Agricultural Water Management最新文献

{"title":"Do agricultural large-scale operations reduce agricultural pollution? Mechanisms and spatial evidence from fertilizer-pesticide use in 280 Chinese cities","authors":"Xianpeng Guo ,&nbsp;Jing Li ,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Liu ,&nbsp;Yang Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110188","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110188","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green agricultural development is essential for building a sustainable and ecologically responsible farming sector. However, fragmented operations, factor misallocation, and technological gaps make it increasingly difficult to reduce agricultural pollution (AP), even though agricultural large-scale operations (ALO) offer a promising pathway for mitigation. Despite this potential, the literature remains divided on whether scaling necessarily lowers pollution, through which mechanisms it operates, and whether cross-regional spillovers exist—particularly due to limited city-level evidence. Grounded in economies-of-scale and negative-externality frameworks, this study evaluates the direct impacts and transmission channels of ALO on AP using panel data for 280 Chinese cities from 2003 to 2023.The results reveal three main findings. First, greater ALO significantly reduces AP: a one-unit increase in ALO is associated with a 0.018-unit decline in AP. Second, ALO suppresses AP through demographic, economic, and technological mechanisms: a one-unit rise in ALO decreases rural population size by 0.014 units, increases agricultural insurance income by 0.589 units, and expands technology application by 0.019 units. Third, ALO generates notable spatial spillovers. Each one-unit increase in ALO reduces local AP by 0.020 units and AP in neighboring cities by 0.048 units, producing a total reduction of 0.068 units.Overall, this study provides policy-relevant insights into how expanding ALO can effectively mitigate AP and promote green agricultural development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 110188"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146110580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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 dominant effect of atmospheric drought on carbon and water fluxes in Central Asia and the response of critical thresholds","authors":"Heran Yahefujiang ,&nbsp;Jie Zou ,&nbsp;Wulala Tangjialeke ,&nbsp;Jianli Ding ,&nbsp;Yue Cao ,&nbsp;Yue Xu ,&nbsp;Shiqi An","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110180","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110180","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the context of global climate change, the severity and frequency of drought events are on the rise. Compound droughts, marked by both soil aridity and atmospheric dry conditions, exert significant effects on how terrestrial ecosystems operate. As a crucial ecological trait, ecosystem Water Use Efficiency (WUE) denotes the interrelationship between the carbon cycle and the water cycle. Therefore, understanding the respective impacts of soil drought and atmospheric drought on WUE, as well as their critical thresholds, is essential for predicting drought risks. The present study employs multi-source remote sensing datasets covering 2001–2023, integrates binning-based decoupling approaches and threshold detection techniques, and quantitatively assesses the independent impacts of soil and atmospheric drought on WUE across Central Asia, while identifying the threshold responses of WUE to these drought stressors. Major outcomes are summarized as follows: (1) In the majority of Central Asian territories, Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) represents the dominant factor regulating WUE, covering approximately 88.06 % of the regional extent. Across different drought intensities, vegetation types, latitudes, and elevation gradients, VPD consistently emerges as the key driver of WUE; (2) Approximately 15 % of the region exhibits a critical threshold response of WUE to atmospheric drought, with notable spatial heterogeneity. On average, the critical transition of WUE corresponds to the 80th percentile of VPD. This research offers a theoretical basis to support drought evaluation and ecological rehabilitation initiatives across Central Asia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 110180"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146025041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing maize canopy structure to enhance resource use efficiency in maize-soybean intercropping systems","authors":"Shiming Duan ,&nbsp;Bin Du ,&nbsp;Wencong Chen ,&nbsp;Shichao Chen ,&nbsp;Qi Liao ,&nbsp;Manoj Shukla ,&nbsp;Taisheng Du","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110161","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110161","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In water-limited regions, optimizing irrigation is fundamental to the sustainability of maize-soybean intercropping. However, the synergistic mechanisms through which irrigation modulates canopy structure to alleviate interspecific light competition and enhance water productivity remain poorly understood. This study investigated the ecophysiological responses of the intercropping system to the interplay between maize canopy architectures and deficit irrigation strategies. A two-year field experiment was conducted in northwest China, a representative arid region. The sole cropping treatments included compact maize (M1), spreading maize (M2), and shade-tolerant soybean (S), while the intercropping treatments comprised M1S and M2S. Based on the traditional irrigation (full irrigation for both maize and soybean), single-crop deficit irrigation and dual-crop deficit irrigation strategies were implemented. Results showed that the compact maize architecture inherently improved light transmittance (Tau, +30.3 %), boosting photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, +20.8 %) and net photosynthetic rate (Pn, +13.9 %) for intercropped soybean. More significantly, the \"maize-full, soybean-deficit\" irrigation strategy synergistically modulated maize morphology, further increasing its canopy Tau by 19.0 %. This architectural modification amplified PAR for soybean by 40.9 % and its Pn by 46.4 %, effectively mitigating light competition and balancing interspecific aggressivity (Ams ≈ 0). Critically, this integrated strategy achieved substantial water savings (9.4–16.6 % less irrigation) without compromising system yield, while significantly increasing irrigation water productivity (IWP, +10.2 %) and water equivalent ratio (WER, +13.7 %). Our findings demonstrate that synergistic regulation of canopy architecture via precision irrigation is a potent strategy for achieving water-saving and high-yield goals in intercropping systems, offering a valuable paradigm for sustainable agriculture in arid zones globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 110161"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Precision nanobubble irrigation tailors plant physiology to drive sustainable lettuce growth with water savings","authors":"Jesús Morón-López ,&nbsp;Aislinn Varela ,&nbsp;Renato Montenegro-Ayo ,&nbsp;Andrea Maya ,&nbsp;Mariana Hernandez-Molina ,&nbsp;Kenneth Flores ,&nbsp;Emily E. Matula ,&nbsp;John Graf ,&nbsp;Onur Apul ,&nbsp;Sergi Garcia-Segura","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Under accelerating climate-driven water scarcity, improving irrigation efficiency for high-value leafy crops has become an urgent challenge for global food security. Nanobubbles (NBs), gas-filled cavities &lt; 500 nm in diameter, have emerged as a promising irrigation technology capable of enhancing root-zone processes and early plant development with minimal additional water inputs. However, their effects in soil-based systems remain poorly resolved, particularly for leafy vegetables grown in water-stressed regions. Here, we systematically evaluate the influence of four gas types (O₂, CO₂, N₂, and air), delivered as NBs at three dilution levels (100 %, 50 %, and 10 %; corresponding to &gt;10⁸ particles mL⁻¹ at 100 %), on early-stage growth and water productivity (WP) in lettuce (<em>Lactuca sativa,</em> var. 'Little Gem') grown in a peat moss, coconut coir, and vermiculite mixture. Our results reveal that moderately diluted O₂ NBs (10 %–50 %) accelerate germination, boost biomass accumulation, and improve water savings by up to ∼23 %. In contrast, high concentrations (100 %) of O₂ NBs reduced overall performance and induced elongated but narrow leaf morphology, consistent with stress-related growth allocation. The use of CO₂ NBs, particularly at higher concentrations, stimulates root expansion and leaf area development, while moderate N₂ NBs concentration enhanced ammonium uptake and root elongation. Air NBs produce modest and variable effects, serving as a baseline but never outperforming pure gas NBs. Together, these results demonstrate that gas-specific NBs treatments can be strategically tuned to regulate distinct physiological pathways during early plant development, supporting the potential of NBs-based irrigation as a tool for water-efficient, climate-resilient leafy crop production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 110149"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146014577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reduced tillage and cover crop effects on soil moisture and infiltration","authors":"Carson Roberts ,&nbsp;Drew Gholson ,&nbsp;Martin Locke ,&nbsp;Zachary Simpson ,&nbsp;Nicolas Quintana-Ashwell ,&nbsp;G. Dave Spencer ,&nbsp;Steven Pires ,&nbsp;Brian Pieralisi ,&nbsp;Whitney Crow ,&nbsp;L. Jason Krutz","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110108","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110108","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cropping systems that conserve soil moisture are needed to improve yield or reduce irrigation water demand. This study assessed the ability of different tillage systems, subsoiling, and cover crops to conserve soil moisture, reduce soil water depletion, and augment infiltration in cotton (<em>Gossypium hirsutum</em> L<em>.</em>) production on a Dubbs silt loam (Typic Hapludalfs) and a Bosket very fine sandy loam (Mollic Hapludalfs). This multi-year field study used a randomized complete block design to manage irrigation based on sensor data and matric potential thresholds, with agronomic and sensor-based methods used for data collection.Conventionally tilled soils had ≥ 59 % lower soil matric potential (less moisture; P &gt; F &lt; 0.0001) than conservation practices before irrigation. Cover crops increased soil moisture (-20 kPa) compared to winter fallow (-34 kPa). All conservation practices improved season-long soil moisture by ≥ -19 kPa over conventional tillage (P &gt; F &lt; 0.0001). Each Mg ha⁻¹ increase in preplant biomass raised soil matric potential by ≥ 7.3 kPa. Irrigation at −80 kPa to replenish soil moisture did not alter treatment differences. The conventional method (control) required irrigation every year with up to 7.8 cm more supplemental irrigation than the studied conservation practices. Cover crop treatments did not require irrigation at least 2 out of the 3 seasons in the experiment. Cost savings from reduced irrigation of up to $18 ha⁻¹ do not fully compensate for crop yield penalties. Infiltration rates on bed tops increased by 23 % with cover crops (P &gt; F = 0.0627). Cover crops and subsoiling enhanced infiltrated rainfall by 13 % (P &gt; F = 0.003) and 16 % (P &gt; F = 0.009), respectively, compared to winter fallow. Reduced tillage and cover crops improve season-long soil moisture and infiltration, offering a viable strategy for conserving irrigation water.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 110108"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146072114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimal groundwater depth thresholds for sunflower in salt-affected farmland: A process-based modeling approach across hydrological years in the Hetao Irrigation District","authors":"Zhipeng Wang ,&nbsp;Xiangping Wang ,&nbsp;Yuhang Wang ,&nbsp;Changcheng He ,&nbsp;Zhang Wen ,&nbsp;Yulong Jiang ,&nbsp;Wenping Xie ,&nbsp;Xuan Yu ,&nbsp;Rongjiang Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110181","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110181","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In arid and semi-arid regions with shallow groundwater, soil salinization, water scarcity, and deterioration water quality are major constraints to regional agricultural development. Determining optimal groundwater depth (GWD) is essential for conserving water resources, controlling resalinization, and sustaining crop yields. However, it is not feasible to evaluate the results under various scenarios solely through field experiments. This study addresses this gap by integrating field experiments (2023–2024) with the agro-hydrological &amp; chemical and systems simulator (AHC) to optimize GWD for sunflower cultivation under varying hydrological years and groundwater salinity in the Hetao Irrigation District (HID), China. The calibrated model simulated root zone water-salt dynamics and crop responses across scenarios, with multi-objective optimization (NSGA-II) deriving Pareto-optimal solutions for yield and salinity control. The results indicated that root zone bottom flux decreases with rising GWD, with upward water flux approaching zero at about 3 m depth and upward salt flux approaching zero at 1.5–1.9 m depth, respectively. The final yield of sunflowers was negatively correlated with groundwater mineralization, though this dependence weakens at deeper GWD (&gt;1.8 m). The optimal GWDs for sunflower growth under dry, normal, and wet hydrological years with pre-sowing spring irrigation and rainfed conditions during the growth period were approximately 1.18–1.28 m, 1.23–1.32 m, and 1.37–1.45 m, respectively. These results demonstrate GWD’s pivotal role in regulating farmland water-salt distribution, with derived thresholds enabling sunflower production while reducing root-zone salt accumulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 110181"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146072115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A dynamic intertemporal optimization approach to assess water scarcity costs and long-term adaptation investments for enhancing irrigation system resilience","authors":"Maksud B. Bekchanov","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110209","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110209","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Increasing water scarcity due to global warming and growing water demand over time poses a significant threat to agricultural income and rural livelihoods in arid and semiarid regions worldwide. Common tools based on static optimization or myopic simulations support the policies that focus on short-term gains but cannot address the long-term investment needs for sustainable water and food system transformations. This study develops a dynamic intertemporal optimization model to contribute to the assessment of long-term investment pathways for enhancing the resilience of water systems under growing environmental challenges. The model was applied for the analysis of water scarcity and climate damage costs, proactive endogenous technology change and intertemporally optimal investments in irrigation system transition. The practical relevance of the model was demonstrated by a numerical application in the case of Uzbekistan (in Central Asia), which may face about 13.8 % agricultural income loss due to the moderate impact of climate change (<em>SSP2-RCP4.5</em>) if there is no adaptation action. The model results indicate that the adoption of improved (drip and sprinkler) irrigation technologies has significant potential for enhancing crop production benefits, increasing the Equivalent Annual Net Benefit by 2.5 – 16.4 %. The results also underline the importance of the subsidy policies for the wider adoption of improved irrigation technologies and enhancement of farming income. The presented modeling framework can be adapted (by changing the model database and setup) to assess intertemporally optimal investments and environmental effects of upscaling irrigation and crop production technologies in regions beyond the study area.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 110209"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146134095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimating daily seamless 20-m resolution evapotranspiration using data fusion and TSEB","authors":"Pengyuan Zhu ,&nbsp;Qisheng Han ,&nbsp;Caixia Li ,&nbsp;Hao Liu ,&nbsp;Qingyao Zhao ,&nbsp;Yanchuan Ma ,&nbsp;Mengru Yu ,&nbsp;Shenglin Li ,&nbsp;Jinglei Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110210","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110210","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Daily seamless estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) at high spatial resolution is essential for field-scale water resource management. Satellite-based ET mapping enables consistent estimation from regional to field scales, however, the inherent trade-off between spatial and temporal resolution in current remote sensing data, along with data gaps caused by weather conditions, constrains high-frequency and spatiotemporally continuous ET estimation. To overcome these limitations, this study developed an efficient and innovative framework that integrates a cloud-filling algorithm, a high-performance spatiotemporal fusion model, multi-source data, and the Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) model to produce high-precision, daily seamless ET estimates at 20 m resolution. Specifically, using the modified neighborhood similar pixel interpolator (MNSPI) and the GPU-enabled enhanced spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model (cuESTARFM), we efficiently integrated the China Land Data Assimilation System (CLDAS), Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), and Sentinel-2/3 data to derive daily seamless 20 m land surface parameters, including land surface temperature, leaf area index, and fractional vegetation cover. These parameters, together with meteorological forcing and auxiliary data, were used to drive the TSEB model to generate daily seamless 20 m ET estimates at the irrigation district scale from 2019 to 2023. The simulated instantaneous latent heat flux achieved R², BIAS, and RMSE values of 0.77, 2.99 W/m², and 74.61 W/m², respectively, compared with ground observations, while the daily ET estimates achieved corresponding values of 0.56, –0.08 mm/d, and 1.05 mm/d. This framework offers novel insights into ET mapping through multi-source data fusion and is of great significance for achieving precise and dynamic agricultural water resource management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 110210"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146134094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Greenhouse-aged biochar increases nitrogen removal in riparian soils: Disentangling abiotic and biotic controls","authors":"Yucui Bi ,&nbsp;Fuxing Liu ,&nbsp;Zishi Fu ,&nbsp;Hongxia Qiao ,&nbsp;Shanliang Liu ,&nbsp;Junli Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110174","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110174","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Riparian zones play a crucial role in mitigating agricultural nitrogen (N) pollution. Biochar is considered a promising tool to remove N from agricultural soils; however, few studies have investigated N removal and its underlying mechanisms when riparian soils are amended with biochar. Biochar effectiveness differs depending on whether it is fresh or aged biochar. Previous studies mainly investigated artificial aging methods, such as chemical oxidation and freeze-thaw cycling. Very few examined biochar naturally aged in a greenhouse. In this study, N removal, the water parameters, soil properties, functional groups, and N-cycling microorganisms were determined after differently aged biochar (i.e., fresh (FBC), greenhouse-aged (GBC), and soil-aged biochar (SBC)) had been applied. The total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency increased in all the biochar treatments, with the highest increment found in the GBC treatment and the lowest in the SBC treatment. This was attributed to increased ammonium (NH₄⁺-N) adsorption by the abundant oxygen-containing functional groups in GBC. Additionally, higher nitrite (NO₂^–-N) concentrations and an increased cation exchange capacity (CEC) following GBC application promoted the proliferation of microorganisms involved in ammonia oxidation, assimilatory nitrate reduction, and denitrification, thereby enhancing TN removal efficiency. Conversely, the lower DOC and NO₂^–-N levels, and the reduced CEC in SBC-amended soil constrained the growth of these microorganisms and decreased their contribution towards TN removal efficiency. These results improve understanding about FBC, GBC, and SBC effects on N removal in riparian zones and GBC could potentially be used to reduce the N pollution entering riparian zones.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 110174"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146025216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physiological and biochemical response of Echinacea purpurea to combined application of biofertilizers and salicylic acid under different irrigation regimes in saline conditions","authors":"Mehdi Vatandoust ,&nbsp;Mehdi Madandoust ,&nbsp;Majid Rajaie ,&nbsp;Mahmood Dejam","doi":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110085","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110085","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ameliorating resources (AR), by creating a balance in physiological and biochemical traits, play a key role in regulating signaling pathways and inducing tolerance to environmental stresses. This study was conducted as a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design during the 2022 and 2023 growing seasons, with two harvests of <em>Echinacea purpurea</em>. The main factor consisted of three irrigation regimes applied after 25, 50, and 75 % available water depletion (AWD) from field capacity, and the sub-factor included eight levels of AR: control, sole application of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungus (AMF), <em>Pseudomonas fluorescens</em> bacteria (PF), salicylic acid (SA), and their various dual and triple combinations. The results showed that ion leakage and the activities of catalase and peroxidase enzymes increased significantly under 75 % AWD. Moreover, the combined application of AMF + <em>PF</em> + SA reduced malondialdehyde content by 26 % and 25 % compared with the control under 50 and 75 % AWD, respectively. The combined treatment of AMF + <em>PF</em> + SA produced the highest chlorogenic acid content, reaching 0.802 mg g^-¹ dry weight, and resulted in an 18 % increase in cichoric acid compared with the control. Under 50 % AWD, cynarin content increased by 18 % in the combined treatment compared with the control. Furthermore, the triple combined treatment enhanced biological yield by 15 % at the first harvest and by 13 % at the second harvest relative to the control. The highest biological yield was obtained under the 25 % AWD, reaching 277.8 kg ha^-¹ at the first harvest and 655.0 kg ha^-¹ at the second harvest. Overall, due to the positive effects of the combined treatment on the physiological and biochemical traits of <em>Echinacea purpurea</em>, this treatment can be recommended under conditions of simultaneous drought and salinity stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7634,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Water Management","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 110085"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146095809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}