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Fertigation in Agriculture: Challenges and Solutions
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Fertigation in Agriculture: Challenges and Solutions

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water, Agriculture and Aquaculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 12304

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yanfeng Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, China
Interests: sprinkler irrigation; micro-irrigation; vadose zone transport of water and solute; fertigation management; crop water use
Dr. Zhen Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, China
Interests: micro-irrigation; modeling of water and solute transport; fertigation management; crop water use; sewage effluent irrigation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fertigation management is facing several challenges, from becoming more environmentally sustainable to lowering the production cost. Improved fertigation efficiency can make agriculture more competitive and sustainable. Optimized fertilization by avoiding over-application and reducing nutrient leaching and losses has always been the focus of research. Micro-level understanding of the complex processes comprising nutrient transport, uptake, assimilation, and recycling will need to be paralleled by similar efforts to understand nutrient cycling in ecosystems. Automated irrigation systems have proven to be efficient in optimizing water use efficiency and agricultural production. The advancement of smart technology has allowed the development and evaluation of various methodologies for monitoring water and nutrient status of crops and soil automatically to apply fertilizer without human intervention. Overall, the purpose of this Special Issue is to publish original research and review articles that discuss novel technologies, equipment, strategies, and simulations in efficient fertigation.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following: 

  • New technologies and equipment to improve fertigation efficiency;
  • Optimization strategies for farm-level and regional fertigation management;
  • Evaluation of environmental impact of fertigation practices;
  • Applications of novel model and intelligent algorithms in nutrient cycling and management.

Prof. Dr. Yanfeng Li
Dr. Zhen Wang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • optimized fertigation scheduling
  • water and fertilizer management
  • environmental impact
  • nutrient cycling
  • new technology and equipment
  • automatic fertilization

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2777 KiB  
Article
Impact of Elastic Diaphragm Hardness and Structural Parameters on the Hydraulic Performance of Automatic Flushing Valve
by Hao Gao, Yan Mo, Feng Wu, Jiandong Wang and Shihong Gong
Water 2023, 15(2), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15020287 - 10 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2132
Abstract
Automatic flushing valve (AFV) can improve the anti-clogging ability of the drip fertigation system. The minimum inlet pressure (Hamin) required for automatic closing and the maximum flushing duration (FDmax) are two important performance indexes of AFV. The existing [...] Read more.
Automatic flushing valve (AFV) can improve the anti-clogging ability of the drip fertigation system. The minimum inlet pressure (Hamin) required for automatic closing and the maximum flushing duration (FDmax) are two important performance indexes of AFV. The existing AFV products have the problem of larger Hamin and smaller FDmax, which result higher investment and operating cost, and poor flushing efficiency. Based on the mechanical analysis of the AFV elastic diaphragm and the derivation of the FD, elastic diaphragm hardness (E), ascending channel offset distance (D), and drain hole width (W) were selected as the experimental factors, and nine AFVs were designed by L9(33) orthogonal test method to investigate the influence of elastic diaphragm hardness and structural parameters on the hydraulic performance of AFVs. The hydraulic performance test results showed that the Hamin of the nine AFVs ranged from 0.026 to 0.082 MPa and FDmax ranged from 36.3 to 95.7 s. Hamin was positively correlated with E and D and negatively correlated with W. FDmax was negatively correlated with E and W and tended to increase and then decrease with D. All elastic diaphragm hardness and structural parameters had a significant effect on Hamin, and E and W had a significant effect on FDmax. Based on the range analysis, two new combinations of AFV elastic diaphragm hardness and structural parameters with minimum Hamin (E = 40 HA, D = 0 mm, W = 2 mm) and maximum FDmax (E = 40 HA, D = 2 mm, W = 1.68 mm) were determined, and the corresponding Hamin was 0.022 MPa, 63.3% lower than that of the existing product, and FDmax was 116.4 s, 71.2% higher than that of the existing product. In this study, two ternary nonlinear mathematical regression models of Hamin and FDmax with elastic diaphragm hardness and structural parameters was constructed. The simulation accuracy of the models is good and can be used to quickly predict the optimal combination of AFV parameters to satisfy the actual engineering-required Hamin and FDmax. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertigation in Agriculture: Challenges and Solutions)
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11 pages, 1976 KiB  
Article
Effects of Timing in Irrigation and Fertilization on Soil NO3−-N Distribution, Grain Yield and Water–Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Drip-Fertigated Winter Wheat in the North China Plain
by Weihao Sun, Abdoul Kader Mounkaila Hamani, Zhuanyun Si, Sunusi Amin Abubakar, Yueping Liang, Kun Liu and Yang Gao
Water 2022, 14(11), 1780; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14111780 - 1 Jun 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2778
Abstract
In the North China Plain, drip irrigation is gradually used in winter wheat production, and the improper management of water and fertilizer aggravates the risk of crop instability and groundwater pollution. A lysimeter experiment with three levels of fertilization timing (T1 = beginning; [...] Read more.
In the North China Plain, drip irrigation is gradually used in winter wheat production, and the improper management of water and fertilizer aggravates the risk of crop instability and groundwater pollution. A lysimeter experiment with three levels of fertilization timing (T1 = beginning; T2 = middle; and T3 = end of the irrigation cycle) and two irrigation rates (W1 of 30 mm and W2 of 20 mm) was carried out to investigate the effects of irrigation rate and fertilization timing on the soil NO3−-N distribution, crop development, yield, and water–nitrogen usage efficiency of winter wheat. The results indicated that, under the condition of delayed fertilization timing (T2 and T3), the trend of NO3−-N migration to the edge of moist soil became more apparent. The treatments of irrigation rate and fertilization timing significantly affected the plant height, water–nitrogen utilization efficiency, aboveground biomass, grain yield, and leaf area index. The maximum grain yield of 7688.67 kg ha−1 was found at W1T2, which had a nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP) of 32.04 kg kg−1. Moreover, W1T2 did not result in a significant reduction in irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) (4.27 kg m−3) in comparison with other treatments (4.00–5.43 kg m−3). Based on crop growth, N uptake, yield, IWUE, and NPFP, the irrigation rate of 30 mm combined with fertilization in the middle of the irrigation duration could be considered as suitable irrigation and nitrogen timing for drip-irrigated wheat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertigation in Agriculture: Challenges and Solutions)
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15 pages, 2946 KiB  
Article
Effects of Irrigation and N Fertilization on 15N Fertilizer Utilization by Vitis vinifera L. Cabernet Sauvignon in China
by Ping Gong, Yao Zhang and Hongguang Liu
Water 2022, 14(8), 1205; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14081205 - 8 Apr 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2533
Abstract
This study investigated the interactions between different irrigation and nitrogen (N) fertilization rates and their effects on the 15N fertilizer absorption and utilization of Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines in a vineyard near Xinjiang, China. The fertilizer treatments consisted of three 15N-labeled urea [...] Read more.
This study investigated the interactions between different irrigation and nitrogen (N) fertilization rates and their effects on the 15N fertilizer absorption and utilization of Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines in a vineyard near Xinjiang, China. The fertilizer treatments consisted of three 15N-labeled urea nitrate fertilizer applications (191.4, 254.4, and 317.4 kg/ha). The irrigation treatments included two fractions (0.75 and 1.0) of estimated vineyard water use (ETc). The results showed that: (i) the residual amount of 15N fertilizer in the soil was mainly in the surface layer (0–20 cm), the residual fertilizer N in the surface layer accounted for 68–87% of the total residual N, the residual 15N fertilizer at different depths differed significantly, and the residual 15N was positively correlated with the amount of fertilizer applied (p < 0.05); (ii) The absorption of fertilizer N by grapevines accounted for only 12–17% of the total N absorption, and the proportion absorbed from soil N was as high as 82–87%. There was no significant difference in the amount of N absorbed between different water and fertilizer treatments; (iii) The 15N uptake under the different water and fertilizer treatments differed and was significantly higher in the roots than in other organs, followed by the fruit, the leaves, and finally, the stems. Our results provide a reference for improving the soil environment and encouraging a sustainable development of the grape industry. According to the experimental results, it was recommended that farmers adopt irrigation levels of 1.0 ETc and fertilizer application of 254.4 kg N/ha. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertigation in Agriculture: Challenges and Solutions)
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15 pages, 4680 KiB  
Article
Effect of Smashing Ridge Tillage Depth on Soil Water, Salinity, and Yield in Saline Cotton Fields in South Xinjiang, China
by Zhentao Bai, Hongguang Liu, Tangang Wang, Ping Gong, Huiqin Li, Ling Li, Bao Xue, Minghai Cao, Jinping Feng and Yibin Xu
Water 2021, 13(24), 3592; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13243592 - 14 Dec 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3175
Abstract
To explore the potential of smashing ridge tillage irrigation, it is necessary to investigate how smashing ridge tillage technology with mulched drip irrigation affects soil water, salinity, and cotton yield in saline fields. We conducted a two-year (2020–2021) field experiment to study the [...] Read more.
To explore the potential of smashing ridge tillage irrigation, it is necessary to investigate how smashing ridge tillage technology with mulched drip irrigation affects soil water, salinity, and cotton yield in saline fields. We conducted a two-year (2020–2021) field experiment to study the effects of different smashing ridge tillage depths on soil bulk density, moisture, salinity, dry matter production, yield, and its constituents (effective bolls, 100-bell weight). There were three smashing ridge tillage depths: A (20 cm), B (40 cm), and C (60 cm), with traditional tillage as the CT. The results showed that all of the smashing ridge tillage could reduce soil bulk density, improve the utilization and uptake of deep soil water during the rapid growth period, and reduce the soil salt content. Compared with the CT treatment, the average soil bulk density of the 0–60 cm soil layer in treatments A, B, and C in 2020 and 2021 decreased by 3.05%, 5.87%, 10.09%, and 1.65%, 4.48%, and 8.49%, respectively. The average soil water content in the 0–120 cm soil layer at the flowering and boll stage decreased by 3.68%, 6.28%, 9.04%, and 3.59%, 6.52%, and 9.98%, respectively; the soil salt content in the 0–120 cm soil layer at the boll opening stage decreased by 4.21%, 6.75%, 11.95%, and 5.47%, 24.25%, and 54.13%, respectively. Cotton dry matter production and yield tended to increase with an increasing depth of smash ridge tillage. Treatment C obtained the maximum dry matter production, seed cotton yield, effective bolls, and 100-boll weight. The dry matter production at the boll opening stage was significantly increased by 17.16% and 15.91%, and the yield was significantly increased by 65.24% and 84.14% in treatments C in 2020 and 2021, respectively, compared to CT. The smashing ridge tillage of 60 cm can optimize the structure of the soil tillage layer and also reduce soil salinity and increase yield, which is the suitable depth of smashing ridge tillage for saline cotton fields in the south of Xinjiang. The findings of the study can provide some theoretical basis and practical experience for the improvement of saline soils and sustainable agricultural development in South Xinjiang, China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertigation in Agriculture: Challenges and Solutions)
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