Advancements in Horticultural Irrigation Water Management

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Protected Culture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026 | Viewed by 2003

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Centre for Water and Sanitation Research, Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville, Cape Town 7535, South Africa
Interests: Soil fertility and plant nutrition; Farming systems, Soil and water sciences; Water resource management
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Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville 7535, Cape Town P.O. Box 1906, South Africa
Interests: Wild food and ornamental crops; Cultivation; Hydroculture; Conservation

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Department of Plant Science, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye P.O. Box 2002, Ogun State, Nigeria
Interests: Plant physiology; Plant metabolomics; Food Security

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Guest Editor
Department of Horticulture, University of Georgia, 1111 Miller Plant Sciences, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Interests: precision irrigation; water management; plant mineral nutrition; nutrient management; cropping systems; greenhouses; vertical farms
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Irrigation water management is a critical strategy for horticultural production, especially in areas devastated by drought and the growing impacts of climate change. Successful agricultural water management in horticulture necessitates a thorough understanding of water resources, water quality, crop requirements, and the use of water conservation technologies. The growing demand for agricultural plant-based food and ornamental horticultural crops has pushed scientists, economists, and policymakers to develop sustainable water management practices to sustain these industries.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to present cutting-edge research on horticultural water management practices and policies that have proven effective in addressing environmental climate concerns such as water scarcity, water use efficiency, water recycling, crop resilience, drought tolerance, advanced irrigation technologies, and hydroponic cultivation for high-quality crops. This Special Issue welcomes innovative articles on irrigation water management strategies.

Prof. Dr. Bongani Ncube
Prof. Dr. Charles Petrus Laubscher
Dr. Muhali Olaide Jimoh
Dr. Rhuanito S. Ferrarezi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • water scarcity
  • crop resilience
  • drought tolerance
  • irrigation technologies
  • hydroponics
  • water use efficiency

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2370 KB  
Article
Calculation and Prediction of Water Requirements for Aeroponic Cultivation of Crops in Greenhouses
by Xiwen Yang, Feifei Xiao, Pin Jiang and Yahui Luo
Horticulturae 2025, 11(9), 1034; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11091034 - 1 Sep 2025
Viewed by 158
Abstract
Crop aeroponic cultivation still faces issues such as insufficient precision in water supply control and scientifically-based irrigation scheduling. To address this challenge, the present study aims to establish a precision irrigation protocol adapted to the characteristics of crop aeroponic cultivation. Using coriander ( [...] Read more.
Crop aeroponic cultivation still faces issues such as insufficient precision in water supply control and scientifically-based irrigation scheduling. To address this challenge, the present study aims to establish a precision irrigation protocol adapted to the characteristics of crop aeroponic cultivation. Using coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) as the experimental subject, crop water requirements were estimated utilizing both the FAO56 P-M equation and its revised form. The RMSE between the water requirement measured values and the calculated values using the P-M formula is 2.12 mm, the MAE is 2.0 mm, and the MAPE is 14.29%. The RMSE between the water requirement measured values and the calculated values using the revised P-M formula is 0.88 mm, the MAE is 0.82 mm, and the MAPE is 5.78%. The results indicate that the water requirement values calculated using the revised P-M formula are closer to the measured values. For model development, this study used coriander evapotranspiration as a basis. Major environmental variables influencing water requirement were selected as input features, and the daily reference water requirement served as the output. Three modeling approaches were implemented: Random Forest (RF), Bagging, and M5P Model Tree algorithms. The results indicate that, in comparing various input combinations (C1: air temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, radiation, photoperiod; C2: air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, radiation; C3: air temperature, relative humidity, radiation), the RF model based on C1 input demonstrated superior performance with RMSE = 0.121 mm/d, MAE = 0.134 mm/d, MAPE = 2.123%, and R2 = 0.971. It significantly outperforms the RF models with other input combinations, as well as the Bagging and M5P models across all input scenarios, in terms of convergence rate, determination coefficient, and comprehensive performance. Its predictions aligned more closely with observed data, showing enhanced accuracy and adaptability. This optimized prediction model demonstrates particular suitability for forecasting water requirements in aeroponic coriander production and provides theoretical support for efficient, intelligent water-saving management in crop aeroponic cultivation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in Horticultural Irrigation Water Management)
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19 pages, 2016 KB  
Article
Evapotranspiration-Based Irrigation Management Effects on Yield and Water Productivity of Summer Cauliflower on the California Central Coast
by Michael Cahn, Lee Johnson and Sharon Benzen
Horticulturae 2025, 11(3), 322; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11030322 - 15 Mar 2025
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Abstract
Improvements in irrigation water productivity constitute an ongoing effort globally. In California, growers are under regulatory pressure to stabilize groundwater levels and reduce nitrate leaching, partially, by further improvements in irrigation optimization. Evapotranspiration (ET)-based methods can inform crop water requirements and boost irrigation [...] Read more.
Improvements in irrigation water productivity constitute an ongoing effort globally. In California, growers are under regulatory pressure to stabilize groundwater levels and reduce nitrate leaching, partially, by further improvements in irrigation optimization. Evapotranspiration (ET)-based methods can inform crop water requirements and boost irrigation efficiency, but in practice, they can be challenging for farmers to implement, especially in vegetable systems. Irrigation field trials were conducted near Salinas CA in 2018 and 2019 to evaluate the crop coefficient model employed by the CropManage ET-based irrigation decision support system (DSS) for summer cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis cv. Symphony) and investigate potential water savings through improved irrigation scheduling. Overhead sprinklers were used for crop establishment, and surface drip was used subsequently. A randomized complete block design was used to administer treatments near 50, 75, 100, and 150% of crop evapotranspiration (ET) during the drip period with an added treatment at 125% in 2019. Water requirement for the 100% treatment was determined by the CropManage DSS model based on crop coefficients derived from fractional canopy cover. Deliveries to remaining treatments were scaled proportionally. The total yield and irrigation productivity were maximized by the 100% treatment both years with total applied water ranging from 275 to 300 mm. At present, the reported water application for summer cauliflower averages 465 mm in the region. Hence, implementing ET-based irrigation scheduling, administered through the CropManage DSS, could reduce water use in summer cauliflower by an average of 30% relative to current practices and serve to enhance groundwater management while maintaining crop returns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in Horticultural Irrigation Water Management)
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