Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science最新文献

{"title":"Does Exogenous Salicylic Acid Improve Crop Yield Under Salinity?—A Meta-Analysis","authors":"Md. Abu Hanif,&nbsp;Md. Tahjib-Ul-Arif","doi":"10.1111/jac.70087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70087","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Recent studies have explored the use of exogenous bio-stimulants to enhance crop growth and stress tolerance, with most focusing on growth rather than yield. This meta-analysis seeks to answer whether exogenous bio-stimulants, particularly salicylic acid (SA), can improve the yield of wheat under salinity conditions and assess its economic feasibility in wheat production. A systematic search strategy was followed by using databases such as Google Scholar and Web of Science without any restrictions on language or time to identify articles published by June 2023 (updated in April 2025). The meta-analysis found that the total yield of wheat production under stress is reduced significantly compared to the control condition, and the pooled variance is 0.67 with 95% CI (confidence interval) 0.59 to 0.76. It was also found that wheat yield improved significantly under both non-saline and saline conditions by applying exogenous SA, with the pooled estimates of 1.14 with 95% CI 1.09 to 1.19 and 1.26 with 95% CI 1.18 to 1.33, respectively. The economic analysis demonstrates that SA application is a profitable intervention for wheat cultivation in salinity-affected areas, showing an overall benefit–cost ratio of 1.295. Based on these findings and the established yield benefits, we recommend farmers apply SA at concentrations of 0.5–1 mM through foliar spraying for optimal wheat yield.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"211 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144315067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Proportion of Frost-Damaged Leaves: A Simple and Robust Approach for Evaluating Frost Damage in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)","authors":"Lei Li,&nbsp;Bohua Li,&nbsp;Yongle Yang,&nbsp;Jinlong Bian,&nbsp;Zhengxi Sun,&nbsp;Panpan Huang,&nbsp;Tao Li","doi":"10.1111/jac.70089","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70089","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Frost resistance is a crucial trait in wheat breeding, and accurately assessing the phenotype of frost damage is vital for the genetic improvement of wheat resistance to frost damage. However, the unpredictability of cold wave events and regional variations in frost damage levels complicate the precise evaluation of frost damage. Survival rate and frost damage grade (on a scale of 1 to 5) are commonly used indicators for evaluating frost damage. However, these methods are mainly effective in extreme low-temperature conditions that cause significant wheat mortality or result in severe frost damage ratings above 3. They are not well-suited for the more subtle phenotypic variations associated with common low temperatures, such as those ranging from −10°C to −5°C. In this study, we employed four different phenotyping methods to evaluate the severity of frost damage in a panel of 50 wheat recombinant inbred lines in two distinct environments, and proposed a novel approach to quantify frost damage based on the proportion of frost-damaged leaves (PFD), which proves to be simple and robust for assessing the severity of frost damage in wheat across multiple biological replicates and a spectrum of environmental conditions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"211 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144292929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing Heat Tolerance in Maize Hybrids Using Bacterial Consortium: Modulation of Morpho-Physiological Traits and Antioxidant Mechanisms","authors":"Ijaz Hussain,&nbsp;Rao Muhammad Ikram,&nbsp;Muhammad Habib Ur Rahman,&nbsp;Muhammad Baqir Hussain","doi":"10.1111/jac.70077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70077","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Heat stress is one of the most detrimental abiotic stresses, causes significant reduction in plant growth and yield in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Mitigating the adverse effects is crucial for sustainable crop production and global food security. The use of bacterial consortia represents a promising and eco-friendly approach to enhance heat tolerance in plants, offering a biological strategy to improve resilience under climate-induced stress conditions. In this study, three heat-tolerant <i>Bacillus species</i> (<i>Bacillus velezensis</i>, <i>Bacillus altitudinis</i> and <i>Bacillus cereus</i>) and two maize hybrids DK-6103 (heat tolerant) and SW-1080 (heat sensitive) were selected from laboratory and glasshouse experiments. The bacterial strains were screened in laboratory at various heat stress levels (30°C, 40°C and 50°C for 96 h), while maize hybrids were evaluated in glasshouse conditions [30°C ± 3 (control) and 45°C ± 3 (heat stress) for 6 h per day over a period of 8 consecutive days]. Subsequently, the response of best performing heat-tolerant <i>Bacillus</i> spp. as individual and consortium was explored in selected maize hybrids under heat stress [45°C ± 3; 6 h/day over a period of 8 consecutive days] based on morpho-physiological and antioxidant activity. The results revealed that seed inoculation with a bacterial consortium of <i>B. velezensis</i>, <i>B. altitudinis</i> and <i>B. cereus</i> resulted significant improvements in plant growth, morpho-physiological traits and antioxidant mechanisms. Inoculation treatment demonstrated a rise in shoot and root length (39% and 30%) attributed to enhancements in net leaf photosynthetic rate (25%), soluble protein content (46%), superoxide dismutase (73%), catalase (94%) and proline content (151%) compared to the control. Additionally, seed inoculation also led to a reduction in leaf transpiration rate and malondialdehyde contents indicating a stress response in plants. Consortium-inoculated seedlings exhibited the highest increases in net leaf photosynthetic rate, soluble protein content, superoxide dismutase, catalase and proline under heat stress. It highlights the effectiveness of bacterial inoculation in enhancing thermotolerance in maize hybrids. In conclusion, seed inoculation with a bacterial consortium effectively enhances seedling growth, physiological traits, antioxidant activities and osmolytes production under heat stress.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"211 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144292486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of Reproductive Stage Water-Deficit Stress and Weed Competition on the Productivity of Maize (Zea mays L.) and Grain Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench)","authors":"Ariel Tóth,&nbsp;Zoltán Tóth,&nbsp;Kristóf Kozma-Bognár,&nbsp;Brigitta Simon-Gáspár","doi":"10.1111/jac.70084","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70084","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Due to the growing risk for water shortage during the summer season, grain sorghum has become a popular alternative to maize in most drought-prone areas of Hungary. A three-factorial model experiment was carried out between 28 May 2024 and 11 September 2024 in Keszthely (Hungary) in order to compare the responses of P8834 maize hybrid and RTG Huggo grain sorghum hybrid to weed infestation and different levels of reproductive stage water-deficit stress (50% and 30% water supply relative to the individual controls' water consumption). The treatments were set in a Thornthwaite-Mather type compensation evapotranspirometer, so water consumption could be controlled and monitored. Based on the results, weed interference affected all phenological and yield attributes of both species negatively, but the interaction of weed infestation and water treatment did not enhance relative grain yield loss neither in maize (<i>p</i> = 0.851) nor in grain sorghum (<i>p</i> = 0.28). Since temperature conditions during the reproductive stage were more favourable for grain sorghum, the general yield surplus for sorghum over maize (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) was attributed to sorghum's better tolerance to temperature stress. The results also revealed that up to 50% water stress level, the yield stability and water use efficiency of grain sorghum were also better than those of maize, both in weed-free and weed-infested treatments. In conclusion, grain sorghum should be recommended as an alternative to maize in areas that are affected by extreme heat events and moderate water scarcity.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"211 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70084","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144264487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effects of Warming and Short-Term Drought on Soil Nutrients Are Dependent on Microbial Biomass and Mycorrhizal Inoculation","authors":"Chioma Igwenagu,&nbsp;Haiyang Zhang,&nbsp;Jeff R. Powell,&nbsp;Jonathan M. Plett,&nbsp;Ian C. Anderson,&nbsp;Sally A. Power,&nbsp;Yolima Carrillo,&nbsp;Catriona A. Macdonald","doi":"10.1111/jac.70082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70082","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Soil nutrient cycling and availability in pastures are affected by warming and drought. These effects may be further enhanced in intensively managed/degraded systems due to altered microbial community size and composition. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi may help compensate for this climate-related disruption in nutrient cycling and availability by facilitating access to nutrients. However, the extent to which the interaction between warming and drought may affect AM fungal mediation of soil nutrient availability in degraded soil systems is unknown. To investigate this, we grew lucerne (<i>Medicago sativa</i>) and tall fescue (<i>Festuca arundinacea</i>), with and without AM fungal inoculation (<i>Rhizophagus irregularis</i>), under ambient (26°C—aT) and elevated (30°C—eT) temperatures, and well-watered (100% soil water holding capacity (WHC)) and drought (40% WHC) conditions, in intact soil (non-degraded) and in gamma-irradiated sterilised soil (degraded soil). Soil microbial biomass C, N and P, nutrients (NO₃⁻, NH₄⁺ and PO₄³⁻) and enzyme activities were measured after 4 months of plant growth. Soil microbial biomass C, N and phosphorus decreased in degraded soils. Warming treatments decreased NO₃⁻ and PO₄³⁻ availability in degraded soil under lucerne, with these effects further intensified by AM fungi inoculation. In contrast, drought increased NH₄⁺ in degraded soils under lucerne and increased PO₄³⁻ in non-degraded soils under tall fescue. In non-degraded soils, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increased NH₄⁺ under lucerne and NO₃⁻ and PO₄³⁻ under tall fescue in warmed + drought soils, suggesting that AM fungi can enhance nutrient cycling under specific plant species and climate conditions when soil biota have not been degraded. In contrast, altered biological communities in degraded soils may have limited the ability of AM fungi to support nutrient availability. These results underscore the pivotal role of soil biological communities in modulating nutrient dynamics under climate stress. Overall, our findings suggest that AM fungal inoculation holds potential to improve nutrient cycling and plant performance under extreme climate conditions, but its effectiveness likely depends on both plant species and the composition of the soil biotic community.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"211 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70082","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144255938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Distinct Species-Level Adaptability of Miscanthus in Saline Soil in the Yellow River Delta, China","authors":"Cheng Zheng,&nbsp;Xianyan Kuang,&nbsp;Yanmei Tang,&nbsp;Shicheng Li,&nbsp;Cong Lin,&nbsp;Liang Xiao","doi":"10.1111/jac.70083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70083","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p><i>Miscanthus</i> is a promising perennial lignocellulosic crop for biomass production. To avoid competing with arable land used for food crops to promote carbon neutrality, cultivating <i>Miscanthus</i> on marginal land, especially in saline soils in China, is a recommended strategy. However, the adaptability of <i>Miscanthus</i> species in saline soil remains largely unknown. In this study, a total of 354 genotypes, including <i>Miscanthus sinensis, Miscanthus floridulus, Miscanthus sacchariflorus, Miscanthus lutarioriparius</i> and interspecific species hybrids derived from <i>M. sinensis</i> and <i>M. lutarioriparius</i>, were evaluated under different planting times (May and August), salinity levels (low and moderate) and pest damage assessment by <i>Helicoverpa armigera</i> in the Yellow River Delta (YRD), in China. The significant effects of planting time on the adaptability of <i>Miscanthus</i> were observed. Planting in May in the YRD, <i>Miscanthus</i> had a lower establishment survival rate (28.76%) and overwintering rate (72.31%), but a dry weight higher than that of planting in August. In contrast, planting in August in the YRD had a very high establishment survival rate (91.14%) and overwintering rate (80.65%), which indicated August was the optimal month for planting <i>Miscanthus</i> in the YRD, while May could be suitable for screening salinity tolerance in <i>Miscanthus</i>. In addition, using the overall adaptability score calculated by establishment survival, overwintering ability, key agronomic traits and pest damage assessments to evaluate all genotypes in this study indicated that the adaptability of <i>M. lutarioriparius</i> was superior to other species. However, <i>M. lutarioriparius</i> is more sensitive to pest damage than others. Furthermore, interspecific hybrids in <i>Miscanthus</i> exhibited outstanding biomass production and adaptability in this region, indicating that creating hybrids would be the best breeding strategy for marginal lands. These results provide an important theoretical basis for the development of <i>Miscanthus</i> in saline soil in the YRD, China.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"211 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144244888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to ‘Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the Trihelix Gene Family in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Under Salt and Drought Stress’","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/jac.70081","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jac.70081","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Zhang, W., Y. Cheng, L. Jian, H. Wang, H. Li, Z. Shen, W. Ying, Z. Yin, Q. Zhang, and J. Du. 2025. “Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the Trihelix Gene Family in Common Bean (<i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> L.) Under Salt and Drought Stress.” <i>Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science</i> 211: e70038. https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70038.</p><p>The published version incorrectly listed the affiliations of authors Yan Cheng and Zhengong Yin. The correct affiliations should be:</p><p>Yan Cheng: Institute of Economic Plant Research, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130000, China; Y.C.</p><p>Zhengong Yin: Crop Resources Institute of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China; Z.Y.</p><p>We apologize for this error.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"211 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70081","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144237752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effective Rhizobia Relieve Negative Effects of Drought Stress During the Vegetative Stage in Soybean Under Field Conditions","authors":"Malinda S. Thilakarathna,&nbsp;Sophie Watts,&nbsp;Michelle E. H. Thompson,&nbsp;Travis Goron,&nbsp;Chathuranga De Silva,&nbsp;Godfrey Chu,&nbsp;Krzysztof Szczyglowski,&nbsp;Malcolm J. Morrison,&nbsp;Manish N. Raizada","doi":"10.1111/jac.70073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70073","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Soybean (<i>Glycine max</i> L.) forms a symbiotic relationship with compatible soil rhizobia, enabling biological nitrogen fixation. Among numerous factors, moisture deficit is a major challenge to soybean production due to its direct impact on the ability to fix nitrogen. The aim of this study was to assess whether effective rhizobia strains could alleviate the impact of early-onset drought stress during the vegetative growth of soybeans under field conditions. A 2-year field study was conducted in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada, examining three different rhizobia treatments, including low-nitrogen-fixing <i>Bradyrhizobium elkanii</i> USDA 76, high-nitrogen-fixing <i>Bradyrhizobium japonicum</i> USDA 110, and a commercial inoculant, compared to the uninoculated-0 N control and uninoculated-urea 150 kg N ha⁻¹ treatments, under irrigated and nonirrigated conditions. Data were collected at V2, R1, R3, R5 and R7 growth stages and at seed maturity. Results indicated that the number of nodules and nodule dry weight was reduced under drought stress. However, plants demonstrated recovery from these negative effects in the later part of the growing season with USDA 110 and commercial inoculant application, particularly following rainfall events. Therefore, soybeans exposed to drought during the early planting period up to ~R5 growth stage could still recover nitrogen fixation traits, as evidenced by increased nodule number and nodule dry weight. Higher levels of grain δ¹⁵N in rhizobia-inoculated plants under drought conditions in 2016, compared to the irrigated plants, confirmed the drought-impaired biological nitrogen fixation. However, effective rhizobia inoculants, such as commercial inoculants and USDA 110, demonstrated similar or even higher yields compared to urea-supplemented plants under drought conditions, underscoring their beneficial role in soybean production under challenging environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"211 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70073","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144220343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of High Temperatures on Pollen Germination and Physio-Morphological Traits in Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)","authors":"Washu Dev,&nbsp;Fahmida Sultana,&nbsp;Shoupu He,&nbsp;Daowu Hu,&nbsp;Xiaoli Geng,&nbsp;Xiongming Du,&nbsp;Babar Iqbal","doi":"10.1111/jac.70080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Cotton, an essential part of the worldwide textile sector, is very vulnerable to heat stress (HS), which endangers its development and output. This research assessed 18 upland cotton varieties to pinpoint resilient genotypes under heat stress by examining their physiological and morphological reactions. In the years 2019–2020, characteristics like pollen viability, cell membrane thermostability, boll weight, lint percentage and fibre quality were evaluated. Statistical analyses indicated considerable variation among cultivars under HS, showing positive correlations between pollen viability, fibre length and lint percentage, as well as a strong relationship between lint percentage and boll weight. Principal component analysis revealed clear groups of physiological, agronomic and fibre quality characteristics. Genotypes were classified into four categories: CS-85, X-62 and X-84 exhibited outstanding combined physiological and agronomic resilience, whereas MCU-5, D-55, HG-BR-8 and ZC excelled in morphological characteristics; R-89 and S-5 displayed improved lint percentage and fibre length. These results highlight the promise of particular cultivars to guide breeding initiatives aimed at developing heat-resistant cotton varieties, tackling the difficulties created by increasing global temperatures.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"211 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144213928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evapotranspiration and Crop Coefficients Across Different Land-Use Types in a Desert Oasis Agroforestry Ecosystem of Northwestern China","authors":"Yuanyuan Chai,&nbsp;Hu Liu,&nbsp;Qiyue Yang,&nbsp;Wenzhi Zhao,&nbsp;Li Guo,&nbsp;Jintao Liu,&nbsp;Xiaoyou Zhang,&nbsp;Omer Yetemen","doi":"10.1111/jac.70079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70079","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Estimating site-specific actual evapotranspiration (ET_<i>a</i>) and crop coefficients (K_<i>c</i> ) could better assist in precise irrigation management and in balancing the limited water resources in semiarid and arid regions. However, most of the traditional methods have limitations for small agricultural plots and shelterbelts, which are the major land-use types in these regions. A soil moisture data-driven method based on an inverse solution of the Richards' equation was used in this study to estimate ET_<i>a</i> and K_<i>c</i> across different land-use types in the middle Heihe River Basin (HRB, typical of desert oasis agroforestry ecosystems) in arid northwestern China. Thirteen sites with different vegetation covers (eight crop sites and five shelterbelt sites, with soil moisture data measured at 20-cm intervals within depths of 100 or 200 cm in 2018) were selected for the calculation. The results showed that the crop sites overall had larger seasonal ET_<i>a</i> values than the shelterbelt sites because they were subjected to less water stress. At the crop sites, ET_<i>a</i> processes showed common seasonal trends, with intercropped field maize having the largest water consumption (494–511 mm), and seed maize having the least (387–404 mm). However, ET_<i>a</i> rates at the shelterbelt sites (except for the site with jujube) sharply decreased in summer possibly because of reduced photosynthetic activity under water stress. The tree species with the largest water consumption (393 mm) was jujube, followed by Gansu poplar (379 mm), and the species with the least (177 mm) was Mongolian pine. The results also showed that the K_<i>c</i> curves at the crop sites followed patterns similar to the generalised FAO-style curve. However, the K_<i>c</i> curves at the shelterbelt sites were distinctly different from those at the crop sites, possibly because of tree species-specific adjustments to reduce water loss in summer. This study demonstrates the potential of the soil moisture data-driven method to estimate site-specific ET_<i>a</i> and K_<i>c</i> and provides an alternative method for water managers and policy makers to estimate actual water consumption, using a straightforward and easy approach, focusing on the diverse land-use types in this water-limited region.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"211 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144179380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}