The central objective of this study is to examine the nexus between water, energy, emissions, food security and economic performance in wheat production (irrigated versus rainfed) in Iran. To this end, data from 96 farms in Gonbad-e Kavus (Golestan Province), collected via structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, were analyzed using a nutritional Life Cycle Assessment approach. An innovative set of eco-efficiency indicators was also applied to assess the energy–emissions–water–food security (EEWFs) nexus, explicitly integrating the economic and nutritional dimensions of wheat production. The analysis revealed substantial trade-offs among the various dimensions examined. Irrigated wheat was more profitable (24 % higher net margin per hectare) with a 21 % higher yield (4990 vs. 4109 kg/ha). However, this system increased non-renewable energy consumption by 55 % and tripled the water footprint (0.88 vs 0.29 m3/kg) (though it did not significantly raise the carbon footprint). Conversely, rainfed wheat showed higher resource efficiency, producing a threefold higher net margin per m3 of water used. By combining nutritional value with environmental productivity criteria, this study provides new insights and offers practical implications for technical, political, and economic planning in sustainable wheat production.
小麦是一种具有全球重要性的战略作物，其主要功能是提供卡路里和蛋白质，以满足人类的营养需求。在这方面，至关重要的是研究这种作物的可持续性和经济可行性，以改善粮食安全。本研究的中心目标是研究伊朗小麦生产（灌溉与雨养）中水、能源、排放、粮食安全和经济绩效之间的关系。为此，通过结构化问卷调查和面对面访谈收集了Gonbad-e Kavus （Golestan省）96个农场的数据，并采用营养生命周期评估方法进行了分析。还应用了一套创新的生态效率指标来评估能源-排放-水-粮食安全（EEWFs）关系，明确地将小麦生产的经济和营养方面结合起来。分析揭示了所检查的各个维度之间的重大权衡。灌溉小麦的利润更高（每公顷净利润率高出24 %），产量高出21 %（4990对4109 公斤/公顷）。然而，该系统增加了55% %的不可再生能源消耗，并使水足迹增加了三倍（0.88 vs 0.29 m3/kg）（尽管它没有显著增加碳足迹）。相反，雨养小麦显示出更高的资源效率，每立方米用水的净边际高出三倍。通过将营养价值与环境生产力标准相结合，本研究提供了新的见解，并为可持续小麦生产的技术、政治和经济规划提供了实际意义。
{"title":"Linking the energy-emissions-water-food security nexus to the economic return of wheat production in Iran: A nutritional LCA approach","authors":"Fatemeh Nadi , Julio Abad-González , David Pérez-Neira","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110100","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110100","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wheat is a strategic crop of global importance, with a primary function of supplying calories and protein to meet human nutritional needs. In this regard, it is crucial to study the sustainability and the economic viability of this crop in order to improve food security. The central objective of this study is to examine the nexus between water, energy, emissions, food security and economic performance in wheat production (irrigated versus rainfed) in Iran. To this end, data from 96 farms in Gonbad-e Kavus (Golestan Province), collected via structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, were analyzed using a nutritional Life Cycle Assessment approach. An innovative set of eco-efficiency indicators was also applied to assess the energy–emissions–water–food security (EEWFs) nexus, explicitly integrating the economic and nutritional dimensions of wheat production. The analysis revealed substantial trade-offs among the various dimensions examined. Irrigated wheat was more profitable (24 % higher net margin per hectare) with a 21 % higher yield (4990 vs. 4109 kg/ha). However, this system increased non-renewable energy consumption by 55 % and tripled the water footprint (0.88 vs 0.29 m<sup>3</sup>/kg) (though it did not significantly raise the carbon footprint). Conversely, rainfed wheat showed higher resource efficiency, producing a threefold higher net margin per m<sup>3</sup> of water used. By combining nutritional value with environmental productivity criteria, this study provides new insights and offers practical implications for technical, political, and economic planning in sustainable wheat production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"323 ","pages":"Article 110100"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902321","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}
Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110061
Xianguan Chen , Huiqing Bai , Mengqi Fu , Wenran Yu , Yabo Sun , Xueqing Ma , Liping Feng
The significant spatial variability of precipitation in China's main producing regions of winter wheat is a major factor determining irrigation water supply. Previous research on determining optimal irrigation for winter wheat in the main producing regions of China (MPC) based on crop models has primarily relied on single-model approaches, with limited discussion on growth-stage-specific water supply and inherent model uncertainties. This study systematically evaluated region-specific irrigation indicators for winter wheat under different precipitation patterns across the MPC sub-regions by establishing a Wheat Model Algorithm Integration Platform (WMAIP) and employing a composite indicator that integrates high stability coefficients for yield and water productivity (WP). Irrigation significantly enhanced winter wheat yields throughout the MPC. The highest improvements were observed in the northern region under dry conditions, where yields increased by up to 90 %, compared to less than 20 % in the south. During dry years, the highest WP values under irrigation were achieved in the northern and central regions, ranging from 1.56 to 1.85 kg·m⁻³ . In contrast, rainfed conditions in the southern region resulted in the highest WP across the MPC, reaching 1.88–2.06 kg·m⁻³ . By integrating a high-yield stability coefficient (Y-HSC) and a high-WP stability coefficient (WP-HSC), the optimal total water supply was determined to be 237–416 mm (mean 319 mm), 231–393 mm (mean 309 mm), and 214–388 mm (mean 299 mm) for dry, normal, and wet years, respectively. The corresponding irrigation indicators ranged from 6 to 335 mm (mean 191 mm), 0 to 257 mm (mean 126 mm), and 0 to 176 mm (mean 57 mm) for dry, normal, and wet years, respectively. Moreover, the optimal water supply was strongly correlated (R² = 0.96) with the gap between potential evapotranspiration and available soil water, underscoring its value as a predictive indicator for water management. These findings underscore the critical importance of developing differentiated irrigation strategies tailored to regional and precipitation-specific conditions.
{"title":"Optimal water supply and irrigation indicators for winter wheat in the main producing regions of China: Insights from the WMAIP integrated model","authors":"Xianguan Chen , Huiqing Bai , Mengqi Fu , Wenran Yu , Yabo Sun , Xueqing Ma , Liping Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The significant spatial variability of precipitation in China's main producing regions of winter wheat is a major factor determining irrigation water supply. Previous research on determining optimal irrigation for winter wheat in the main producing regions of China (MPC) based on crop models has primarily relied on single-model approaches, with limited discussion on growth-stage-specific water supply and inherent model uncertainties. This study systematically evaluated region-specific irrigation indicators for winter wheat under different precipitation patterns across the MPC sub-regions by establishing a Wheat Model Algorithm Integration Platform (WMAIP) and employing a composite indicator that integrates high stability coefficients for yield and water productivity (WP). Irrigation significantly enhanced winter wheat yields throughout the MPC. The highest improvements were observed in the northern region under dry conditions, where yields increased by up to 90 %, compared to less than 20 % in the south. During dry years, the highest WP values under irrigation were achieved in the northern and central regions, ranging from 1.56 to 1.85 kg·m⁻³ . In contrast, rainfed conditions in the southern region resulted in the highest WP across the MPC, reaching 1.88–2.06 kg·m⁻³ . By integrating a high-yield stability coefficient (Y-HSC) and a high-WP stability coefficient (WP-HSC), the optimal total water supply was determined to be 237–416 mm (mean 319 mm), 231–393 mm (mean 309 mm), and 214–388 mm (mean 299 mm) for dry, normal, and wet years, respectively. The corresponding irrigation indicators ranged from 6 to 335 mm (mean 191 mm), 0 to 257 mm (mean 126 mm), and 0 to 176 mm (mean 57 mm) for dry, normal, and wet years, respectively. Moreover, the optimal water supply was strongly correlated (R² = 0.96) with the gap between potential evapotranspiration and available soil water, underscoring its value as a predictive indicator for water management. These findings underscore the critical importance of developing differentiated irrigation strategies tailored to regional and precipitation-specific conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"323 ","pages":"Article 110061"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902382","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}
Border irrigation remains the most widely adopted surface irrigation method for row crops globally and is also extensively used in the Padana Plain (Italy), particularly for forage crops. In the Lombardy region, observations indicate that irrigation volumes can reach up to 3000 m³ /ha per event, often leading to excessive and inefficient water use. Given the ongoing decline in surface water availability, such practices are considered unsustainable in the long term. However, it is also unfeasible to replace them with more hard-path irrigation systems everywhere. In this context, a more realistic approach is to focus on optimizing irrigation scheduling and field layout, which can significantly reduce water consumption in gravity-fed surface irrigation. This study explores the water-saving potential of geometric reconfiguration in a 1.9-hectare, irregularly shaped, closed-end field in the Padana Plain, which is traditionally irrigated with an average volume of 2600 m³ /ha per irrigation event. High-resolution topographic data and the two-dimensional hydrodynamic model IrriSurf2D were used to simulate various land preparation scenarios, including strip subdivision and irrigation timing adjustments. Field implementation of the strip layout alone led to a 34 % reduction in water use, while model-based optimization of the irrigation durations suggested the potential for a total savings of up to 42 %. These findings demonstrate that precision surface irrigation strategies can significantly enhance the sustainability of border irrigation, even in complex field geometries, without abandoning traditional practices.
{"title":"Impact of strip subdivision on water conservation in border irrigation for irregularly shaped fields","authors":"Fabiola Gangi , Carmelina Costanzo , Margherita Lombardo , Pierfranco Costabile , Cosimo Peruzzi , Claudio Gandolfi , Daniele Masseroni","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110101","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110101","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Border irrigation remains the most widely adopted surface irrigation method for row crops globally and is also extensively used in the Padana Plain (Italy), particularly for forage crops. In the Lombardy region, observations indicate that irrigation volumes can reach up to 3000 m³ /ha per event, often leading to excessive and inefficient water use. Given the ongoing decline in surface water availability, such practices are considered unsustainable in the long term. However, it is also unfeasible to replace them with more hard-path irrigation systems everywhere. In this context, a more realistic approach is to focus on optimizing irrigation scheduling and field layout, which can significantly reduce water consumption in gravity-fed surface irrigation. This study explores the water-saving potential of geometric reconfiguration in a 1.9-hectare, irregularly shaped, closed-end field in the Padana Plain, which is traditionally irrigated with an average volume of 2600 m³ /ha per irrigation event. High-resolution topographic data and the two-dimensional hydrodynamic model IrriSurf2D were used to simulate various land preparation scenarios, including strip subdivision and irrigation timing adjustments. Field implementation of the strip layout alone led to a 34 % reduction in water use, while model-based optimization of the irrigation durations suggested the potential for a total savings of up to 42 %. These findings demonstrate that <em>precision surface irrigation</em> strategies can significantly enhance the sustainability of border irrigation, even in complex field geometries, without abandoning traditional practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"323 ","pages":"Article 110101"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902385","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}
Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110116
Francesca Gaggia, Mauro De Feudis, Elia Pagliarini, William Trenti, Diana Di Gioia, Livia Vittori Antisari
Water from artificial canals in reclaimed floodplains is primarily used for crop irrigation; however, its quality is often compromised by chemical and microbial hazards, which may pose a threat to crop safety and quality. The main objectives of the present work were a) to analyse the chemical and microbial properties of water in a network of artificial canals; b) to identify the relationships among such parameters; and c) to detect spatial shifts in water quality (upstream and downstream) along some key canals. The canals were grouped into four sectors based on water origin: Sector A (urban), Sector B (wastewater treatment plants), Sector C (rural), and the Canale Emiliano Romagnolo (CER, Po River). The three years data showed a concentration decrease of most of the chemical targets, with the following order, sector B > sector A > sector C > CER. For microbial parameters, Sectors A and B exhibited higher biological pollution than Sector C and CER. Results were generally under the Italian legislation limits for water reuse. The multiple linear regression models revealed a generally positive correlation between microbial populations and sectors influenced by urban activities (Sectors A and B), while the relationships between microbial populations and chemical properties were less clear. Sodium adsorption ratio was the main parameter distinguishing canals in Sector B, whereas canals in sector A were characterized by overall higher P–PO₄ and N–NO₃ concentrations compared to sector C and CER. Upstream-downstream comparison generally indicated either stable or improved water quality, with the exception of a canal affected by the intrusion of poor-quality water. Overall, this study demonstrates that wastewater likely plays a dominant role in shaping water quality within artificial floodplain canals, highlighting the pronounced vulnerability of these canals to point-source pollution.
填海洪泛平原的人工水渠的水主要用于作物灌溉；然而，其质量往往受到化学和微生物危害的影响，这可能对作物安全和质量构成威胁。目前工作的主要目标是a)分析人工运河网络中水的化学和微生物特性；B)确定这些参数之间的关系；c)检测一些主要渠道（上游和下游）水质的空间变化。运河根据水源分为四个部分：A区（城市），B区（污水处理厂），C区（农村）和Canale Emiliano Romagnolo （CER，波河）。三年数据显示，大部分化学靶点浓度下降，顺序为：B >； a >； C >； CER。在微生物参数方面，A区和B区生物污染程度高于C区和CER。结果一般符合意大利立法对水再利用的限制。多元线性回归模型显示，微生物种群与受城市活动影响的部门（部门a和部门B）之间普遍呈正相关，而微生物种群与化学性质之间的关系不太清楚。钠吸附比是区分B区管道的主要参数，而A区管道的P-PO₄和N-NO₃浓度总体上高于C区和CER区。上下游比较一般表明水质稳定或改善，但受劣质水入侵影响的运河除外。总体而言，本研究表明，废水可能在人工洪泛平原沟渠内的水质形成中起主导作用，突出了这些沟渠对点源污染的明显脆弱性。
{"title":"Water quality of artificial canals used for agricultural purposes affected by urban and agricultural activities through a chemical and microbial perspective","authors":"Francesca Gaggia, Mauro De Feudis, Elia Pagliarini, William Trenti, Diana Di Gioia, Livia Vittori Antisari","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110116","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110116","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water from artificial canals in reclaimed floodplains is primarily used for crop irrigation; however, its quality is often compromised by chemical and microbial hazards, which may pose a threat to crop safety and quality. The main objectives of the present work were a) to analyse the chemical and microbial properties of water in a network of artificial canals; b) to identify the relationships among such parameters; and c) to detect spatial shifts in water quality (upstream and downstream) along some key canals. The canals were grouped into four sectors based on water origin: Sector A (urban), Sector B (wastewater treatment plants), Sector C (rural), and the Canale Emiliano Romagnolo (CER, Po River). The three years data showed a concentration decrease of most of the chemical targets, with the following order, sector B > sector A > sector C > CER. For microbial parameters, Sectors A and B exhibited higher biological pollution than Sector C and CER. Results were generally under the Italian legislation limits for water reuse. The multiple linear regression models revealed a generally positive correlation between microbial populations and sectors influenced by urban activities (Sectors A and B), while the relationships between microbial populations and chemical properties were less clear. Sodium adsorption ratio was the main parameter distinguishing canals in Sector B, whereas canals in sector A were characterized by overall higher P–PO₄ and N–NO₃ concentrations compared to sector C and CER. Upstream-downstream comparison generally indicated either stable or improved water quality, with the exception of a canal affected by the intrusion of poor-quality water. Overall, this study demonstrates that wastewater likely plays a dominant role in shaping water quality within artificial floodplain canals, highlighting the pronounced vulnerability of these canals to point-source pollution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"324 ","pages":"Article 110116"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145897889","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}
Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110098
Zhiwei Tang , Xin Zhang , Xiangcheng Zhu , Aixing Deng , Haotian Chen , Kees Jan van Groenigen , Jun Zhang , Fu Chen , Weijian Zhang
Water management significantly impacts methane (CH4) emissions from paddy fields and cadmium (Cd) accumulation in rice grains through often opposing mechanisms, presenting a complex challenge in optimizing practices to simultaneously mitigate both issues. Through comprehensive field observations across four irrigation regimes over three consecutive planting seasons (i.e., the late rice, early rice, and late rice), along with a pot experiment, we developed an innovative strategy that effectively reduces CH4 emissions and Cd levels while maintaining optimal rice yields. The CTFG treatment—an optimized approach combining controlled irrigation (CI) during rice tillering stage with continuous flooding (CF) during rice grain-filling stage—demonstrated remarkable consistent efficacy over the three seasons. Compared to high-yielding irrigation practice, this regime achieved a 33 % reduction in CH4 emissions and a 42 % decrease in Cd content in brown rice, without compromising rice yield. Furthermore, when benchmarked against specialized irrigation regimes, CTFG outperformed a Cd-minimizing regime by reducing CH4 emissions by 39 % and surpassed a CH4-reducing regime by lowering Cd levels in brown rice by 40 %, while maintaining comparable performance in each targeted area. Mechanistic studies revealed that the tillering and grain-filling stages play pivotal roles in regulating CH4 emissions and Cd content, respectively. CI implementation during tillering stage effectively suppressed methanogen activity while enhancing methanotroph populations, thereby significantly reducing CH4 emissions. Conversely, CF during grain-filling stage decreased soil redox potential and promoted sulfate-reducing bacteria, consequently limiting Cd mobility and its subsequent uptake by rice plants. The results of pot experiments further demonstrated the positive effect of CTFG regime in reducing emissions and cadmium levels, thereby confirming the efficacy of this approach. These findings provide valuable scientific insights for developing more sustainable rice production systems through optimized water management strategies. The CTFG approach represents a significant advancement in balancing environmental protection and food safety concerns in rice cultivation.
{"title":"Optimizing water management in paddy fields can simultaneously reduce methane emissions and cadmium accumulation in rice","authors":"Zhiwei Tang , Xin Zhang , Xiangcheng Zhu , Aixing Deng , Haotian Chen , Kees Jan van Groenigen , Jun Zhang , Fu Chen , Weijian Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110098","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110098","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water management significantly impacts methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) emissions from paddy fields and cadmium (Cd) accumulation in rice grains through often opposing mechanisms, presenting a complex challenge in optimizing practices to simultaneously mitigate both issues. Through comprehensive field observations across four irrigation regimes over three consecutive planting seasons (i.e., the late rice, early rice, and late rice), along with a pot experiment, we developed an innovative strategy that effectively reduces CH<sub>4</sub> emissions and Cd levels while maintaining optimal rice yields. The CTFG treatment—an optimized approach combining controlled irrigation (CI) during rice tillering stage with continuous flooding (CF) during rice grain-filling stage—demonstrated remarkable consistent efficacy over the three seasons. Compared to high-yielding irrigation practice, this regime achieved a 33 % reduction in CH<sub>4</sub> emissions and a 42 % decrease in Cd content in brown rice, without compromising rice yield. Furthermore, when benchmarked against specialized irrigation regimes, CTFG outperformed a Cd-minimizing regime by reducing CH<sub>4</sub> emissions by 39 % and surpassed a CH<sub>4</sub>-reducing regime by lowering Cd levels in brown rice by 40 %, while maintaining comparable performance in each targeted area. Mechanistic studies revealed that the tillering and grain-filling stages play pivotal roles in regulating CH<sub>4</sub> emissions and Cd content, respectively. CI implementation during tillering stage effectively suppressed methanogen activity while enhancing methanotroph populations, thereby significantly reducing CH<sub>4</sub> emissions. Conversely, CF during grain-filling stage decreased soil redox potential and promoted sulfate-reducing bacteria, consequently limiting Cd mobility and its subsequent uptake by rice plants. The results of pot experiments further demonstrated the positive effect of CTFG regime in reducing emissions and cadmium levels, thereby confirming the efficacy of this approach. These findings provide valuable scientific insights for developing more sustainable rice production systems through optimized water management strategies. The CTFG approach represents a significant advancement in balancing environmental protection and food safety concerns in rice cultivation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"323 ","pages":"Article 110098"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902398","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}
Accurate estimation of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) is crucial for effective water resource management and optimizing agricultural yields. While satellite-based surface energy balance ETa models are widely adopted, their field-scale accuracy in under-researched regions, such as Iran, remains a critical knowledge gap. This study assesses five prominent models—PySEBAL, PyMETRIC, SSEBop, PyTSEB, and ETLook (from FAO’s WaPOR v.2, L1 product)—for daily ETa estimation over an alfalfa field in the arid central part of Iran. Models were adjusted for the field using in situ weather data and Landsat-8 images, and validated against the scintillometer data. Results showed SSEBop provided the most accurate ETa estimates (KGE = 0.83), closely followed by PyMETRIC, TSEB, and PySEBAL (KGEs ≥ 0.73). Conversely, ETLook performed poorly and failed to capture spatial ETa variations. A significant performance enhancement was achieved (RMSE= 0.34 mm day⁻¹ and KGE= 0.90) by an ensemble mean of models. We further demonstrate that two-source ETa models do not inherently outperform one-source models, likely due to greater parameter uncertainty. We emphasize the importance of considering irrigation, harvest, and oasis effects for accurate model application. All evaluated models, except ETLook, were found to meet the recommended accuracies for on-farm irrigation management. This study sheds light on the selection of sophisticated field-scale ETa models for agricultural water management, while considering the dynamism of irrigation and harvest. Our findings provide critical insights for the operational application of remote sensing ETa models and promoting smart agriculture in arid agricultural settings.
准确估算实际蒸散量对于有效的水资源管理和优化农业产量至关重要。虽然基于卫星的地表能量平衡ETa模型被广泛采用，但在伊朗等研究不足的地区，它们的现场尺度精度仍然是一个关键的知识缺口。本研究评估了五个主要模型——pysebal、PyMETRIC、SSEBop、pyseb和ETLook（来自粮农组织的WaPOR v.2， L1产品）——用于对伊朗中部干旱地区紫花苜蓿田的每日ETa估计。利用现场气象数据和Landsat-8图像对模型进行了调整，并根据闪烁仪数据进行了验证。结果显示，SSEBop提供最准确的ETa估计（KGE = 0.83）， PyMETRIC、TSEB和PySEBAL紧随其后（KGE≥0.73）。相反，ETLook表现不佳，未能捕获空间ETa变化。通过模型的整体平均值，实现了显着的性能增强（RMSE= 0.34 mm day⁻¹和KGE= 0.90）。我们进一步证明，可能由于更大的参数不确定性，双源ETa模型本质上并不优于单源模型。我们强调了考虑灌溉、收获和绿洲效应对精确模型应用的重要性。除ETLook外，所有评估模型均满足农田灌溉管理的推荐精度。本研究在考虑灌溉和收获动态的同时，揭示了复杂的农田尺度农业水管理ETa模型的选择。我们的研究结果为遥感ETa模型的业务应用和促进干旱农业环境下的智慧农业提供了重要见解。
{"title":"Preliminary evaluation of remote sensing evapotranspiration models for field-scale agricultural water management in arid central Iran","authors":"Somayeh Sima , Iman Raissi Dehkordi , Mohammadhosein Taghikhani , Neamat Karimi","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110084","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110084","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate estimation of actual evapotranspiration (ET<sub>a</sub>) is crucial for effective water resource management and optimizing agricultural yields. While satellite-based surface energy balance ET<sub>a</sub> models are widely adopted, their field-scale accuracy in under-researched regions, such as Iran, remains a critical knowledge gap. This study assesses five prominent models—PySEBAL, PyMETRIC, SSEBop, PyTSEB, and ETLook (from FAO’s WaPOR v.2, L1 product)—for daily ET<sub>a</sub> estimation over an alfalfa field in the arid central part of Iran. Models were adjusted for the field using in situ weather data and Landsat-8 images, and validated against the scintillometer data. Results showed SSEBop provided the most accurate ET<sub>a</sub> estimates (KGE = 0.83), closely followed by PyMETRIC, TSEB, and PySEBAL (KGEs ≥ 0.73). Conversely, ETLook performed poorly and failed to capture spatial ET<sub>a</sub> variations. A significant performance enhancement was achieved (RMSE= 0.34 mm day⁻¹ and KGE= 0.90) by an ensemble mean of models. We further demonstrate that two-source ET<sub>a</sub> models do not inherently outperform one-source models, likely due to greater parameter uncertainty. We emphasize the importance of considering irrigation, harvest, and oasis effects for accurate model application. All evaluated models, except ETLook, were found to meet the recommended accuracies for on-farm irrigation management. This study sheds light on the selection of sophisticated field-scale ET<sub>a</sub> models for agricultural water management, while considering the dynamism of irrigation and harvest. Our findings provide critical insights for the operational application of remote sensing ET<sub>a</sub> models and promoting smart agriculture in arid agricultural settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"323 ","pages":"Article 110084"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938774","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}
Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110112
M. Gallardo , J. Salinas , M.T. Peña-Fleitas , M. López-Martín , F.M. Padilla , R.B. Thompson
The salinity-nitrate (NO3-) leaching paradox is an increasingly important issue in soil-grown intensive vegetable production systems in drier regions. Traditional management of either salinity or NO3- leaching promotes the other. This is an issue in the greenhouse vegetable production system of Almeria where legislation requires reduced NO3- leaching and on-going salinisation of aquifer water, used for irrigation, is an increasingly serious problem. In this cropping system, complete nutrient solutions (NS) are applied in every irrigation (every 1–4 days), most N is applied as NO3-. A management strategy, called Leaching Fraction of Water and Reduced N (LF-W&RN) developed to deal with this paradox was examined in two greenhouse-grown sweet pepper crops. After the EC of the soil solution (ECss) had increased to a specified maximum threshold value, a leaching fraction (LF) of water was applied immediately prior to each irrigation with NS. Concurrently, the [NO3-] of the NS was reduced to 50 %. This was restored to 100 % when monitoring of crop N status, using petiole sap [NO3-], indicated imminent N deficiency. This management strategy was compared with: (i) application of a LF of water before every irrigation with NS throughout the crop (CLF-W), (ii) application of a LF of NS with all NS irrigations after the threshold ECss was reached (LF-NS), and (iv) the control where no LF was applied (CT). With LF-W&RN unlike other strategies, ECss was always within or very close to the threshold ECss, and appreciably less N was applied. Additionally, appreciably less N was leached and accumulated in soil as mineral N. Yield and fruit quality were very similar for the four strategies in the two crops. The results with the LF-W&RN strategy incorporating on-going monitoring of soil salinity and crop N status can be regarded as “proof of concept” of an effective general approach for dealing with the salinity-NO3- leaching paradox in intensive vegetable production.
{"title":"Overcoming the salinity and nitrate leaching paradox in soil-grown pepper in mediterranean greenhouses","authors":"M. Gallardo , J. Salinas , M.T. Peña-Fleitas , M. López-Martín , F.M. Padilla , R.B. Thompson","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110112","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110112","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The salinity-nitrate (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>) leaching paradox is an increasingly important issue in soil-grown intensive vegetable production systems in drier regions. Traditional management of either salinity or NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> leaching promotes the other. This is an issue in the greenhouse vegetable production system of Almeria where legislation requires reduced NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> leaching and on-going salinisation of aquifer water, used for irrigation, is an increasingly serious problem. In this cropping system, complete nutrient solutions (NS) are applied in every irrigation (every 1–4 days), most N is applied as NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>. A management strategy, called Leaching Fraction of Water and Reduced N (LF-W&RN) developed to deal with this paradox was examined in two greenhouse-grown sweet pepper crops. After the EC of the soil solution (EC<sub>ss</sub>) had increased to a specified maximum threshold value, a leaching fraction (LF) of water was applied immediately prior to each irrigation with NS. Concurrently, the [NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>] of the NS was reduced to 50 %. This was restored to 100 % when monitoring of crop N status, using petiole sap [NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>], indicated imminent N deficiency. This management strategy was compared with: (i) application of a LF of water before every irrigation with NS throughout the crop (CLF-W), (ii) application of a LF of NS with all NS irrigations after the threshold EC<sub>ss</sub> was reached (LF-NS), and (iv) the control where no LF was applied (CT). With LF-W&RN unlike other strategies, EC<sub>ss</sub> was always within or very close to the threshold EC<sub>ss</sub>, and appreciably less N was applied. Additionally, appreciably less N was leached and accumulated in soil as mineral N. Yield and fruit quality were very similar for the four strategies in the two crops. The results with the LF-W&RN strategy incorporating on-going monitoring of soil salinity and crop N status can be regarded as “proof of concept” of an effective general approach for dealing with the salinity-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> leaching paradox in intensive vegetable production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"324 ","pages":"Article 110112"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145941092","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}
Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110121
Xueyin Zhao , Sihang Zhou , Chi Tang , Zumei Chen , Yang Yang , Conglin Wu , Yuanlai Cui , Yufeng Luo
Optimizing water management patterns significantly enhances water−use efficiency in multi-source irrigation districts. Current research remains limited on optimizing multi-water source allocation within irrigation systems. Therefore, taking a typical multi-source irrigation district (Yangshudang watershed) in southern China as a case study, a ditch−canal−pond−reservoir system water balance simulation model (Ds-WBM) was constructed to quantitatively analyze the difference in water source use between 2021 and 2022, and a simulation−optimization framework based on the Ds-WBM was developed to optimize the regulation pattern of multiple water sources in the irrigation district. The results revealed significant spatial differences in the use of irrigation water sources in the irrigation district, which were primarily driven by topographic conditions and irrigation water source configuration. Optimized allocation under varying conditions reduced irrigation costs by up to 30.95 % and increased return flow reuse by up to 14.30 %, with future rainfall scenarios outperforming current conditions. The proposed optimal regulation pattern of water resources can provide a practical option for local irrigation district managers and farmers to improve irrigation water use efficiency and reduce irrigation costs.
{"title":"Optimal regulation pattern of water resources in a multi-source irrigation system in southern China","authors":"Xueyin Zhao , Sihang Zhou , Chi Tang , Zumei Chen , Yang Yang , Conglin Wu , Yuanlai Cui , Yufeng Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110121","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110121","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Optimizing water management patterns significantly enhances water−use efficiency in multi-source irrigation districts. Current research remains limited on optimizing multi-water source allocation within irrigation systems. Therefore, taking a typical multi-source irrigation district (Yangshudang watershed) in southern China as a case study, a ditch−canal−pond−reservoir system water balance simulation model (Ds-WBM) was constructed to quantitatively analyze the difference in water source use between 2021 and 2022, and a simulation−optimization framework based on the Ds-WBM was developed to optimize the regulation pattern of multiple water sources in the irrigation district. The results revealed significant spatial differences in the use of irrigation water sources in the irrigation district, which were primarily driven by topographic conditions and irrigation water source configuration. Optimized allocation under varying conditions reduced irrigation costs by up to 30.95 % and increased return flow reuse by up to 14.30 %, with future rainfall scenarios outperforming current conditions. The proposed optimal regulation pattern of water resources can provide a practical option for local irrigation district managers and farmers to improve irrigation water use efficiency and reduce irrigation costs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"324 ","pages":"Article 110121"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145941093","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}
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