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Agronomy
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Saline Water Irrigation in Agriculture
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Saline Water Irrigation in Agriculture

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Use and Irrigation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 10221

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiaobin Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhongguancun South Street 12, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: saline water irrigation; salt-affected soils; agricultural utilization of saline land; vegetation construction in saline land; plant salinity stress
Dr. Junpeng Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China
Interests: irrigation water salinity; long-term irrigation with saline water; water use efficiency; crop growth and yield; water consumption; exogenous substances
Dr. Songrui Ning

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Interests: soil water and salt balance; irrigation schedule; leaching fraction; modeling; salinity risk; water-salt-fertilizer coupling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As an important water resource on Earth, saline water is particularly important to agricultural production and regional social development in areas with a shortage of freshwater resources. Reasonable saline water irrigation can not only achieve a certain yield but also significantly improve the quality of agricultural products. At present, water salinity higher than 5g/L in some regions has been successfully used for irrigation. The threshold values of saline water irrigation for some major crops have also been determined through experiments, and drip irrigation has been considered to be the most effective method of irrigation with saline water. However, in practical applications, significant differences have been obtained for saline water irrigation due to the influence of water quality, climate, soil type, crop varieties, irrigation systems and methods, and other factors. This proposed Special Issue of Agronomy will enhance people's understanding of the theory, methods, technologies, and models of saline water irrigation in agricultural production and promote the exchange of relevant research and experience, especially to provide technical support for agricultural production for food security in the world today. In this Special Issue, we aim to exchange knowledge on any aspect related to saline water irrigation in agriculture. Research papers, communications, and review articles are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Xiaobin Li
Dr. Junpeng Zhang
Guest Editors

Dr. Songrui Ning
Guest Editor Assistant

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

  • saline water
  • irrigation
  • soil salinity
  • soil properties
  • soil biochemistry
  • soil microbes
  • crop growth and yield
  • threshold values
  • crop quality
  • modeling

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2575 KiB  
Article
Impact of Phosphogypsum Application on Fungal Community Structure and Soil Health in Saline–Alkali-Affected Paddy Fields
by Guanru Lu, Zhonghui Feng, Yang Xu, Yangyang Jin, Guohui Zhang, Jiafeng Hu, Tianhe Yu, Mingming Wang, Miao Liu, Haoyu Yang, Weiqiang Li and Zhengwei Liang
Agronomy 2023, 13(11), 2726; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13112726 - 29 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1189
Abstract
Modifying saline–alkali soil is crucial for ensuring food security and expanding arable land. Microorganisms play a key role in driving various biochemical processes in agricultural ecosystems. However, limited information exists on the changes in the microbial community and soil structure in soda saline-alkali [...] Read more.
Modifying saline–alkali soil is crucial for ensuring food security and expanding arable land. Microorganisms play a key role in driving various biochemical processes in agricultural ecosystems. However, limited information exists on the changes in the microbial community and soil structure in soda saline-alkali soil under modified conditions. In this study, we examined the changes in soil physicochemical properties of saline–alkali soil altered by rice planting alone and by combined application of phosphogypsum in the Songnen Plain. The results demonstrated that phosphogypsum significantly improved the soil’s physicochemical properties; it notably reduced salinity and alkalinity while enhancing nutrient structure. Additionally, the utilization efficiency of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) increased. Fungal community diversity also significantly improved, influenced mainly by soil water content (SWC), total organic carbon (TOC), soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN) and sodium ion (Na+). TOC, SOM, TN, ESP, and Na+ served as the primary drivers affecting the fungal community. Our findings indicate that combining rice planting with phosphogypsum application effectively modifies saline–alkali soil, regulates fungal community structure, and enhances long-term soil health. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of phosphogypsum on saline–alkali soil persist for persists for several years, largely owing to its role in promoting microbial community growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saline Water Irrigation in Agriculture)
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18 pages, 5530 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study of the Priming Effect of Abscisic Acid on Tolerance to Saline and Alkaline Stresses in Rice Seedlings
by Zhonghui Feng, Guanru Lu, Miao Sun, Yangyang Jin, Yang Xu, Xiaolong Liu, Mingming Wang, Miao Liu, Haoyu Yang, Yi Guan, Tianhe Yu, Jiafeng Hu, Zhiming Xie, Weiqiang Li and Zhengwei Liang
Agronomy 2023, 13(11), 2698; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13112698 - 26 Oct 2023
Viewed by 893
Abstract
The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) regulates the plant response to environmental stress; therefore, ABA priming is an effective strategy for enhancing stress tolerance in rice. In this study, we investigated the priming effects of 1 and 5 µM ABA on the biochemical [...] Read more.
The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) regulates the plant response to environmental stress; therefore, ABA priming is an effective strategy for enhancing stress tolerance in rice. In this study, we investigated the priming effects of 1 and 5 µM ABA on the biochemical and physiological traits associated with seedling growth performance in two rice cultivars exposed to saline (100 mM NaCl) and alkaline (15 mM Na2CO3) stress via root drenching. ABA pretreatment effectively reduced damage in rice seedlings by mitigating the increases in Na+/K+ ratio, membrane injury, contents of Na+, malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anion radical, and prevented reductions in K+ and total chlorophyll contents, and ROS-related enzyme activities in both cultivars under saline and alkaline stresses. Rice seedlings with ABA pretreatment under alkaline stress had a stronger ability to maintain ion homeostasis, eliminate ROS, and induce changes in endogenous ABA levels via the upregulation of OsHKT1;5, OsSOS1, OsNHX5, OsPOX1, OsCATA, OsNCED3, OsSalT, and OsWsi18 and downregulation of OsRbohA than under saline stress. The saline–alkaline (SA)-sensitive cultivar demonstrated greater sensitivity to the priming effect of ABA than that of the SA-tolerant cultivar under both stress conditions. These findings have implications for rice adaptation to SA soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saline Water Irrigation in Agriculture)
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18 pages, 2312 KiB  
Article
Irrigation Salinity Affects Water Infiltration and Hydraulic Parameters of Red Soil
by Shuai Tan, Xinyue Su, Xi Jiang, Wangxing Yao, Shaomin Chen, Qiliang Yang and Songrui Ning
Agronomy 2023, 13(10), 2627; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13102627 - 17 Oct 2023
Viewed by 871
Abstract
Unconventional water resources (e.g., saline water, etc.) for irrigation as a promising supplementary water source can alleviate the freshwater shortage in the agriculture of red soil areas in Southern China. It should be noted that the presence of soluble salt in this water [...] Read more.
Unconventional water resources (e.g., saline water, etc.) for irrigation as a promising supplementary water source can alleviate the freshwater shortage in the agriculture of red soil areas in Southern China. It should be noted that the presence of soluble salt in this water source may have detrimental influences on soil water infiltration and crop growth. Understanding the effect of unconventional water irrigation (UWI) on water infiltration in red soil is important. Previous studies have shown that the salinity of UWI can alter soil hydraulic properties to change soil water movement in saline soils. However, the underlying mechanism and factors of water infiltration in red soil under UWI with different salinity levels remain limited. Therefore, a laboratory experiment (one-dimensional vertical infiltration experiment and centrifuge method) was conducted to evaluate the effect of UWI with different salinity levels [0 (the distilled water, CK), 1 (S1), 2 (S2), 3 (S3), 5 (S5), and 10 (S10) g L−1] on the soil water infiltration process, soil water characteristic curve (SWCC), soil water constants estimated using the SWCC, saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (KS and K) as well as the soil chemistry of soil profile [pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and Na+ and Cl− contents]. The primary factors of soil water infiltration were identified using stepwise regression and path analysis methods. The results showed that UWI salinity decreased water infiltration by 1.53–7.99% at the end of infiltration in red soil, following the order of CK > S1 > S5 > S2 > S3 > S10. Moreover, UWI could enhance soil water availability with an increase of 8.55–12.68% in available water capacity. In contrast, lower KS and K were observed in S1–S10, and there was a negative linear relationship between irrigation salinity and KS. UWI also produced the EC, Na+, and Cl− accumulations in the soil profile. As the salinity level of UWI increased, the accumulations aggravated. Soil acidification was found in S1–S5, while soil alkalization was observed in S10. Additionally, α, PWP, and KS were the primary factors influencing the water infiltration of red soil. This study can help optimize the soil infiltration model under UWI and establish a foundation for unconventional water management in the red soil regions of Southern China and other similar regions. In addition, the undisturbed red soil under agricultural unconventional water irrigation and the long-term effect of unconventional water application should be considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saline Water Irrigation in Agriculture)
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17 pages, 2723 KiB  
Article
Effects of Different Salinity Levels in Drip Irrigation with Brackish Water on Soil Water-Salt Transport and Yield of Protected Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
by Jiaying Ma, Zhaoyang Li, Wenge Jiang and Jiangfan Liu
Agronomy 2023, 13(9), 2442; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13092442 - 21 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1116
Abstract
The effective exploration and utilization of brackish water resources are crucial to alleviating the scarcity of freshwater in arid regions. This study focused on protected tomato plants and set up four irrigation salinity levels: T1 (2 g·L−1), T2 (4 g·L−1 [...] Read more.
The effective exploration and utilization of brackish water resources are crucial to alleviating the scarcity of freshwater in arid regions. This study focused on protected tomato plants and set up four irrigation salinity levels: T1 (2 g·L−1), T2 (4 g·L−1), T3 (6 g·L−1), and T4 (8 g·L−1), with freshwater irrigation as a control (CK). The aim was to investigate the effects of continuous brackish water irrigation on soil water-salt transport and tomato yield. The outcomes highlighted that the moisture content in different layers of soil exhibited a “high in the middle, low at both ends” pattern, with the primary accumulation of soil moisture occurring at the 40 cm depth. The range and moisture content of the soil wetted zone increased with elevated salinity levels. Under continuous brackish water irrigation, the range of the soil wetted zone expanded further for the autumn crops, and the moisture content significantly increased compared to the spring crops. The concentration of soil salt gradually decreased with increasing soil depth, exhibiting greater levels in the 0–20 cm layer compared to the 40–80 cm layer. The average salt concentration in the soil at the end of the growth period was significantly higher than before transplantation, and this phenomenon became more pronounced with increasing salinity levels. Initial irrigation with brackish water with a salinity level of 2–4 g·L−1 promoted the growth of the tomatoes planted in the spring and the plant height and stem diameter reached the peak values of 1.68 m and 1.08 mm for the T2 treatment, respectively, which were 7.1% and 9.2% higher than that of the CK treatment, ensuring efficient yield and water usage. However, continuous irrigation with brackish water with a salinity level of 2–4 g·L−1 inhibited the growth and yield of the tomatoes planted in autumn, while the T1 and T2 treatments only yielded 24,427.42 and 16,774.86 kg·hm−2, respectively, showing a decline of 32.2% and 46.1% compared to the yields of the spring season. Considering the soil water-salt and yield indicators, under the conditions of non-continuous brackish water irrigation, using water with a salinity level of 2–4 g·L−1 is recommended for drip irrigation of protected tomatoes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saline Water Irrigation in Agriculture)
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22 pages, 2236 KiB  
Article
Effects of Drought Hardening and Saline Water Irrigation on the Growth, Yield, and Quality of Tomato
by Yang Gao, Guangcheng Shao, Jintao Cui, Jia Lu, Longjia Tian, Enze Song and Zhongyi Zeng
Agronomy 2023, 13(9), 2351; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13092351 - 10 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1056
Abstract
Drought hardening could promote the development of plant roots, potentially improving the resistance of crops to other adversities. To investigate the response and resistance of physiological and growth characteristics induced by drought hardening to salt stress in the later stages, a greenhouse experiment [...] Read more.
Drought hardening could promote the development of plant roots, potentially improving the resistance of crops to other adversities. To investigate the response and resistance of physiological and growth characteristics induced by drought hardening to salt stress in the later stages, a greenhouse experiment was carried out from 2021 to 2022 with one blank control treatment and twelve treatments that comprised combinations of four irrigation regimes (W1 = 85%, W2 = 70%, W3 = 55%, and W4 = 40% of the field capacity) and three irrigation water salinity levels (S2, S4, and S6, referring to 2 g, 4 g, and 6 g of sodium chloride added to 1000 mL of tap water, respectively). The results show that saline water irrigation introduced a large amount of salt into the soil, resulting in the deterioration of tomato growth, physiology, yield, and water use efficiency (WUE), but had a positive, significant effect on fruit quality. When the irrigation water salinity was 2 g L−1, the W2 treatment could reduce soil salt accumulation, even at the end of the maturation stage; consequently, enhancing the increments in plant height and leaf area index during the whole growing stage. The physiological activity of tomato plants under the W2 and W3 treatments showed a promoting effect. Correspondingly, the maximum values of the fruit quality of tomato plants irrigated with the same saline water were all obtained with the W2 or W3 treatment. However, the yield and WUE of the W3 treatment were lower than that of the W2 treatment, which was the highest among the same saline water irrigation treatments, consistent with the reflection of the changing trend of the ratio of fresh weight to dry weight. Overall, drought hardening can be considered an economically viable approach to mitigate the hazards of saline water irrigation, and the W2S2 combination is recommended for tomato production due to the maximum values of yield and WUE with a higher fruit quality among the twelve saline water irrigation treatments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saline Water Irrigation in Agriculture)
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12 pages, 2060 KiB  
Article
Effects of Ionized Water Irrigation on Organic Nitrogen Mineralization in Saline-Alkali Soil in China
by Jiangyue Lu, Zhi Qu, Mingjiang Li and Quanjiu Wang
Agronomy 2023, 13(9), 2285; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13092285 - 30 Aug 2023
Viewed by 871
Abstract
The application of ionized water to irrigation, as a new type of water treatment technology, can improve the spatial distribution of water in soil and increase water utilization efficiency, which may affect the microbiological processes involved in nitrogen transformation and alter soil nitrogen [...] Read more.
The application of ionized water to irrigation, as a new type of water treatment technology, can improve the spatial distribution of water in soil and increase water utilization efficiency, which may affect the microbiological processes involved in nitrogen transformation and alter soil nitrogen supply capability. However, the effects of ionized water technology on soil organic nitrogen mineralization are still in need of further research. In this study, we investigated the soil organic nitrogen mineralization process with four different water additions: non-ionized fresh water (CK), ionized fresh water (DE), non-ionized brackish water (BCK), and ionized brackish water (BDE). By using a short-term laboratory incubation method, we monitored the changes of the inorganic nitrogen concentration in each treatment during the incubation process. We compared the net nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen mineralization rates in different treatments, and fitted the organic nitrogen mineralization process with three models (One-pool model, Special model, and EATM model). We divided the whole incubation process into three periods based on the differences of the organic nitrogen mineralization trends. The results demonstrated that when DE was compared with CK, the net nitrogen mineralization increased by 21.97% and the nitrogen mineralization rate increased by 20.42% in the latter incubation period. When BDE was compared with BCK, the net nitrogen mineralization decreased by 3.63%, and the nitrogen mineralization rate increased by 21.86% in the latter incubation period. When BCK was compared with CK, brackish water irrigation reduced the organic nitrogen mineralization intensity to a certain extent, with the net nitrogen mineralization decreased by 11.62% and the nitrogen mineralization rate decreased by 41.07% in the whole incubation process. When BDE was compared with DE, the net nitrogen mineralization decreased by 30.09% and the nitrogen mineralization rate decreased by 53.39% in the whole incubation process. The simulation model of the soil organic nitrogen mineralization process showed that the special model and EATM model are superior to the One-pool model. This study provides a theoretical basis for the popularization and application of ionized water irrigation in agricultural production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saline Water Irrigation in Agriculture)
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23 pages, 6372 KiB  
Article
Growth and Yield Response and Water Use Efficiency of Cotton under Film-Mulched Drip Irrigation to Magnetized Ionized Water and Bacillus subtilis in Saline Soil in Xinjiang
by Zhanbo Jiang, Quanjiu Wang, Songrui Ning, Xiaoqin Hu and Shuai Yuan
Agronomy 2023, 13(6), 1644; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061644 - 19 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1158
Abstract
In irrigated agriculture, the combination of multiple regulation measures is an effective method to improve saline soil and promote crop growth. Magnetized ionized water irrigation is considered a promising irrigation water activation technique, while the use of Bacillus subtilis for soil amelioration is [...] Read more.
In irrigated agriculture, the combination of multiple regulation measures is an effective method to improve saline soil and promote crop growth. Magnetized ionized water irrigation is considered a promising irrigation water activation technique, while the use of Bacillus subtilis for soil amelioration is environmentally friendly. In this study, magnetized ionized water irrigation and B. subtilis were used to promote cotton growth under film-mulched drip irrigation (FMDI) in saline soil. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of differing B. subtilis amounts under two irrigation water types (non-magnetized-ionized water (NMIW) and magnetized ionized water (MIW)) on the growth (plant height, leaf area index, shoot dry matter and chlorophyll content) and the yield of cotton, as well as the soil water content, salts accumulation, water use efficiency (WUE) and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) under FMDI in a saline soil in southern Xinjiang. Five amounts of B. subtilis (0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 kg ha−1) under NMIW (designated as B0, B1, B2, B3 and B4) and MIW (designated as M, MB1, MB2, MB3 and MB4) were applied to the field experiments. The results showed that MIW and B. subtilis increased soil water content and reduced salts accumulation in the 0–40 cm soil layers compared with B0. Moreover, the two measures significantly (p < 0.01) increased cotton plant height, leaf area index, shoot dry matter and chlorophyll content compared with B0. Seed cotton yield, WUE and IWUE were also observed to significantly increase (p < 0.05). Compared with the NMIW treatments, the MIW treatments increased seed cotton yield by 2.1–12.2%, increased WUE by 0.2–9.0%, and increased IWUE by 2.1–12.2%. Under MIW, with the B. subtilis amount as an independent variable, quadratic function relationships with seed cotton yield, WUE and IWUE were established. By taking the first derivative of the quadratic function, the highest seed cotton yield, WUE and IWUE were obtained with the B. subtilis amounts of 51.8, 55.0 and 51.4 kg ha−1, respectively. Based on comprehensive consideration of seed cotton yield, WUE, IWUE and salts accumulation in soil, 51.4 kg ha−1 of B. subtilis under MIW treatment is recommended for cotton cultivated under FMDI in a saline soil of southern Xinjiang, China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saline Water Irrigation in Agriculture)
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17 pages, 5264 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Saline Water Irrigation on Soil Respiration from Cotton Fields in the North China Plain
by Shuang Zhou, Yang Gao, Junpeng Zhang, Jie Pang, Abdoul Kader Mounkaila Hamani, Chunping Xu, Hongkai Dang, Caiyun Cao, Guangshuai Wang and Jingsheng Sun
Agronomy 2023, 13(5), 1197; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13051197 - 24 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1664
Abstract
Saline water irrigation has been widely used for crop production where agriculture is short of freshwater. However, information about the response of soil respiration to saline water irrigation is limited. To identify the effect of saline water irrigation on soil respiration, the experiment [...] Read more.
Saline water irrigation has been widely used for crop production where agriculture is short of freshwater. However, information about the response of soil respiration to saline water irrigation is limited. To identify the effect of saline water irrigation on soil respiration, the experiment based on long-term saline water irrigation cotton fields (since 2006) was conducted in the Heilonggang area in 2021. Five salinity levels in irrigation water were tested (3.4 [S1], 7.1 [S2], 10.6 [S3], 14.1 [S4], and 17.7 dS m−1 [S5]), and deep ground water (1.3 dS m−1) was used as the control (CK). After 15 years of saline water irrigation, we monitored soil physicochemical properties and soil respiration. In addition, we developed a structural equation model of the relationship between them. The results demonstrated that saline water irrigation significantly reduced soil water-stable aggregate content and porosity by 4.42–45.33% and 6.52–14.10%, respectively, and attenuated soil cellulase, α-glucosidase, and alkaline phosphatase activity. Soil respiration under saline water irrigation was significantly reduced by 5.28–33.08%. Moreover, saline water irrigation with salinity below 10.6 dS m−1 had no significant effect on cotton yield. Moreover, soil salinity (62%), water-stable aggregate content (46%), and soil porosity (25%) had significant effects on soil respiration, and soil porosity had a significant positive effect on soil alkaline phosphatase activity according to the structural equation model. Overall, saline irrigation with salinity below 10.6 dS m−1 can alleviate water shortages and reduce soil carbon emissions without affecting cotton yield in the study area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saline Water Irrigation in Agriculture)
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