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Agronomy
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Impact of Irrigation or Drainage on Soil Environment and Crop...
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Impact of Irrigation or Drainage on Soil Environment and Crop Growth

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Innovative Cropping Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 392

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Maomao Hou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350000, China
Interests: agricultural water management; irrigation and water use; fertilizers; plant physiology; crop yield and quality; environmental pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water is a core element of soil ecosystems, and its dynamic changes directly affect soil physical structure, chemical properties, and microbial community activity, thereby regulating crop growth, development, yield, and quality formation. Unsuitable irrigation and drainage practices may lead to soil degradation, nutrient loss, salinization, waterlogging, or even increased greenhouse gas emissions, posing serious challenges to sustainable agricultural development. To explore the scientific mechanisms and technological optimization of agricultural water management, this Special Issue focuses on the theme of “Impact of Irrigation and Drainage on Soil Environment and Crop Growth", calling for original research articles and reviews. The aim is to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the efficient use and the ecological security of agricultural water resources worldwide.

Core topics include, but are not limited to, the following directions:

  1. Irrigation/drainage and Soil Environment
  • Effects of irrigation or drainage on soil pore structure, aggregate stability, salt migration, and organic matter transformation.
  • Changes in soil microbial community structure and function under water regulation and their coupling mechanisms with nutrient cycling.
  1. Irrigation/drainage and Crop Growth
  • Impact of different irrigation methods (e.g., drip irrigation, flood irrigation, and subsurface irrigation), water quality (e.g., reclaimed water and non-reclaimed water), or drainage measures on crop root development, photosynthetic efficiency, yield formation, and quality indicators.
  • Correlation analysis between water stress (drought or waterlogging) and crop disease occurrence.
  1. Comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment and Prediction
  •  Pathways and mitigation strategies for nitrogen and phosphorus loss during irrigation or drainage.
  •  Mechanisms driving CH4 and N2O emissions under agricultural water management.
  •  AI-based models for irrigation water quality prediction and pollutant identification.
  •  Dynamic monitoring in drought/waterlogging-prone areas.
  1. Technology Integration and Innovation
  •  Smart monitoring and evaluation of irrigation water use in medium- and large-scale irrigation districts.
  •  Applications of remote sensing and IoT technologies in precision irrigation.
  •  Synergistic regulation strategies for water-saving irrigation and ecological drainage.
  •  Integration of agricultural machinery and agronomic practices in irrigation or drainage.

This Special Issue encourages interdisciplinary research, particularly studies incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as machine learning, remote sensing inversion, and big data analytics. By elucidating the interactions among water, soil, and crops, we aim to advance high-quality development for agricultural irrigation and drainage management.

We sincerely invite researchers to contribute original research or review papers to jointly provide innovative ideas and solutions for a sustainable future in irrigated agriculture.

We look forward to your valuable contributions.

Prof. Dr. Maomao Hou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • irrigation
  • irrigation water quality
  • irrigation water use
  • irrigation with marginal-quality water
  • irrigation district
  • drainage
  • soil environment
  • nutrient loss
  • non-point source pollution
  • greenhouse gases
  • crop growth
  • water use efficiency
  • nutrient use efficiency

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 1391 KB  
Article
Water and Nitrogen Management Drive Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Microbial–Enzyme Activity in Silage Maize Systems in Northwest China
by Niu Zhu, Jianfang Wang, Weiwei Ma, Yu Zhang, Chunyu Li, Wanpeng He and Guang Li
Agronomy 2025, 15(10), 2405; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15102405 - 16 Oct 2025
Abstract
Efficient water and nitrogen management is essential for maintaining soil fertility and achieving sustainable agricultural production, especially in arid oasis regions where soil degradation and nutrient loss are common challenges. However, the interactions between irrigation regimes, nitrogen application, and soil biological processes in [...] Read more.
Efficient water and nitrogen management is essential for maintaining soil fertility and achieving sustainable agricultural production, especially in arid oasis regions where soil degradation and nutrient loss are common challenges. However, the interactions between irrigation regimes, nitrogen application, and soil biological processes in such environments remain insufficiently understood. This study investigated the effects of water and nitrogen management on the sustainability of sandy soil nutrients within the context of the sustainable development goals during silage maize cultivation in the oasis irrigation area of the Hexi Corridor, Northwest China. Four irrigation regimes and five nitrogen management regimes were tested. The results indicate that ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) varied significantly during the jointing stage (W4 treatment), ranging from 3.52 to 16.38 mg/kg (p < 0.05). Nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) exhibited significant differences during the tasseling stage (W1 treatment), with a range of 6.16–21.58 mg/kg (p < 0.05). Soil total phosphorus (STP) gradually declined from early to late growth stages, ranging from 0.20 to 0.97 g/kg. Regarding enzyme activity, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) increased progressively throughout the growth period, with a range of 0.02–0.14 mg/g/d, while urease (URE) showed a declining trend, ranging from 0.25 to 0.66 mg/g/d. Water management exerted a significant negative effect on soil enzyme activity (p < 0.05), while nitrogen fertilization had a minimal impact on soil microbial communities (p > 0.05). Growth stage and irrigation regime are key regulators of the soil–microbe–enzyme activity system. The crop’s nutrient demand cycles and microbially mediated nutrient transformations exhibited strong dependence on growth stage. Enzyme activity is notably and positively affected by nitrogen inputs and plant developmental stages, while microbial biomass is mainly regulated by soil C, N, and P contents and enzyme activities. These findings provide a scientific basis for implementing water-saving irrigation and high-efficiency fertilization strategies in oasis agricultural systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Irrigation or Drainage on Soil Environment and Crop Growth)
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