Abdelrhman et al. (2025) Optimizing Drip Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilization for Sustainable Wheat Production in Arid Soils: Water–Nitrogen Use Efficiency

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Water
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-09-13
• Authors: Ahmed Ali Abdelrhman, Ibrahim M. Abdel-Fattah, Mostafa O. Mostafa, Mohamed E. Fadl, Μάριος Δρόσος, Antonio Scopa
• DOI: 10.3390/w17182708

Research Groups

Agricultural research institution(s) in Egypt.

Short Summary

This study investigated the effects of integrated water and nitrogen fertilizer management under drip irrigation on wheat performance in arid regions of Egypt, finding that optimal strategies for yield, water productivity, and nitrogen use efficiency vary depending on the specific combination of irrigation regime and nitrogen application rate.

Objective

• To investigate the effects of integrated water and nitrogen fertilizer management under drip irrigation on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) performance (yield, productivity of applied water, crop water productivity, nitrogen use efficiency) in arid zones of Egypt.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field experiment in arid zones of Egypt.
• Temporal Scale: Two growing seasons (two-year field experiment).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not applicable; field experiment. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used for data interpretation.
• Data sources: Field experiment observations of wheat growth parameters, yield components, and resource use efficiencies (e.g., plant height, straw yield, biological output, grain yield, seed index, grain protein content, productivity of applied water (PAW), crop water productivity (CWP), nitrogen use efficiency (NUE)).

Main Results

• Full irrigation (100% of crop evapotranspiration, I1) significantly enhanced plant height, straw yield, biological output, grain yield, seed index, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and crop water productivity (CWP) compared to deficit irrigation (80% of crop evapotranspiration, I2).
• Deficit irrigation (I2) demonstrated higher productivity of applied water (PAW) and grain protein content than full irrigation (I1).
• Applying nitrogen at 238 kg N ha⁻¹ (N3) resulted in notable improvements in measured parameters relative to the lower rate of 142.8 kg N ha⁻¹ (N1).
• The I1N3 and I1N2 treatments increased CWP by 29% and 22%, respectively, compared to I1N1 across both growing seasons.
• Principal Component Analysis (PCA) suggested that 238 kg N ha⁻¹ (N3) represents the most effective nitrogen management strategy for optimizing winter wheat production under drip irrigation.
• PCA also indicated that combining deficit irrigation with a high nitrogen application rate (I2N3) enhances PAW and grain quality.
• Full irrigation with the lowest nitrogen rate (I1N1) appeared to be the most effective strategy for maximizing NUE.

Contributions

• Provides empirically derived, integrated water and nitrogen management strategies tailored for drip-irrigated wheat in arid Egyptian environments.
• Highlights the trade-offs between maximizing yield, water productivity, and nitrogen use efficiency, offering specific recommendations based on desired agricultural outcomes.
• Demonstrates the potential of optimized drip irrigation and nitrogen fertilization to sustainably increase wheat yields in water-scarce regions.

Funding

The paper text does not provide information on funding.

Citation

@article{Abdelrhman2025Optimizing,
  author = {Abdelrhman, Ahmed Ali and Abdel-Fattah, Ibrahim M. and Mostafa, Mostafa O. and Fadl, Mohamed E. and Δρόσος, Μάριος and Scopa, Antonio},
  title = {Optimizing Drip Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilization for Sustainable Wheat Production in Arid Soils: Water–Nitrogen Use Efficiency},
  journal = {Water},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.3390/w17182708},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/w17182708}
}