Agronomic measures improve crop yield and water and nitrogen use efficiency under brackish water irrigation: A global meta-analysis

IF 6.1 1区农林科学 Q1 AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Agricultural Systems Pub Date : 2025-03-10 DOI:10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104304

Ruopu Wang , Heli Cao , Shaozhong Kang , Taisheng Du , Ling Tong , Jian Kang , Jia Gao , Risheng Ding

{"title":"Agronomic measures improve crop yield and water and nitrogen use efficiency under brackish water irrigation: A global meta-analysis","authors":"Ruopu Wang , Heli Cao , Shaozhong Kang , Taisheng Du , Ling Tong , Jian Kang , Jia Gao , Risheng Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104304","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Brackish groundwater irrigation presents a feasible solution to alleviate water scarcity; however, it also induces salt stress in crops. The effects of agronomic measures on crop yield, water use efficiency (WUE), irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) under brackish water irrigation are still unclear.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>The objectives of this study were to: (i) systematically analyze the effects of brackish water irrigation on yield, WUE, IWUE and NUE of cotton and grain crops across different climates and soil types; (ii) investigate how agronomic measures such as irrigation amounts, fertilizer application, and biochar addition affect crop yield, WUE, and NUE under brackish water irrigation; (iii) explore the effects of meteorological conditions, soil properties, and agronomic measures on yield, WUE, IWUE and NUE using random forest model and correlation analyses.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>This study conducted a comprehensive meta–analysis of 636 comparisons from 81 global studies on brackish water irrigation. In addition, machine learning was used to assess the effects of environmental conditions and agronomic measures on crop yield, WUE, IWUE and NUE under brackish water irrigation, as well as to determine the relative importance of different influencing factors.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Brackish water irrigation significantly reduced crop yield, WUE, IWUE, and NUE compared to freshwater irrigation. Cotton showed the strongest adaptability to brackish water, followed by wheat, while maize exhibited the poorest adaptability. Acidic soil with low bulk density and loamy texture were most conducive to brackish water irrigation, particularly in semi–arid and semi–humid regions. Increasing irrigation amount by 25–50 % can both increase crop yields and maintain high WUE. Although increased nitrogen application enhanced grain yields and WUE, it was also associated with the risk of significant decline in NUE. Random forest model analysis suggested that prioritizing nitrogen application is essential for cotton under brackish water irrigation, while increasing irrigation water is more critical for wheat and maize.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>This study provided valuable insights into the response of crop production indicators under brackish water irrigation and offered recommendations for its rational application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 104304"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Agricultural Systems","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X25000447","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

CONTEXT

Brackish groundwater irrigation presents a feasible solution to alleviate water scarcity; however, it also induces salt stress in crops. The effects of agronomic measures on crop yield, water use efficiency (WUE), irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) under brackish water irrigation are still unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this study were to: (i) systematically analyze the effects of brackish water irrigation on yield, WUE, IWUE and NUE of cotton and grain crops across different climates and soil types; (ii) investigate how agronomic measures such as irrigation amounts, fertilizer application, and biochar addition affect crop yield, WUE, and NUE under brackish water irrigation; (iii) explore the effects of meteorological conditions, soil properties, and agronomic measures on yield, WUE, IWUE and NUE using random forest model and correlation analyses.

METHODS

This study conducted a comprehensive meta–analysis of 636 comparisons from 81 global studies on brackish water irrigation. In addition, machine learning was used to assess the effects of environmental conditions and agronomic measures on crop yield, WUE, IWUE and NUE under brackish water irrigation, as well as to determine the relative importance of different influencing factors.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Brackish water irrigation significantly reduced crop yield, WUE, IWUE, and NUE compared to freshwater irrigation. Cotton showed the strongest adaptability to brackish water, followed by wheat, while maize exhibited the poorest adaptability. Acidic soil with low bulk density and loamy texture were most conducive to brackish water irrigation, particularly in semi–arid and semi–humid regions. Increasing irrigation amount by 25–50 % can both increase crop yields and maintain high WUE. Although increased nitrogen application enhanced grain yields and WUE, it was also associated with the risk of significant decline in NUE. Random forest model analysis suggested that prioritizing nitrogen application is essential for cotton under brackish water irrigation, while increasing irrigation water is more critical for wheat and maize.

SIGNIFICANCE

This study provided valuable insights into the response of crop production indicators under brackish water irrigation and offered recommendations for its rational application.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

在微咸水灌溉条件下，农艺措施可提高作物产量和水氮利用效率：一项全球荟萃分析

微咸地下水灌溉是缓解水资源短缺的可行方案；然而，它也会引起作物的盐胁迫。在微淡水灌溉条件下，农艺措施对作物产量、水分利用效率（WUE）、灌溉水分利用效率（IWUE）和氮素利用效率（NUE）的影响尚不清楚。本研究的目的是：(1)系统分析不同气候和土壤类型下微淡水灌溉对棉花和粮食作物产量、水分利用效率、IWUE和NUE的影响；（ii）调查在微咸水灌溉条件下，灌溉量、化肥施用和生物炭添加等农艺措施如何影响作物产量、水分利用效率和氮肥利用效率；（iii）利用随机森林模型和相关分析探讨气象条件、土壤性质和农艺措施对产量、用水效率、IWUE和NUE的影响。方法：本研究对全球81项微咸水灌溉研究中的636项比较进行了综合荟萃分析。此外，利用机器学习评估了环境条件和农艺措施对微淡水灌溉条件下作物产量、水分利用效率、IWUE和NUE的影响，确定了不同影响因素的相对重要性。结果与结论与淡水灌溉相比，微咸水灌溉显著降低作物产量、水分利用效率、IWUE和氮肥利用效率。棉花对微咸水的适应性最强，小麦次之，玉米对微咸水的适应性最差。在半干旱半湿润地区，低容重和壤土质酸性土壤最有利于微咸水灌溉。增加灌水量25 ~ 50%，既能提高作物产量，又能保持较高的水分利用效率。虽然氮肥施用增加了粮食产量和水分利用效率，但也与氮肥利用效率显著下降的风险有关。随机森林模型分析表明，在微咸水灌溉条件下，棉花应优先施氮，而小麦和玉米则应增加灌溉水量。意义本研究为微咸水灌溉对作物生产指标的响应提供了有价值的见解，并为微咸水的合理应用提供了建议。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Agricultural Systems 农林科学-农业综合

CiteScore

13.30

自引率

7.60%

发文量

174

审稿时长

30 days

期刊介绍： Agricultural Systems is an international journal that deals with interactions - among the components of agricultural systems, among hierarchical levels of agricultural systems, between agricultural and other land use systems, and between agricultural systems and their natural, social and economic environments. The scope includes the development and application of systems analysis methodologies in the following areas: Systems approaches in the sustainable intensification of agriculture; pathways for sustainable intensification; crop-livestock integration; farm-level resource allocation; quantification of benefits and trade-offs at farm to landscape levels; integrative, participatory and dynamic modelling approaches for qualitative and quantitative assessments of agricultural systems and decision making; The interactions between agricultural and non-agricultural landscapes; the multiple services of agricultural systems; food security and the environment; Global change and adaptation science; transformational adaptations as driven by changes in climate, policy, values and attitudes influencing the design of farming systems; Development and application of farming systems design tools and methods for impact, scenario and case study analysis; managing the complexities of dynamic agricultural systems; innovation systems and multi stakeholder arrangements that support or promote change and (or) inform policy decisions.