Cheng et al. (2025) Improving winter wheat yield and water use efficiency using soil moisture sensor-driven precision furrow irrigation

Identification

• Journal: European Journal of Agronomy
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-12-10
• Authors: Liguang Cheng, Younggu Her, Chul Soo Park, Dong-Hyeon Kim, Taeil Jang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2025.127958

Research Groups

• Department of Agricultural Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk 54896, Republic of Korea
• Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Tropical Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, FL 33031, USA
• Department of Crop Science and Biotechnology, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk 54896, Republic of Korea
• Department of Smart Farm, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk 54896, Republic of Korea
• Department of Rural Construction Engineering, Institute of Agricultural Science & Technology, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk 54896, Republic of Korea

Short Summary

This study evaluated precision irrigation strategies using real-time soil moisture monitoring to enhance winter wheat yield and water use efficiency (WUE) in South Korean rice-wheat double-cropping systems. Field experiments demonstrated that irrigation based on 55 % available soil water significantly improved grain yield and WUE compared to rainfed and saturation-based approaches.

Objective

• To evaluate precision irrigation strategies integrating real-time soil moisture monitoring to improve water use efficiency (WUE) and crop performance of winter wheat under variable climates in rice-wheat double-cropping systems.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field experiments in South Korea (rice-wheat double-cropping system).
• Temporal Scale: Three seasons (2021–2024).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not specified.
• Data sources: Field experiments comparing three irrigation treatments: conventional rainfed (CRF), soil moisture-based irrigation at 55 % available soil water (SIA), and soil moisture-based irrigation at 55 % saturation water content (SIS). Real-time soil moisture monitoring was used to trigger irrigation.

Main Results

• Soil moisture-based irrigation at 55 % available soil water (SIA) consistently outperformed conventional rainfed (CRF) and 55 % saturation water content (SIS) treatments.
• SIA increased winter wheat grain yield by 20–27 % compared to other treatments.
• SIA improved water use efficiency (WUE) by 10–22 %.
• SIA increased the leaf area index by up to 16 %.
• Maintaining soil moisture within the 0–40 cm depth available water range between jointing and grain filling stages optimized crop growth and resource use.
• The SIS treatment led to oversaturation, while the CRF treatment resulted in moisture deficits.

Contributions

• Provides an integrated framework linking agronomic performance to sensor-trigger logic and on-farm constraints for winter wheat irrigation.
• Demonstrates that an available soil water-based threshold (SIA) significantly increases winter wheat yield and water use efficiency compared to rainfed and saturation-based irrigation methods.
• Reveals the influence of soil properties and seasonal climate on the outcomes of precision irrigation strategies in rice-wheat double-cropping systems.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Cheng2025Improving,
  author = {Cheng, Liguang and Her, Younggu and Park, Chul Soo and Kim, Dong-Hyeon and Jang, Taeil},
  title = {Improving winter wheat yield and water use efficiency using soil moisture sensor-driven precision furrow irrigation},
  journal = {European Journal of Agronomy},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1016/j.eja.2025.127958},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2025.127958}
}