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Agronomy
Special Issues
Agricultural Water Management and Non-Point Source Contamination Mitigation
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Agricultural Water Management and Non-Point Source Contamination Mitigation

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1816

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Javier M. Gonzalez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory, 275 S. Russell St., West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
Interests: soil chemistry; soil management; water quality; contaminants; soil organic matter; soil amendments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wenlong Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Interests: hydrology; non-point source contamination

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture is critical in providing food and fiber for the growing population worldwide. However, intensive agricultural systems may lead to water scarcity, low nutrient use efficiency, and negative environmental impacts. Thus, it is crucial to investigate the processes and mechanisms controlling field hydrology, nutrient dynamics, and pesticide losses in agricultural systems to provide more agricultural products with minimal negative influences. Based on the above, we proposed a Special Issue in Agronomy on "Agricultural Water Management and Non-Point Source Contamination Mitigation", which will focus on the following:

  • Monitoring and/or modeling of field hydrology, nutrient dynamics, and pesticide losses in agricultural landscapes;
  • Use of traditional and modern techniques to increase water and nutrient use efficiency in agriculture;
  • Development and application of agricultural conservation practices or best management practices;
  • Novel approaches, e.g., machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other technologies, for improving the efficiency of agricultural water management.

Dr. Javier M. Gonzalez
Dr. Wenlong Liu
Guest Editors

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

  • agricultural water management
  • irrigation and drainage
  • hydrology
  • non-point source contamination
  • mitigation practices

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 6060 KiB  
Article
Effects of Drainage Technology on Waterlogging Reduction and Rice Yield in Mid-Lower Reaches of Yangtze River
by Bowei Qi, Shenjiao Yang, Dongwei Li, Dandan Qin, Xingfei Zheng, Jianlin Hu, Xinguo Zhou and Hongquan Liu
Agronomy 2025, 15(4), 905; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040905 - 5 Apr 2025
Viewed by 316
Abstract
As extreme rainfall events become more frequent, leading to increased waterlogging hazards, it is crucial to explore various drainage methods that can alleviate the adverse effects of waterlogging on crop growth, thus addressing challenges related to global food security. Field experiments were carried [...] Read more.
As extreme rainfall events become more frequent, leading to increased waterlogging hazards, it is crucial to explore various drainage methods that can alleviate the adverse effects of waterlogging on crop growth, thus addressing challenges related to global food security. Field experiments were carried out to evaluate the impacts of different drainage technologies on waterlogging mitigation, rice growth, dry matter accumulation, and yield. The experimental setup included varying straw blind ditch spacings (2, 3, 4, and 5 m) and subsurface pipe drainage spacings (6, 9, and 12 m), with surface drainage serving as the control (CK). The findings revealed that, in comparison to pipe drainage treatments, blind ditch treatments enhanced subsurface drainage volume by 15.1%. Regarding groundwater levels and soil moisture, the soil moisture in the 0–90 cm soil layer and groundwater levels under the blind ditch treatments were 11.3% and 6.1% lower than those under the CK as well as 22.0% and 23.9% lower than the pipe drainage treatments, respectively. Subsurface drainage treatments led to significant improvements in rice yield, with blind ditch and pipe drainage treatments increasing the yield by 8.0% and 6.0% compared to the CK. Rice yields initially increased before decreasing as burial spacing reduced. The S3 treatment resulted in yield increases of 14.4%, 8.6%, and 10.7% over the S2, S4, and S5 treatments, respectively. The G9 treatment produced 3.6% and 10.4% higher yields compared to the G6 and G12 treatments. The highest rice yield, 7.501 Mg·ha−1, was achieved with a blind ditch spacing of 3 m. Compared to the S4 and S5 treatments, the yield per hectare for the S3 treatment was higher by 0.592 Mg and 0.726 Mg, while the input cost was higher by CNY 3038 and 4560, respectively. Path analysis indicated that root biomass made the largest direct contribution (0.517) to the increase in rice yield. Subsurface drainage contributed to the regulation of soil moisture, reducing leaf biomass while increasing stem biomass, which enabled the blind ditch treatments to produce optimal rice yield. These results provide a scientific basis for agricultural drainage in waterlogged areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Water Management and Non-Point Source Contamination Mitigation)
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12 pages, 9503 KiB  
Communication
Field Experimental Assessment of HYDRUS-3D Soil Moisture Simulations Under Drip Irrigation Using Horizontal Mobile Dielectric Sensor
by Chunyu Song, Dingyuan Zhang, Ze Jing, Xiaohang Nie, Bao Di, Ji Qian, Weixue Cheng, Guanghua Zhang and Guilin Shan
Agronomy 2025, 15(4), 776; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040776 - 22 Mar 2025
Viewed by 371
Abstract
HYDRUS-3D is a widely used software for modeling variably saturated water flow, but its performance under field conditions requires validation, particularly given the challenges of soil moisture detection. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of HYDRUS-3D in simulating soil water infiltration under [...] Read more.
HYDRUS-3D is a widely used software for modeling variably saturated water flow, but its performance under field conditions requires validation, particularly given the challenges of soil moisture detection. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of HYDRUS-3D in simulating soil water infiltration under drip irrigation using advanced horizontal mobile sensor systems (HMSSs). We designed a three-dimensional soil water infiltration experiment for drip-irrigated fields, employing two HMSSs which were orthogonally placed at 0.2 m and 0.4 m depths from the horizontal plane, and formed a trapezoidal configuration (height: 0.2 m, top edge width: 1 m) on the soil surface. These measurements provided three-dimensional data in the central area and two-dimensional data in the sloped sections. HYDRUS-3D simulations were compared to HMSS measurements, showing strong agreement in both the central area and sloped sections, with high R² values and low RMSE, indicating excellent model accuracy. These results confirm HYDRUS-3D’s reliability in simulating soil water movement under real-world conditions. In particular, the model effectively captured the horizontal fusion process of adjacent drip emitters, which advances its validation for field-scale applications and supports its use in precision agricultural water management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Water Management and Non-Point Source Contamination Mitigation)
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Review

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25 pages, 2511 KiB  
Review
Bottleneck Problems and Countermeasures in Operation and Maintenance of Non-Point Source Pollution Ecological Treatment Projects in China
by Yungeng Jiang, Jing Zhang, Xiaoxin Liu, Han Liu, Yurui Ma, Wanhui Wang and Shaoyong Lu
Agronomy 2025, 15(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15010009 - 24 Dec 2024
Viewed by 707
Abstract
At present, non-point source pollution (NPSP) has overtaken point source as the most important source of water pollution in China. Ecological treatment projects (ETP) suitable for non-point source pollution have been widely recommended. However, China’s NPSP prevention system has not yet taken shape, [...] Read more.
At present, non-point source pollution (NPSP) has overtaken point source as the most important source of water pollution in China. Ecological treatment projects (ETP) suitable for non-point source pollution have been widely recommended. However, China’s NPSP prevention system has not yet taken shape, the implementation and management levels are disorganized, and the long-term management and protection of NPSP-ETP remains an urgent problem. This paper focuses on the practical problems encountered in the promotion of ETP in China, and ways to solve these problems in the operation and maintenance process. First, problems encountered in the practice of NPSP-ETP in China are summarized as being caused by a lack of systematic regulation on operation and maintenance. Following this, promising countermeasures to solve these problems are proposed, including establishing an ecological treatment technology system, improving the technology selection assessment system, improving the assessment method in project operation, and establishing a systematic operation and maintenance process. Finally, a novel theory of Monitoring-Assessment-Repair (MAR) for ETP is proposed to solve the systematic bottlenecks in engineering operation and maintenance. Furthermore, the problem of clogging in infrastructure is discussed in detail, to illustrate the concrete operation of MAR theory. Overall, this study clarifies the issues in favor of a long-term mechanism of NPSP prevention in and beyond China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Water Management and Non-Point Source Contamination Mitigation)
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