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Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water
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Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 10490

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Quanjiu Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Institute of Water Resources and Hydro-electric Engineering, Xi 'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, China
2. State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, China
Interests: saline-alkali land amelioration; water-saving irrigation; water and soil resources; agro-ecological environment; water- and fertilizer-use efficiency; crop growth models

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Approximately 70 percent of global freshwater is consumed in the agricultural sector, yet water use efficiency in many countries is below 50 percent. Global freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce due to its improper management, indiscriminate use, and the changing climate. In many parts of the world, food security and environmental sustainability are threatened by issues with water scarcity and quality. Agriculture faces the challenges of reducing land degradation and emissions, preventing further pollution and reducing the loss of environmental services while sustaining production levels. Responses must include climate-smart land management attuned to variations in soil and water processes. Management options are available to increase productivity, and production levels of innovative management and technology can be scaled toward sustainable agrifood systems. However, no progress can be made without the planning and management of land, soil and water resources through effective land and water governance.

This Special Issue, entitled “Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water”, focuses on water and soil resources and the ecological environment; irrigation and drainage technology; rainwater resources; the combined utilization of surface water, soil water and groundwater; and soil and water loss. We welcome papers that report on these issues at local, regional and global scales.

Prof. Dr. Quanjiu Wang
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

  • productivity
  • water use efficiency
  • water and soil resources
  • irrigation and drainage technology
  • soil and water loss

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1342 KiB  
Article
Exploring Plastic Mulching as a Strategy for Mitigating Drought Stress and Boosting Maize Yield in the Ecuadorian Andes
by José Luis Zambrano, Yamil Cartagena, Carlos Sangoquiza, Ana Pincay, Anibal Rafael Parra, Javier Maiguashca, José Luis Rivadeneira, Cristian Subía and Chang Hwan Park
Water 2024, 16(7), 1033; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16071033 - 03 Apr 2024
Viewed by 744
Abstract
Global food security faces a substantial risk stemming from water scarcity, particularly in regions heavily dependent on rainfall for agricultural purposes. In the Andean region, which is grappling with water scarcity, innovative and sustainable approaches are imperative for securing food sources. Plastic mulching [...] Read more.
Global food security faces a substantial risk stemming from water scarcity, particularly in regions heavily dependent on rainfall for agricultural purposes. In the Andean region, which is grappling with water scarcity, innovative and sustainable approaches are imperative for securing food sources. Plastic mulching has emerged as a potential solution to address water scarcity challenges by conserving soil moisture and optimizing growing conditions. A two-year field experiment was conducted that evaluated the efficacy of plastic mulching in preserving soil water content and reducing drought stress for maize. Two maize cultivars were grown with plastic mulching and conventional practices using a randomized completed block design with three replicates. The results demonstrated that employing plastic mulch led to a rise in the soil water content, particularly within the initial 30 cm of depth, resulting in variances of up to 4.71% humidity between the 20 and 30 cm depths. For the 2019 and 2020 evaluation years, plastic mulching elevated the volumetric water content in the first 30 cm of the soil by 8.39% and 14.18%, respectively. Additionally, it elevated the soil temperature by 1.26 °C and reduced the maize flowering time. Plastic mulching substantially enhanced the fresh corn yield, reaching a 162% increase compared to conventional plots. These findings underscore the potential benefits of plastic mulching in conserving the soil water content, alleviating drought and cold stress for crops in the Andean region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water)
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14 pages, 4054 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Variation Characteristics and Driving Force Analysis of Precipitation Use Efficiency at the North Foot of Yinshan Mountain
by Yi Yang, Hu Liu, Wanghai Tao and Yuyang Shan
Water 2024, 16(1), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16010099 - 27 Dec 2023
Viewed by 770
Abstract
The northern foothills of Yinshan Mountain are situated in northern China’s agricultural and pastoral ecotone, serving as a crucial ecological barrier. To comprehensively assess the impact of grassland resource restoration in this region since the initiation of the Grain-for-Green conversion project in 2000, [...] Read more.
The northern foothills of Yinshan Mountain are situated in northern China’s agricultural and pastoral ecotone, serving as a crucial ecological barrier. To comprehensively assess the impact of grassland resource restoration in this region since the initiation of the Grain-for-Green conversion project in 2000, this study analyzes the spatiotemporal characteristics of precipitation use efficiency (PUE) and investigates climate-driven factors during 2001–2021. The results showed that the grassland types at the north foot of Yinshan could be divided into four categories: warm-arid, warm subtropical semidesert (WSS), warm temperate-arid, warm temperate zonal semidesert (WZS), warm temperate-semiarid, warm temperate typical steppe (WTS), and warm temperate-subhumid forest steppe (WFT). The NPP of the four grassland species were 151.34 (WSS), 196.72 (WZS), 283.33 (WTS), and 118.06 gC·m−2 (WFT), and correspondingly, the PUE of the four grassland species were 0.66 (WSS), 0.66 (WZS), 0.80 (WTS), and 0.57 gC·m−2·mm−1 (WFT). From 2001 to 2021, PUE in grassland showed an overall upward trend, rising from 0.57 to 0.99 gC·m−2·mm−1. The trend analysis found that the vegetation ecological area of the northern foot of Yinshan became better, of which 54.36% was improved and 15.72% was degraded. It is worth pointing out that WSS had the highest degree of improvement, while WFT was in a degraded state. The climate driving force analysis shows that the regional contribution of precipitation is 19.57%, temperature is 28.33%, potential evapotranspiration is 13.65%, wind speed is 10.79%, and saturated vapor pressure is 27.66%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water)
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16 pages, 3695 KiB  
Article
Quantifying the Impact of Organic Fertilizers on Soil Quality under Varied Irrigation Water Sources
by Shudong Lin, Qingyuan Lei, Yun Liu, Yimei Zhao, Lijun Su, Quanjiu Wang, Wanghai Tao and Mingjiang Deng
Water 2023, 15(20), 3618; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15203618 - 16 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1473
Abstract
The issues of limited water availability and excessive fertilizer utilization, both of which negatively impact soil health and crop productivity, are key focal points in the pursuit of sustainable agricultural progress. Given these crucial obstacles, it is crucial to utilize accurate methods of [...] Read more.
The issues of limited water availability and excessive fertilizer utilization, both of which negatively impact soil health and crop productivity, are key focal points in the pursuit of sustainable agricultural progress. Given these crucial obstacles, it is crucial to utilize accurate methods of irrigation and fertilization in order to improve the condition of the soil and promote the progress of sustainable farming. The objective of this research is to determine the optimal indicators for creating a minimal data set (MDS) that can assess the influence of organic fertilizers on the quality of pakchoi soil in varying irrigation water sources. Principal component analysis and norm values were utilized to create the MDS, and its accuracy was confirmed by examining coefficients of Nash efficiency and relative deviation. The results of our study showed that there was not much difference in soil bulk density (BD), but there was moderate variation in soil water content (SWC), soil salt content (SSC), alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), and organic matter (OM). The selected MDS indicators included BD, AN, and OM. The soil quality index (SQI) achieved a high R2 value of 0.952, indicating a strong correlation. Furthermore, the nonlinear evaluation model showed a high level of effectiveness and efficiency, with Ef and Er values of 0.899 and 0.046, respectively. The effectiveness of this model in evaluating soil quality under different irrigation water conditions is evident. Notably, treatments involving magnetized–ionized brackish water (average SQI = 0.524) and the application of 20 kg/ha organic fertilizer (average SQI = 0.719) demonstrate the capacity to enhance soil quality. The present study presents a pragmatic, productive, and economical quantitative evaluation approach that can be used for worldwide vegetable farming with the utilization of clean water, saline water, magnetized–ionized saline water, and organic manure. Thus, we encourage vegetable growers to consider adopting both magnetized–ionized brackish water and organic fertilizers, and the utilization of the nonlinear soil quality index evaluation model is recommended as it offers a sensitive and effective approach to assessing soil quality across various irrigation and organic fertilizer schemes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water)
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13 pages, 3008 KiB  
Article
Tomato Yield Responses to Deficit Irrigation and Partial Root Zone Drying Methods Using Biochar: A Greenhouse Experiment in a Loamy Sand Soil Using Fresh and Saline Irrigation Water
by Abdulaziz G. Alghamdi, Anwar A. Aly, Abdulrasoul M. Al-Omran, Ibrahim I. Louki and Arafat Alkhasha
Water 2023, 15(15), 2797; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15152797 - 02 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1000
Abstract
The impacts of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and partial root zone drying irrigation (PRD) on water productivity (WP), crop water response factor (Ky), and yield of tomato crop (Solanum lycopersicum) were explored in this study using fresh (0.9 dS m−1 [...] Read more.
The impacts of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and partial root zone drying irrigation (PRD) on water productivity (WP), crop water response factor (Ky), and yield of tomato crop (Solanum lycopersicum) were explored in this study using fresh (0.9 dS m−1) and saline (3.6 dS m−1) water under greenhouse conditions. RDI had four ETc (crop evapotranspiration) levels, i.e., 40, 60, 80, and 100%. PRD adopted 100% ETc for all treatments with changes in its application time (first, second, third, and fourth growth stages). Biochar pyrolyzed at 450–500 °C and added at rate of 4%. The results revealed that the Ky ranged between 0.21 and 0.37, indicating that tomato can tolerate a shortage of irrigation water. The highest value of WP (191 kg m−3) was found in 40% ETc using fresh water with biochar. The highest yield (20.0 kg m−2) was obtained with the application of 100% ETc with fresh water and biochar. Biochar application did not result in favorable yields with saline water due to its high salinity (7.8 dS m−1). The use of PRD in the fourth stage with biochar and fresh water led to the highest yield (20.6 kg m−2). Finally, this study recommends the application of biochar only when fresh irrigation water is available in adequate amounts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water)
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19 pages, 3354 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Soil Water Content Based on Hyperspectral Reflectance Combined with Competitive Adaptive Reweighted Sampling and Random Frog Feature Extraction and the Back-Propagation Artificial Neural Network Method
by Shaomin Chen, Fangchuan Lou, Yunfei Tuo, Shuai Tan, Kailun Peng, Shuai Zhang and Quanjiu Wang
Water 2023, 15(15), 2726; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15152726 - 28 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1003
Abstract
The soil water content (SWC) is a critical factor in agricultural production. To achieve real-time and nondestructive monitoring of the SWC, an experiment was conducted to measure the hyperspectral reflectance of soil samples with varying levels of water content. The soil samples were [...] Read more.
The soil water content (SWC) is a critical factor in agricultural production. To achieve real-time and nondestructive monitoring of the SWC, an experiment was conducted to measure the hyperspectral reflectance of soil samples with varying levels of water content. The soil samples were divided into two parts, SWC higher than field capacity (super-θf) and SWC lower than field capacity (sub-θf), and the outliers were detected by Monte Carlo cross-validation (MCCV). The raw spectra were processed using Savitzky–Golay (SG) smoothing and then the spectral feature variable of SWC was extracted by using a combination of competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) and random frog (Rfrog). Based on the extracted feature variables, an extreme learning machine (ELM), a back-propagation artificial neural network (BPANN), and a support vector machine (SVM) were used to establish the prediction model. The results showed that the accuracy of retrieving the SWC using the same model was poor, under two conditions, i.e., SWC above and below θf, mainly due to the influence of the lower accuracy of the super-θf part. The number of feature variables extracted by the sub-θf and super-θf datasets were 25 and 18, respectively, accounting for 1.85% and 1.33% of the raw spectra, and the variables were widely distributed in the NIR range. Among the models, the best results were achieved by the BPANN model for both the sub-θf and the super-θf datasets; the R2p, RMSEp, and RRMSE of the sub-θf samples were 0.941, 1.570%, and 6.685%, respectively. The R2p, RMSEp, and RRMSE of the super-θf samples were 0.764, 1.479%, and 4.205%, respectively. This study demonstrates that the CARS–Rfrog–BPANN method was reliable for the prediction of SWC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water)
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14 pages, 1824 KiB  
Article
Agricultural Total Water Consumption Coefficient and Its Spatial Correlation Network in Yangtze River Economic Belt
by Yafeng Yang, Yuanyuan Gao, Ru Zhang, Jijun Xu, Haohan Yuan and Hongrui Wang
Water 2023, 15(11), 2055; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15112055 - 29 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 961
Abstract
Agriculture contributes extensively to the economic development of countries; however, it is one of the main water-consuming industries. Revealing the characteristics and network structure of agricultural water use efficiency (AWUE) is conducive to green and coordinated development of agriculture. Considering that analyzing the [...] Read more.
Agriculture contributes extensively to the economic development of countries; however, it is one of the main water-consuming industries. Revealing the characteristics and network structure of agricultural water use efficiency (AWUE) is conducive to green and coordinated development of agriculture. Considering that analyzing the variation of AWUE is helpful to calculating the AWUE, this study aims to calculate the total water consumption coefficient of the agricultural sector in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YEB) by using the China interregional input-output tables in 2012 and 2017. The gravity model was modified to deduce the spatial correlation network of agricultural total water consumption coefficient (ATWCC), and the social network analysis method was used to analyze the network structural characteristics. The results show that: (1) compared to 2012, the AWUE of YEB in 2017 improved, with a decrease of ATWCC from 532.5 to 387.5 m3/10,000-yuan, account for 27.2%; (2) The network relevance of ATWCC of YEB’s 11 provinces (cities) enhanced, the rank relationship within the network and the network structure was relatively stable; (3) The spatial correlation network formed several network centers, Zhejiang and Jiangsu in the eastern coastal area were the main destinations of the spatial spillover of the spatial correlation network. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water)
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17 pages, 6840 KiB  
Article
A Rolling Real-Time Correction Method for Minute Precipitation Forecast Based on Weather Radars
by Jin Ding, Jinbing Gao, Guoping Zhang, Fang Zhang, Jing Yang, Shudong Wang, Bing Xue and Kuoyin Wang
Water 2023, 15(10), 1872; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15101872 - 15 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1128
Abstract
The quantitative precipitation estimation by weather radar plays an important role in observations and forecasts of meteorological processes. The National Minute Quantitative Precipitation Forecast system of China (MQPF), providing location-based refined short-term and imminent precipitation forecasting services, filled the gap in the official [...] Read more.
The quantitative precipitation estimation by weather radar plays an important role in observations and forecasts of meteorological processes. The National Minute Quantitative Precipitation Forecast system of China (MQPF), providing location-based refined short-term and imminent precipitation forecasting services, filled the gap in the official minute precipitation service products in China’s meteorological field. However, due to the technical limitations of radar itself and the complexity of the atmosphere, the corresponding relationship between radar echoes and surface precipitation is unstable. Based on radar and precipitation data from meteorological stations, a rolling real-time correction method is proposed to improve precipitation prediction accuracy through rolling correction of spatial and temporal structural errors in MQPF products. The results show the following: (1) Although this method may lead to a certain increase in the missing ratio, the significant improvement in the false alarm ratio after rolling correction has a positive guiding effect on short-term public meteorological services. (2) Regarding the time to complete rolling correction, the longest and shortest times appear in April and December, respectively. The mean running time to achieve correction of spatial and temporal error corrections ranges from 3.8 s to 6.4 s and 7.7 s to 11.5 s, respectively, which fully meets the real-time operational requirements of radar business. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water)
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21 pages, 5505 KiB  
Article
Spatio-Temporal Study on Irrigation Guarantee Capacity in the Northwest Arid Region of China
by Xue Zhao, Wanghai Tao, Lijun Su, Yan Sun, Zhi Qu, Weiyi Mu, Changkun Ma and Yuyang Shan
Water 2023, 15(7), 1396; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15071396 - 04 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1173
Abstract
Irrigation guarantee capacity is the critical factor in evaluating the development level of irrigated agriculture and is also a future development trend. It is necessary to carry out scientific planning and reasonable allocation of irrigation water resources to ensure the sustainable development of [...] Read more.
Irrigation guarantee capacity is the critical factor in evaluating the development level of irrigated agriculture and is also a future development trend. It is necessary to carry out scientific planning and reasonable allocation of irrigation water resources to ensure the sustainable development of irrigated agriculture and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of water resource utilization. This study is based on remote sensing meteorological data and the principles of the Miami model and water balance. We calculated the annual irrigation water requirement and effective irrigation water, and used the ratio between the effective irrigation water and irrigation water requirement as the basis for evaluating an irrigation guarantee capability index. By using irrigation guarantee capability evaluation indicators from multiple years, we evaluated and assessed the irrigation guarantee capability in the arid region of northwest China. In addition, we analyzed three indicators (i.e., irrigation water requirement IWR, effective irrigation water EIW, and irrigation guarantee capacity index IGCI) to explore the rational allocation of water resources in the northwest arid area. IWR, EIW, and ICGI in northwest China from 2001 to 2020 were analyzed, and the average values were 379.32 mm, 171.29 mm, and 0.50, respectively. Simultaneously, an analysis was conducted on the temporal and spatial distribution of IWR, EIW, and IGCI in the northwest region of China from 2001 to 2020. The results indicated that the rainfall in the southwestern edge of the Yellow River Basin and the eastern part of the Qaidam Basin could meet the irrigation water demand. The northwest edge of the Yellow River Basin, the central Hexi Inland River Basin, most of Northeast Xinjiang, central and southeastern Xinjiang, and other regions mainly rely on irrigation to meet agricultural water requirements. The rest of the region needs to rely on irrigation for supplementary irrigation to increase crop yield. All districts in the ‘Three Water Lines’ area of northwest China should vigorously develop sprinkler irrigation, micro-irrigation, pipe irrigation, and other irrigation water-saving technologies and support engineering construction. Under the premise of ensuring national food security, they should reduce the planting area of rice, corn, and orchards, and increase the planting area of economic crops such as beans and tubers in the ’Three Water Lines’ area. That is conducive to further reducing the agricultural irrigation quota and improving the matching degree of irrigation water resources. It provides a scientific reference for optimizing water resource allocation and improving irrigation water-use efficiency in northwest arid areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water)
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13 pages, 2692 KiB  
Article
Study on Suitable Rice Planting Scale Based on Balance of Groundwater Recharge and Discharge in Sanjiang Plain
by Hui Guo, Qingyan Sun, Zhenjiang Wu, Chuiyu Lu and Zidong Qin
Water 2023, 15(3), 547; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15030547 - 30 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1188
Abstract
In addition to implementing active water resource allocation measures to solve the serious groundwater overexploitation problem caused by large-scale rice planting in the Sanjiang Plain, the reasonable adjustment of rice planting areas is another method of doing so. From the perspective of groundwater [...] Read more.
In addition to implementing active water resource allocation measures to solve the serious groundwater overexploitation problem caused by large-scale rice planting in the Sanjiang Plain, the reasonable adjustment of rice planting areas is another method of doing so. From the perspective of groundwater recharge and discharge balance, this paper carries out a novel assessment of suitable rice planting areas in the Sanjiang Plain, which is expected to provide a new method for the implementation of land exploitation according to water resource conditions. The technical scheme is as follows: by adjusting the water resource allocation data and rice spatial distribution data in the surface water–groundwater coupled model (baseline model with dynamic land use) in the Sanjiang Plain, static land-use models under different rice planting scales were established. Through simulation and comparison, the rice area that could achieve the balance of groundwater recharge and discharge was considered the suitable rice planting scale in the Sanjiang Plain. The results showed that the average annual change in groundwater storage from 2000 to 2014 simulated by the baseline model was −0.313 billion m3, indicating that there was space for further optimization and adjustment of the rice planting scale in the Sanjiang Plain. By comparing the static land-use models of each year under the current water resource allocation pattern, the rice area of 1.021 million hm2 in 2005 could effectively realize the balance of groundwater recharge and discharge. Under the new water resource allocation pattern of 2035, the water resource conditions in the Sanjiang Plain will be greatly improved, which can support a rice planting scale of 3.058 million hm2 on the basis of ensuring the balance of groundwater recharge and discharge. Our research results can provide a reference for water resource allocation and land-use optimization regulation in the Sanjiang Plain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Agricultural Water)
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