Search Results (1,045)

Optimizing nitrogen form under drip fertigation may improve wheat productivity by regulating the root-zone inorganic N environment during early vegetative growth. A two-year field experiment evaluated nitrate-dominant (N1), balanced ammonium–nitrate (N2), and ammonium-enriched nitrogen strategies (N3) during GS13–GS31, with conventional farmer practice (CK) and a zero-N control (N0) for comparison. Nitrogen-form regulation markedly altered the soil NH₄⁺-N ratios, especially in the 0–20 cm soil layer, with N3 highest, N1 lowest, and N2 intermediate. Compared with the nitrate- or ammonium-dominant strategy, the balanced treatment N2 improved spike formation rate and maintained relatively higher N accumulation at GS31 and GS65, and showed greater N translocation and contribution of translocated N to grain N than N1. Correlation analyses indicated that spike formation rate was closely related to spike number (R² = 0.764) and N accumulation at GS31 was positively related to Ntrans (R² = 0.588). N2 showed the most favorable overall performance, with the highest numerical values for grain yield, nitrogen recovery efficiency, irrigation water use efficiency, and net profit among the fertigation treatments. However, the advantages of N2 over N3 in grain yield and SPAD-AUC were modest and not consistently significant. These results indicate that balancing ammonium and nitrate supply during GS13–GS31 under drip fertigation can improve root-zone N conditions and support better overall agronomic performance in winter wheat under the alkaline soil conditions of the North China Plain. Full article

The extensive utilisation of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in agricultural contexts has precipitated substantial environmental degradation, thereby amplifying the repercussions of climate change. Furthermore, this overuse poses a threat to the sustainability and resilience of global food production systems. The utilisation of microalgae-based biostimulants is a novel and sustainable approach that has the potential to enhance crop productivity and resilience, while reducing dependence on chemical pesticides and their negative effects. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of two novel microalgae-based formulations on the performance of processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) crops under field conditions in Spain and Portugal. The formulation comprised enzymatically hydrolysed biomass from L. platensis, N. gaditana and A. obliquus, in combination with olive mill wastewater (alpechin) and aromatic plant extracts. The mixture was applied through drip irrigation and foliar spraying. The application of combined foliar and drip treatments resulted in a substantial enhancement in gross yield up to 51.9%. Concurrently, the acceptable raw material yield demonstrated a notable increase up to 44.9%. Furthermore, an increase in average fruit weight by 2–9 g was recorded. A subsequent foliar nutrient analysis revealed elevated concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Cu in the plants treated with biostimulants, achieving 3.61, 52.94, 5.96, 36.53, 22.28, 60.41 and 71.32% respectively in the plot L4 with foliar treatment. Although the efficacy of pest control measures was slightly lower than that of conventional pesticides, no significant increase in the incidence of diseased was observed. These findings indicated that microalgae-based biostimulants have the potential to function as sustainable agricultural inputs capable of enhancing crop yields and quality while reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The outcomes of the study demonstrate the efficacy of microalgae-based formulations in enhancing the yield and quality of tomato crops. This is achieved while maintaining optimal plant health and reducing the reliance on synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. Full article

Strip tillage combined with plastic film mulching is widely used to improve moisture conservation and crop productivity in arid and semi-arid regions; however, the quality of a prepared strip strongly depends on the secondary leveling and compaction of the loosened soil. The aim of this study was to substantiate the design and operating parameters of a skid-type leveler–compactor integrated into a combined machine for one-pass pre-sowing soil preparation of rainfed land with the simultaneous laying of drip irrigation hoses and plastic film for melon crops. The research combined theoretical modeling of soil–tool interaction with single-factor and multifactor field experiments and a two-year agronomic evaluation under farmer field conditions. The optimal parameter ranges were 24.0–26.0° for the lower compacting element, 151–155° for the upper leveling part, and 24.3–27.0 cm for the tool height. Under these conditions, the proposed system ensured a soil fraction < 25 mm of 87.2%, surface irregularities of 1.34 cm, and reduced fuel consumption, from 38.6 to 26.3 kg ha⁻¹, compared with the conventional method. The field emergence increased to 91.6%, the total yield reached 50.7 t ha⁻¹, and the water use efficiency increased to 17.4–18.9 kg m⁻³. The results demonstrate that optimization of the leveler–compactor significantly improves strip quality, agronomic performance, and resource use efficiency in melon production under plastic film. Full article

Filtration systems are essential for drip irrigation using sediment-laden water sources such as the Yellow River. This study focused on a sand filter (filtration accuracy: 150 μm), a disc filter (filtration accuracy: 125 μm), and their combined multi-stage filtration system (flow rate: 30–50 m³/h). In situ tests were conducted under Yellow River water conditions in the Hetao Irrigation District, Inner Mongolia, China, to evaluate the response of filtration performance to sediment characteristics, flow rate, and operating time. On this basis, Differential Evolution-optimized Random Forest Regression (DE/RFR) was further established to predict filtration performance. The results showed that: (1) Under sediment concentrations of 0.62–3.6 g/L and median particle sizes of 4.70–16.03 μm, the head loss of the sand filter (ΔH_si) remained stable over the operating time. Conversely, the head loss of the disc filter (ΔH_di) increased with the operating time; the magnitude of this increase grew with higher flow rates, sediment concentrations, and median particle sizes, reaching 0.07 MPa after 16–235 min of operation. The head loss of the multi-stage filtration system (ΔH_i) was primarily generated by the disc filter. (2) The filtration efficiency of the filters and the filtration system was 2.5–6.4%. The outlet sediment concentration and particle size distribution were linearly correlated with the inlet values, and the outlet sediment particle size distribution remained below the clogging risk threshold for emitters. (3) Prediction models for ΔH_si, ΔH_di, and ΔH_i were developed based on MLR, RFR, and DE/RFR. Among these, DE/RFR exhibited the highest accuracy in predicting these variables, with R² values ranging from 0.71 to 0.93 and RMSE values from 0.0017 to 0.0104 MPa. (4) Results from Pearson correlation and feature importance analysis indicated that ΔH_si, ΔH_di, and ΔH_i were primarily influenced by flow rate, sediment concentration and operating time, and flow rate and operating time, respectively. (5) Building upon the DE/RFR model, a Filtration Cycle Prediction Model (FCPM) was developed to determine the operational duration required for the head loss across both the filters and the filtration system to reach 0.07 MPa. The two models developed in this study provide technical support for the configuration and operation of drip irrigation filtration systems using sediment-laden water. Full article

Morocco’s recent legalization of industrial and medicinal cannabis has created a rapidly expanding seed-oil sector whose sustainability has yet to be fully assessed. This study applies an environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) in accordance with ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006, complemented by a qualitative social responsibility assessment based on ISO 26000:2010, aiming to evaluate the life cycle sustainability of Moroccan cannabis seed oil. Three representative processing chains, traditional artisanal presses, producer cooperatives and regulated industrial plants are compared using a functional unit of 1 kg of cold-pressed oil packaged for local distribution. Inventory data were drawn from field measurements and interviews and were modeled in OpenLCA with background datasets from Ecoinvent 3.8 and Agribalyse v3.1. Impact assessment used the ReCiPe 2016 (H) method at the midpoint level across nine categories (climate change, fossil resource scarcity, water use, freshwater eutrophication, terrestrial acidification, land occupation, carcinogenic, non-carcinogenic human toxicity, and fine particulate matter formation). Sensitivity analyses varied seed yield, electricity mix and transport distances by ±20% to gauge uncertainty. Results show that the cooperative scenario achieves the lowest impacts across nearly all categories because of higher extraction yields (3 kg seed per kg oil), lower energy use (0.54 kWh kg⁻¹ oil) and more effective co-product recovery. In contrast, artisanal extraction requires approximately 1 kg of additional seed input per functional unit compared to optimized scenarios, significantly increasing upstream environmental burdens and causing upstream agricultural burdens to multiply. Industrial facilities perform comparably to cooperatives if powered by renewable electricity. Integrating a semi-quantitative social responsibility assessment reveals that legalization has markedly improved organizational governance, labor conditions, consumer protection and community involvement. Cooperatives display the most balanced social performance, whereas industrial plants excel in governance and quality control. A set of recommendations, including drip irrigation, cultivar improvement, co-product valorisation, renewable energy adoption, eco-designed packaging and cooperative governance, is proposed to enhance the environmental and socio-economic sustainability of Morocco’s emerging cannabis seed-oil industry. Full article

Film mulching drip irrigation (FMDI) has shown strong yield-promoting effects in arid regions, but its regulatory effects on sorghum, under the unstable soil hydrothermal conditions of the agro-pastoral ecotone zone, remain poorly understood. Sorghum production in this region is frequently constrained by uneven precipitation, high evaporative demand, and limited thermal resources. This study aimed to clarify the role of film mulching drip irrigation in improving the soil hydrothermal environment and photosynthetic performance of sorghum, thereby enhancing yield in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China. Compared with bare land without film mulching or drip irrigation (CK), FMDI increased soil temperature by 0.33–2.25 °C and soil moisture by 13.87–18.10% at 0–20 cm depth, alleviating early growth constraints. The leaf chlorophyll b content and carotenoid content of sorghum increased by 55.61% and 55.27%, respectively, while the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) increased by 32.35% and photosystem II (PSII) photochemical efficiency also improved. Random forest (RF) and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM) analyses indicated that chlorophyll, gas exchange, and soil moisture were key drivers of yield formation. Ultimately, FMDI increased yield by 67.08%, indicating that FMDI is an effective irrigation–mulching strategy for improving sustainable sorghum production in the agro-pastoral ecotone zone. Full article

Weed control in rice remains a critical challenge in direct-seeded rice cultivation. This study combined field and laboratory experiments to compare the efficacy of nine herbicide combinations against weeds in dryland rice fields and to evaluate their impact on rice economic traits. A model was constructed using principal component analysis for comprehensive evaluation, aiming to identify optimal herbicide combinations for direct-seeded rice under shallow drip irrigation in Hinggan League. The results indicate that pendimethalin provides better pre-emergence control compared to oxadiargyl and pretilachlor. The combination of florpyrauxifen-benzyl + benzobicyclon provided optimal weed control efficacy and rice economic performance when applied as a foliar treatment. Forty-five days after application, weed control efficacy against Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. and Amaranthus retroflexus L. was 72% and 85%, respectively, with fresh weight reduction of 63%. Theoretical yield reached 4285.48 kg·ha⁻¹. At rice harvest, no herbicide residues were detected in rice straw or grains across all treatments, confirming the safety of the applied treatment for rice. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate the comprehensive scores of each treatment, with pendimethalin + florpyrauxifen-benzyl + benzobicyclon achieving the highest score of 0.65. The study indicates that the combination of pendimethalin as a pre-emergence and florpyrauxifen-benzyl + benzobicyclon offers significant advantages in weed control efficacy and rice growth, achieving the highest comprehensive evaluation score. This combination holds important application value for weed control and grain yield assurance in direct-seeded rice fields. Full article

Drip irrigation system performance is largely governed by emitter hydraulic characteristics. This study systematically compares the hydraulic performance of a novel cylindrical asteroid-shaped channel emitter against a conventional toothed labyrinth design. Standardized specimens were produced using precision molds and integrated into drip tapes at 300 mm spacing. To comprehensively analyze flow behavior, pressure–discharge relationships, flow indices, and internal flow fields, a combination of physical experiments and CFD simulations was employed. Experimental results showed that across 20–200 kPa, the cylindrical asteroid-shaped emitter delivered flow rates 24–28% higher than the labyrinth type while maintaining a lower flow index, demonstrating enhanced hydraulic stability. Flow field analysis at 100 kPa revealed that the divergent asteroid geometry generates more intense and sustained turbulent kinetic energy throughout the channel units, resulting in superior energy dissipation. The cylindrical asteroid-shaped unit achieved a pressure drop of 17.5 kPa, exceeding the 15.3 kPa observed in the labyrinth channel, with outlet velocities of 1.6 m/s versus 1.76 m/s. Additionally, the flow pattern promotes comprehensive wall scouring through large-scale vortices, indicating improved resistance to clogging. These findings validate the design superiority of the cylindrical asteroid-shaped emitter and offer a theoretical reference for developing high-uniformity, water-saving irrigation devices. Full article

As water resources are becoming increasingly scarce in the North China Plain, irrigation strategies that simultaneously improve grain yield and reduce irrigation water input are needed for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production. Current irrigation decision rules are based either on fixed soil moisture thresholds or on evapotranspiration (ET)-based ratios applied uniformly across the growing season, limiting their flexibility for growth stage-specific irrigation management. In this study, a multi-objective simulation optimization framework was developed to jointly optimize soil moisture lower control limits (irrigation trigger thresholds) and evapotranspiration-based irrigation replenishment ratios across key winter wheat growth stages. The framework integrated the AquaCrop-OSPy crop model with the PyFAO56 soil moisture balance, irrigation scheduling model and the NSGA-II evolutionary optimization algorithm. A field experiment was conducted during the 2024–2025 growing season in Laoling City, Shandong Province, China, employing a four-dense–one-sparse strip cropping pattern with two irrigation treatments: T1 (subsurface sprinkler irrigation) and T2 (shallow subsurface drip irrigation). The AquaCrop-OSPy model was calibrated and validated using measured canopy cover, aboveground biomass, grain yield, and soil moisture content in the 0–60 cm soil layer. Simulated canopy cover and grain yield showed good agreement with observations, with the coefficient of determination (R²) ranging from 0.87 to 0.94. For grain yield, the normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) ranged from 2.24% to 3.75%, and the root mean square error (RMSE) ranged from 0.29 to 0.54 t·ha⁻¹. For aboveground biomass, R² was 0.99, while RMSE ranged from 1.02 to 1.11 t·ha⁻¹, and NRMSE ranged from 14.25% to 15.49%. The PyFAO56 irrigation strategy model simulated average root-zone soil-moisture dynamics with satisfactory accuracy, with an R² of 0.86 and an RMSE of 5%. Multi-objective optimization (maximizing yield while minimizing irrigation volume) generated 23 Pareto-optimal irrigation strategies, with irrigation volumes ranging from 51 to 128 mm, corresponding yields ranging from 9.8 to 10.8 t·ha⁻¹, and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) ranging from 0.08 to 0.19 t·ha⁻¹·mm⁻¹. Correlation analysis within the Pareto set indicated that soil-moisture control lower limits during the regreening–jointing stage and higher soil-moisture control lower limits during the flowering–maturity stage were key controlling factors for achieving high yields and irrigation water use efficiency. The Entropy-Weighted Ranked Minimum Distance method identified an optimal irrigation scheme involving two irrigations (one at the end of the jointing stage and another at the beginning of the grain filling stage) involving an irrigation depth of 75 mm, achieving a simulated yield of 10.4 t·ha⁻¹ and an IWUE of 0.16 t·ha⁻¹·mm⁻¹. The proposed AquaCrop-PyFAO56-NSGA-II framework provides a flexible, process-based workflow for jointly optimizing irrigation control thresholds and evapotranspiration-based irrigation replenishment ratios across different winter wheat growth stages. Under the monitored conditions of the 2024–2025 wet season, the framework identified a two-irrigation strategy that balanced grain yield and irrigation input. This study should, therefore, be regarded as a proof-of-concept evaluation conducted in a well-instrumented single-site field setting rather than as a universally transferable recommendation. Because model calibration, within-season validation, and optimization were all based on one wet growing season at one site, the derived stage-specific thresholds, Pareto front, and S5 recommendation are most applicable to hydro-climatic conditions similar to the study year and should be further tested across contrasting year-types and locations before broader extrapolation. Full article

Utilising highly mineralised mine water for drip irrigation of desert vegetation in mining areas represents a crucial approach to alleviating freshwater scarcity and achieving mine water resource utilisation. However, high salt inputs may pose risks of salt return to root zones and deep accumulation. To ensure the safe and effective utilisation of mine water, laboratory 45 cm soil column infiltration tests (freshwater, 8, 12, 16 g L⁻¹) were conducted in the heavily saline-affected desert vegetation zone of Dananhu, Hami, Xinjiang, alongside 2023–2024 field drip irrigation trials (8, 12, 16 g L⁻¹). This study established a ‘soil column inversion–field validation–scenario optimisation’ framework (16 g L⁻¹) and field drip irrigation trials (8, 12, 16 g L⁻¹) during 2023–2024. A multi-scale HYDRUS-1D/3D simulation framework—‘soil column inversion–field validation–scenario optimisation’—was established to quantify water–salt transport processes in the root zone and optimise emitter flow rates. HYDRUS-1D demonstrated excellent fitting for soil moisture content, wetting front, and salinity distribution (R² = 0.964–0.979, 0.995–0.998, 0.791–0.898). Following parameter migration, HYDRUS-3D achieved R² values of 0.834–0.949 for simulating field-scale stratified salinity. Overall desalination occurred in the 0–80 cm soil profile over two years. Within the 0–40 cm root zone, reduction rates decreased with increasing irrigation salinity: 45.77% (2023) and 59.64% (2024) under 8 g L⁻¹ treatment, significantly higher than the 24.24% and 30.91% reductions observed at 16 g/L (p < 0.05). During the high-temperature period of July–August, transient salt accumulation occurred in the 0–10 cm surface layer, while the 80–120 cm zone exhibited cumulative risk. Scenario simulations indicated that increased dripper flow rates expanded the wetted zone horizontally but weakened vertical leaching. The 2.0–2.4 L h⁻¹ range demonstrated superior overall performance in balancing root zone desalination rates and irrigation uniformity. The study recommends targeting root-zone salinity stability through a combination of moderate leaching, summer transpiration suppression, and seasonal flushing/natural leaching, alongside prioritising low-to-medium flow emitters. This approach synergistically reduces both surface salinity return and deep accumulation risks. Full article

In water-scarce regions such as Xinjiang, China, agricultural development is constrained not only by limited water resources but also by a strong reliance on water-saving irrigation technologies. Drip irrigation is a key measure for improving irrigation efficiency and promoting the sustainable development of water-saving agriculture. However, defects arising during the manufacture of labyrinth Drip emitters—the core components of drip irrigation systems—can undermine system reliability, leading to channel blockage and non-uniform irrigation. To tackle this issue, a defect detection approach is developed by integrating Digital Twin technology with an enhanced YOLOv8 model for online inspection of labyrinth Drip emitters on drip irrigation tape production lines. In parallel, a self-built dataset covering six defect categories is established. Supported by the DT framework, the standard YOLOv8 network is refined to strengthen its capability in identifying complex micro-defects. Specifically, DySnakeConv is introduced to better represent the curved and slender characteristics of labyrinth channels; DySample is incorporated to improve the reconstruction and representation of fine-grained details; an Efficient Multi-Scale Attention module is adopted to capture richer contextual information while suppressing background noise; and Inner-SIoU is applied to optimize the bounding-box regression process. Experimental results show that the model achieves 89.6% precision, 90.9% recall, and 93.9% mAP50. Compared with the baseline YOLOv8, precision, recall, and mAP50 are improved by 7.3, 3.9, and 3.3 percentage points, respectively. Under the same training conditions, the proposed model outperforms YOLOv10 and YOLOv11 in accuracy-related metrics. Specifically, compared with YOLOv11, precision, recall, and mAP50 are improved by 4.8, 5.0, and 2.6 percentage points, respectively; compared with YOLOv10, they are improved by 10.0, 7.7, and 7.3 percentage points, respectively. Meanwhile, the model maintains a lightweight size of 3.7 M parameters and a real-time inference speed of 150.2 FPS, demonstrating a favorable accuracy–efficiency trade-off. By extending manufacturing-level quality control to agricultural applications, the approach helps ensure uniform irrigation and improve water-use efficiency, providing practical technical support for precision agriculture in arid regions. Full article

Xinjiang, a key grain production region in arid Northwest China, faces severe water scarcity and low agricultural water use efficiency. Although subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) has been widely studied for horticultural crops, a comprehensive synthesis focusing on SDI system design, water–fertilizer management, and soil–crop responses in wheat production under arid conditions remains limited. This knowledge gap restricts the development of optimized irrigation strategies for wheat cultivation in Xinjiang, where extreme aridity, widespread oasis agriculture, soil salinization risk, and the dominance of densely planted wheat create management requirements that differ from those of humid regions and horticultural production systems. Therefore, this review summarizes the development of SDI technology, its system design parameters, and integrated water–fertilizer management strategies, while systematically integrating recent advances in soil–crop–microbial interactions and resource use efficiency under arid conditions, which have rarely been synthesized in previous SDI reviews. Synthesizing current knowledge on the impacts of SDI on soil water dynamics, soil properties, microbial communities, crop root architecture, biomass production, and resource use efficiency, this review further discusses general advances in SDI in the context of their relevance to Xinjiang, with particular emphasis on how regional soil–climate conditions and wheat production practices influence system design, fertigation management, and field applicability. Multiple studies indicate that SDI can simultaneously reduce evaporation and deep percolation, mitigate surface salt accumulation, promote deeper root development, and improve crop productivity and resource use efficiency. However, high initial investment and maintenance costs, along with risks of emitter clogging, still hinder its large-scale adoption. For Xinjiang’s wheat and other densely planted crops, future research should prioritize optimizing subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) systems, as studies have shown that SDI can increase water use efficiency (WUE) by 20–30% and enhance crop yield by 10–15%, particularly under water-scarce conditions. The study’s findings are as follows: (1) optimize SDI system parameters for local soil–climate conditions, (2) elucidate the synergistic mechanisms between water–fertilizer coupling and soil–crop systems, and (3) develop cost-effective and durable system components. Importantly, these findings are particularly relevant for Xinjiang, where extreme aridity, soil salinization, and limited water resources require region-specific optimization of SDI systems. These efforts will support efficient and sustainable wheat production in Xinjiang and other arid regions. Full article

Accurate estimation of soil hydraulic parameters under drip irrigation is essential for improving water flow simulations and optimizing irrigation management; however, field measurements in aeolian sandy soils are often expensive and time-consuming. This study focused on typical aeolian sandy soils in the Kubuqi Desert. Field drip irrigation experiments were conducted to obtain temporal variations in soil water content and wetting front advancement, which were used to inversely estimate and calibrate hydraulic parameters for different soil layers. Soil pore space characteristics were quantified using nitrogen adsorption, and their relationships with hydraulic parameters were analyzed through correlation and redundancy analyses. On this basis, the combined effects of particle-size distribution and pore space structure on parameter prediction were evaluated, and soil water movement under drip irrigation was simulated and validated using HYDRUS-2D/3D. The results indicated pronounced spatial variability in soil hydraulic parameters. Residual water content, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and pore-size distribution index were significantly correlated with specific surface area, total pore volume, mean pore diameter, micropore volume fraction, and pore fractal dimension. Compared with approaches based solely on particle-size distribution, incorporating pore space structure effectively reduced the prediction errors of both hydraulic parameters and wetting front migration, thereby improving simulation accuracy. These findings demonstrate that integrating particle-size distribution and pore space characteristics provides a feasible approach for the rapid estimation of hydraulic parameters and the analysis of water movement in aeolian sandy soils under drip irrigation. Full article

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), as a shallow-rooted crop, is relatively sensitive to soil water deficits; therefore, irrigation plays a crucial role in achieving economically viable production and quality. However, due to the scarcity of water, which has become more precious and less available due to climate change, it is essential to optimize irrigation management and enhance water productivity. The present systematic review, drawing on the most relevant scientific literature, discusses the current state of knowledge on irrigation management and water productivity in potato crop production in semi-arid regions, particularly within Mediterranean countries. Overall, the main findings indicate different possible solutions for saving irrigation water and increasing water productivity by adopting a combination of water-saving strategies, such as static or dynamic deficit irrigation, or partial root-zone drying, and by using a suitable irrigation method like drip irrigation. In addition, the importance of other agronomic factors, namely planting dates, soil texture, and fertilization management, has also emerged, prompting scientists to pay greater attention to them in the future, along with the selection or breeding of appropriate cultivars, which may represent the long-term solution to the problem of water scarcity. Full article

The adoption of photovoltaic (PV) energy in irrigation is rapidly increasing, supported by a range of available technologies. However, an agronomic perspective that could help overcome inherent limitations of PV systems remains absent. In fact, current irrigation design methods do not explicitly take into account the dynamic nature of PV power generation. While irrigation engineering conceptualises soil as a reservoir for plant-available water, it can also function as an energy reservoir, storing solar-derived energy in the form of soil moisture for subsequent crop use. Building on this concept, this study proposes an integrated framework for designing off-grid PV irrigation systems based on asymmetric irrigation sectors. The framework couples hydrological, agronomic, and energy components to synchronise solar energy generation with crop water requirements, thereby eliminating the need for intermediate energy storage. The methodology was applied to two case studies: a hedgerow olive orchard and an almond orchard in southern Portugal, both with drip irrigation. Results demonstrate that the asymmetric-sector design provides a technically feasible and low-complexity solution for integrating photovoltaic energy into irrigation systems. The conventional irrigation system required 1.42 kW of minimum pumping power for olive orchards and 1.32 kW for almond orchards. The dimensions of the main lines ranged from 97.8 mm for olive and 75 mm for almond orchards, while the flow rate of the emitter was 2.3 L h⁻¹ for olive and 3 L h⁻¹ for almond orchards. Although PV-compatible operation required hydraulic adjustments including increases in design flow rate (226–255%), pump power demand (87.5–241%), and pipe diameters (up to 120% in olive and 75% in almond), these adaptations enable irrigation systems to operate under the variability inherent to solar-based energy supply. This hydraulic oversizing leads to higher initial investment costs; however, this can be mitigated to a certain extent by diminished operating costs and complete energy autonomy from the electricity grid. Full article