Advancing Smart Agricultural Water Management: Integrating Technologies, Irrigation and Plant Ecophysiology for a Sustainable Future
A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water, Agriculture and Aquaculture".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 February 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: : agronomy; agriculture; soil-water-plant-atmosphere relationships; water use of fruit crops; irrigation engineering; environmental monitoring; remote sensing; data acquisition systems and automation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Efficient agricultural water management is essential to ensuring the sustainability of production systems, particularly in the face of socioeconomic issues, climate variability and water scarcity. Technologies such as sensors, automation, renewable energy, and digital solutions play a crucial role in applying precision plant and soil ecophysiology insights, optimizing water use, improving efficiency, and reducing environmental impacts. However, further research is needed to explore their integration, scalability, and real-world application across diverse agricultural ecosystems.
This Special Issue is dedicated to exploring innovation in agricultural water management and supporting the transition toward more efficient, adaptive, and resilient farming systems—both economically and climatically.
We welcome contributions on a wide range of topics, including (but not limited to) irrigation strategies, plant–soil system interventions for drought resilience, smart automation, the integration of renewable energy sources, and digital solutions such as remote sensing, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence. Studies on scalable and low-cost solutions for smallholders are encouraged. Additionally, we encourage investigations into the challenges, adoption barriers, and socioeconomic implications of implementing these innovations across different scales, climates, and production systems.
Thematic areas include, but are not limited to:
- Sustainable and Precision Irrigation: deficit irrigation, sensor-based scheduling, automation, water reuse, and smart technologies (IoT, AI, drones) for real-time decision-making.
- Plant–Soil–Water Interactions: ecophysiological responses, soil–plant feedbacks, and amendments for drought resilience (e.g., kaolin, beneficial microbes).
- Smart Systems and Renewable Energy: integration of solar-powered irrigation, agrivoltaics, automation, and open-source solutions for resource-limited contexts.
- Plant Ecophysiology under Water Stress: tools and indicators to assess plant water status and adaptation strategies.
- Data-Driven Agriculture: applications of remote sensing, IoT, and AI for irrigation management.
- Socioeconomic Transitions: policy frameworks, adoption barriers, and cost–benefit analyses of water-smart innovations.
- Circular and Climate-Resilient Water Management: water reuse, rainwater harvesting, governance models, and sustainable intensification strategies.
Dr. Nuno Conceição
Guest Editor
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
- Smart and Precision Irrigation
- Plant–Soil–Water Interactions
- Water Use Efficiency
- Digital Agriculture (IoT, AI, Remote Sensing)
- Plant Ecophysiology under Water Stress
- Smart Irrigation Automation and Decision Sup-port Systems
- Renewable Energy Integration
- Climate-Smart Agriculture and Drought Resilience
- Socioeconom-ic and Technological Adoption Barriers
- Circular water economies
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.