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Application of Modern Technology in Agricultural Water and Fertilizer Management
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Application of Modern Technology in Agricultural Water and Fertilizer Management

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Physiology and Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 1648

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Shouchen Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Quantitative Remote Sensing & Smart Agriculture, School of Surveying and Land Information Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000, China
Interests: water-saving irrigation; remote sensing technology; GIS; crop high efficiency water use; water resources and environment
Dr. Shoutian Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Farmland Irrigation of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453003, China
Interests: water-saving irrigation; crop water physiology; crop high-efficiency water use; soil physical and chemicals; crop system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Yang Gao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453003, China
Interests: irrigation management; saline water irrigation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Tongchao Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Interests: crop high efficiency water use; crop-water model; water-saving irrigation; crop water physiology; soil physical and chemical; crop system
Dr. Sen Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Institute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453003, China
Interests: water-saving irrigation; RZWQM; root system architecture; yield; water use efficiency

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water and nutrients are the two most important factors affecting agricultural production and play a decisive role in crop growth. A rational application of water and fertilizer is not only of great significance to promote greater yields but also the key to improving our resource utilization efficiency.

Technological advancements have revolutionized agriculture in the modern world. Modern technology (e.g., drones for agriculture, remote sensing, smart greenhouses, computer imaging, and efficient climate monitoring) not only aids in sustaining productivity under limited resources, it can also help in observing climatic variations, monitoring soil nutrients and water dynamics, and supporting data management in farming systems. Various types of sensors and computer tools can be utilized in data recording and the management of cropping systems, which help with making efficient decisions.

Therefore, it is important to launch this Special Issue, “Application of modern technology in agricultural water and fertilizer management”, in the open access journal Plants. The Special Issue will present the research progress in the theory, technology, and methods of agricultural water and fertilizer management based on modern technology.

The scope of this Special Issue includes (but is not limited to) the following topics: rapid and accurate perception of soil moisture and nutrients; water and fertilizer management on farmland; big data and machine learning; and other technical methods for improving agricultural water and fertilizer efficiency. This Special Issue welcomes both systematic reviews and short comment papers.

The deadline is December 31, 2024.

Prof. Dr. Shouchen Ma
Dr. Shoutian Ma
Prof. Dr. Yang Gao
Prof. Dr. Tongchao Wang
Guest Editors

Dr. Sen Li
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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • intelligent irrigation
  • agricultural big data
  • remote sensing technology
  • GIS
  • crop systems
  • crop production
  • Internet of Things
  • water and fertilizer management

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 11309 KiB  
Article
Water–Fertilizer Synergistic Effects and Resource Optimization for Alfalfa Production: A Central Composite Design and Response Surface Methodology Approach
by Gaiya Mu, Yuanbo Jiang, Haiyan Li, Sinan Wei, Guangping Qi, Yanxia Kang, Minhua Yin, Yanlin Ma, Yayu Wang, Yanbiao Wang and Jinwen Wang
Plants 2025, 14(5), 731; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050731 - 27 Feb 2025
Viewed by 423
Abstract
This study posits that strategically optimizing irrigation and fertilization regimes can enhance the productivity and water use efficiency (WUE) of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), thereby mitigating the constraints imposed by soil impoverishment and water scarcity in forage production systems of arid and [...] Read more.
This study posits that strategically optimizing irrigation and fertilization regimes can enhance the productivity and water use efficiency (WUE) of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), thereby mitigating the constraints imposed by soil impoverishment and water scarcity in forage production systems of arid and semi-arid regions. Conducted over two years, the outdoor pot experiment investigated the effects of water regulation during the branching and bud stages (each at 60–100% θ0.85, where θ0.85 = 0.85θfc) and different levels of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization (0–280 kg/ha each) on alfalfa yield and WUE. Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with a Central Composite Design (CCD), we modeled the relationships between input variables and key response parameters: total yield, evapotranspiration (ET), and WUE. The response surface models exhibited high reliability, with coefficients of determination R2, adjusted R2, predicted R2, and adequate precision exceeding 0.94, 0.90, 0.86, and 13.6, respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicated that water regulation during critical growth stages, particularly the branching stage, had the most significant impact on yield and ET, while nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization positively influenced WUE. Within the appropriate range of water management, judicious fertilization significantly enhanced alfalfa production performance, although excessive inputs resulted in diminishing returns. This study identified the optimal conditions for sustainable production: branching stage water regulation (82.26–83.12% θ0.85) and bud stage water regulation (78.11–88.47% θ0.85), along with nitrogen application (110.59–128.88 kg/ha) and phosphorus application (203.86–210 kg/ha). These findings provide practical guidelines for improving the sustainability and efficiency of alfalfa production in resource-limited environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Modern Technology in Agricultural Water and Fertilizer Management)
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21 pages, 6837 KiB  
Article
Effects of Straw Decomposition on Soil Surface Evaporation Resistance and Evaporation Simulation
by Shengfeng Wang, Longwei Lei, Yang Gao and Enlai Zhan
Plants 2025, 14(3), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14030434 - 2 Feb 2025
Viewed by 639
Abstract
As a prominent agricultural country, China has widely implemented returning straw to the field in agricultural production. However, as the decomposition of straw progresses, the physical properties of the soil change, inevitably leading to alterations in the soil surface evaporation model. This study [...] Read more.
As a prominent agricultural country, China has widely implemented returning straw to the field in agricultural production. However, as the decomposition of straw progresses, the physical properties of the soil change, inevitably leading to alterations in the soil surface evaporation model. This study investigated the variations in soil evaporation rate, soil moisture content over 60 days after returning straw to the field, and bare soil through two leaching pond experiments. Through soil moisture retention curves at different degrees of decomposition, this study analyzed the impact of straw decomposition on soil’s water retention capacity. Based on measured data, this study formulated models for the soil surface evaporation resistance of bare soil and varying degrees of straw decomposition. With the comparison and contrast between the models, this study clarified the impact of straw decomposition on soil surface evaporation resistance. The main conclusions are the following: The moisture content of the surface soil decreases exponentially over time and, after 40 days of straw decomposition, the water content of the soil under decomposition is higher than that of bare soil. As the moisture content decreases, the cumulative evaporation from the soil increases linearly. The cumulative evaporation of the decomposed straw soil is lower than that of bare soil, with a relative reduction ranging from 3.08% to 32.2%. The straw decomposition significantly enhances the water retention capacity of the soil in the medium-to-high suction range. The straw decomposition enhances the evaporation resistance of the soil surface, and the greater the degree of decomposition, the more significant the enhancement effect. The research findings not only provide a scientific basis for agricultural water management, but also possess practical implications for guiding farmers to adopt more effective moisture retention measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Modern Technology in Agricultural Water and Fertilizer Management)
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