Sun et al. (2025) Development of a Coupled Model for Simulating Multiple Processes of Subunit Hydraulics, Soil Water/Salt Transport, and Crop Growth in a Drip Irrigation System

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Identification

• Journal: Irrigation and Drainage
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-11-14
• Authors: Zhanghao Sun, Zhen Wang, Jiusheng Li
• DOI: 10.1002/ird.70056

Research Groups

Not specified in the abstract.

Short Summary

This study develops and validates a coupled model integrating drip hydraulics, soil water/solute transport, and crop growth to simulate drip irrigation systems. The model accurately predicts system performance, soil conditions, and crop yield, demonstrating how hydraulic nonuniformity propagates through the system and can be mitigated by increased irrigation depth.

Objective

• To develop and validate a coupled model that integrates hydraulic analysis, soil water/solute simulation, and crop growth simulation to inform the design and management of precision drip irrigation systems.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Drip irrigation subunit (field-level).
• Temporal Scale: Crop growing season (implied by crop growth simulation) and individual irrigation events.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: A coupled model comprising:
  • A hydraulic analysis module.
  • A soil water/solute simulation module.
  • A crop growth simulation module.
• Data sources: Field data from a cotton drip irrigation subunit in Xinjiang, China, used for calibration and validation.

Main Results

• The developed coupled model demonstrated strong accuracy (coefficient of determination R² > 0.50, index of agreement d > 0.82) in predicting:
  • Emitter pressure and discharge.
  • Soil moisture and salinity.
  • Crop growth parameters (Leaf Area Index, biomass, yield).
• Scenario analyses revealed that hydraulic nonuniformity (Christiansen's Uniformity Coefficient, CU: 72%–94%) significantly propagates to soil moisture distribution (CU: 93%–99%) and ultimately to crop yield (CU: 89%–99%).
• Increasing irrigation depth was found to mitigate heterogeneity in the system and consequently increase crop yield.

Contributions

• Development of the first integrated model that couples drip hydraulics, soil water/solute transport, and crop growth processes for drip irrigation systems.
• Provides a functional and applicable tool for assisting in drip network design and optimizing irrigation management strategies.
• Quantifies the propagation of hydraulic nonuniformity through soil moisture to crop yield, highlighting the importance of system design and management.

Funding

Not specified in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Sun2025Development,
  author = {Sun, Zhanghao and Wang, Zhen and Li, Jiusheng},
  title = {Development of a Coupled Model for Simulating Multiple Processes of Subunit Hydraulics, Soil Water/Salt Transport, and Crop Growth in a Drip Irrigation System},
  journal = {Irrigation and Drainage},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1002/ird.70056},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.70056}
}

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