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Sustainable Irrigation Systems Management for Agriculture
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Sustainable Irrigation Systems Management for Agriculture

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2024) | Viewed by 2675

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Peter Waller

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences / College of Engineering, Biosystems Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
Interests: irrigation; guayule; WINDS model; algae; cotton; simulation; modeling; remote sensing; sensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tangzhe Nie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Water Conservancy and Electric Power, Heilongjiang University, Room 413, Hydropower Building, No. 74 Xuefu Road, Nangang District, Harbin, China
Interests: cleaner production; sustainability; environmental regulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainability of irrigated agriculture is threatened by reduced water allocations, increased water demand due to climate change and soil degradation. Optimizing water use in agriculture is critical in water-stressed regions. This requires efficient canal and delivery systems, efficient irrigation systems, and effective irrigation timing and management. Replacing surface irrigation systems with sprinkler and drip irrigation systems can increase water use efficiency by 30%.

Irrigation districts are sustainable if the total allocation to farmers and water losses in the system do not exceed the external water inputs and expected water flow and storage in the watershed. In many regions, surface water has been overallocated, which leads to water shortages. Likewise, uncontrolled groundwater pumping eventually results in aquifer depletion and the partial or total collapse of agriculture in a region.

New tools are helping improve irrigation practices. In situ soil moisture sensors, irrigation and water use models, and satellite and drone remote sensing help optimize irrigation scheduling and water productivity. Remote sensing by satellite platforms such as OpenET can also help regulators quantify water use at the farm and district levels.

With reduced irrigation application rates, there is a danger of soil salinization. As such, application depths and irrigation district allocations must account for salinity control.

Dr. Peter Waller
Dr. Tangzhe Nie
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. Water 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 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

  • irrigation
  • sustainability
  • water scarcity
  • water efficiency
  • irrigation systems

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 5916 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Maize Irrigation Strategies in the Middle Reaches Irrigation Area of the Heihe River Using a Differential Evolution Algorithm
by Lige Jia, Bo Zhang and Yanqiang Cui
Water 2024, 16(24), 3561; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16243561 - 11 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 721
Abstract
Optimizing maize irrigation strategies is essential for improving water use efficiency and crop yields in arid regions. However, limited quantitative research exists on these optimizations. This study focuses on the Heihe River Basin in China, aiming to (1) optimize maize irrigation strategies using [...] Read more.
Optimizing maize irrigation strategies is essential for improving water use efficiency and crop yields in arid regions. However, limited quantitative research exists on these optimizations. This study focuses on the Heihe River Basin in China, aiming to (1) optimize maize irrigation strategies using a differential evolution (DE) algorithm integrated with the AquaCrop model and remote sensing data; (2) compare the DE algorithm’s performance with the traditional Nelder–Mead (fmin) algorithm regarding yield improvement and irrigation water use; and (3) assess the benefits of different irrigation strategies under limited water availability. Covering 22 irrigation management zones in Zhangye City, Gansu Province, the study utilized soil, weather, and crop data from Google Earth Engine to drive the AquaCrop model. Results indicate that the DE algorithm achieved higher simulated maize yields, increasing by 0.5 to 1 t/ha on average compared to the fmin algorithm, albeit with a 30% rise in irrigation water usage. The integration of both the DE and fmin algorithms with the AquaCrop model facilitates the development of tailored irrigation strategies, providing a scientific foundation for sustainable agricultural water management. These findings can guide efficient irrigation management plans in the region and similar arid systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Irrigation Systems Management for Agriculture)
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18 pages, 2801 KiB  
Article
Integrated Drip Irrigation Regulates Soil Water–Salt Movement to Improve Water Use Efficiency and Maize Yield in Saline–Alkali Soil
by Mengze Wang, Rui Wang, Quan Sun, Yulong Li, Lizhen Xu and Yaqi Wang
Water 2024, 16(17), 2509; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16172509 - 4 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1519
Abstract
Soil salinization is a critical issue impacting agriculture, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different drip irrigation and fertilization treatments on soil water and salt dynamics, maize water use efficiency, and crop [...] Read more.
Soil salinization is a critical issue impacting agriculture, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different drip irrigation and fertilization treatments on soil water and salt dynamics, maize water use efficiency, and crop yield in the saline–alkali soils of northern Ningxia, China. Over three years, four irrigation treatments were tested: CK (flood irrigation, 810 mm), W1 (low-volume drip irrigation, 360 mm), W2 (medium-volume drip irrigation, 450 mm), and W3 (high-volume drip irrigation, 540 mm). The results demonstrate that treatments W2 and W3 significantly increased soil moisture content at depths of 0–20 cm and 60–100 cm compared to CK, facilitating uniform salt leaching in the 0–40 cm soil layer. However, in the 40–100 cm layer, decreased porosity and upward moisture movement hindered salt migration, resulting in subsurface salt accumulation. Furthermore, drip irrigation combined with fertilization significantly reduced phosphorus fixation and nitrogen leaching, enhancing nutrient availability. This led to a reduction in underground leakage and surface evaporation by up to 39.63%, while water use efficiency improved by 18.97% to 55.13%. By the third year, grain yields under drip irrigation treatments increased significantly compared to CK, with W3 showing the highest gains (up to 21.90%). This study highlights the potential of integrating drip irrigation and fertilization as an effective strategy for managing saline–alkali soils, improving water use, and increasing crop productivity, providing valuable insights for sustainable agricultural practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Irrigation Systems Management for Agriculture)
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