Irrigation and Fertilizer Requirements of Crop Tillage Systems Under Future Climate Change Scenarios

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 585

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Soil and Water Conservation Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangling, China
Interests: efficient use of water and fertilizer resources; soil water and salt regulation and simulation

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Guest Editor
School of Water Conservancy, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450045, China
Interests: efficient use of water; evapotranspiration; crop water requirements; aerodynamic resistance; crop water quality response; water transport of SPAC system; regulate deficit irrigation; crop water deficit index; energy processes; balances of farmland
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water shortages and fertilizer pollution are important factors that affect agricultural production. In recent years, with the intensification of global climate change, the balance between water, fertilizer, and climate has become an important issue that must be considered by every agricultural producer. According to a report by the World Resources Institute and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 60% of irrigated agriculture is under extreme water stress on the global scale, 1.2 billion people in agricultural areas are at risk of water scarcity and acute water scarcity, and nearly 1.0 billion hectares of agricultural land are affected‌ by this. Consequently, improving irrigation water use efficiency has become the primary issue for ensuring national food security. The popularization and application of fertilizer is an important means to promote an increase in agricultural production; according to a research report by QYResearch, the worth of the global fertilizer market is estimated to soon reach USD 122.08 billion, and it is expected that, by 2030, it will be valued at USD 148.08 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.28%. However, the overuse of fertilizers also brings great environmental pressures, such as soil degradation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change will lead to a series of problems, e.g.,‌ water scarcity and uneven distribution, increased soil water evaporation, changes in crop water requirements, and a decline in irrigation water quality‌. Therefore, the high-quality development of crop tillage systems urgently needs to realize the precise regulation of irrigation and fertilizer under future climate change scenarios. This Special Issue will cover a wide range of areas regarding the relationship of crops with irrigation, fertilizer, and climate change, with the aim of creating a favorable water–fertilizer environment for the optimization of crop tillage systems.

Dr. Qinge Dong
Dr. Xuewen Gong
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • agriculture
  • crop water requirement
  • crop yield and quality
  • evapotranspiration
  • fertilizer utilization efficiency
  • soil environment
  • water efficient use
  • water and fertilizer coupling
  • climate change

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 1820 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Water Deficit at Various Growth Stages on Physiological Characteristics, Fruit Yield, and Quality of Drip-Irrigated Jujube Trees
by Wei Qiang, Pengrui Ai, Yingjie Ma and Jinghua Zhao
Agronomy 2025, 15(5), 1205; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051205 - 16 May 2025
Viewed by 154
Abstract
The long-term arid climate in Xinjiang poses a major challenge to sustainable jujube production. In this study, we systematically evaluated the impacts of deficit irrigation (DI) by comparing a full irrigation control (CK) with six DI treatments—mild DI (75% CK) and severe DI [...] Read more.
The long-term arid climate in Xinjiang poses a major challenge to sustainable jujube production. In this study, we systematically evaluated the impacts of deficit irrigation (DI) by comparing a full irrigation control (CK) with six DI treatments—mild DI (75% CK) and severe DI (50% CK) water deficits applied during either flowering + fruit setting or fruit enlargement stages. The key findings demonstrate that flowering + fruit setting DI effectively balances water conservation with productivity. Mild DI (75% CK) during flowering + fruit setting reduced irrigation by 72 mm while maintaining near-optimal photosynthesis (95% recovery post-rewatering) and significantly improving fruit quality (5.49–10.28% higher sugar content, 3.40–5.06% larger fruit volume), despite a moderate 4.22–11.36% yield reduction. In contrast, severe DI caused irreversible physiological stress (only 75% photosynthetic recovery), and fruit-enlargement-stage DI uniformly compromised both yield and fruit size. An economic analysis confirmed flowering + fruit setting mild DI as optimal, generating 17,139–20,550 RMB·ha−1 profit through enhanced water use efficiency (WUE) and premium-quality fruit production. PLS-PM validation revealed that targeted flowering + fruit setting water deficit suppresses vegetative overgrowth while optimizing source–sink relationships, achieving a 23–31% WUE improvement without sacrificing marketable yield. Thus, mild DI during flowering + fruit setting is a climate-smart irrigation strategy for Xinjiang’s jujube industry, resolving water scarcity challenges with economic viability. Full article
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