Zhang et al. (2026) Field-calibrated hydraulic feedback for optimizing rotational irrigation grouping in cotton drip-irrigation networks

Identification

• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-11
• Authors: Xiaolong Zhang, Yongke Li, Lei Wang, En Yu, Mengli Shan
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-67861-8

Research Groups

• Department of Irrigation Engineering, University of Xinjiang
• Institute of Agricultural Water-Saving Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University

Short Summary

This study presents a closed-loop framework for optimizing rotational irrigation grouping in an automated cotton drip-irrigation network. The proposed method integrates field-calibrated hydraulic feedback with combinatorial optimization to ensure hydraulic feasibility.

Objective

• Develop a closed-loop framework that combines field observation, hydraulic calibration, discrete grouping, and iterative no-good feedback to optimize rotational irrigation grouping in an automated cotton drip-irrigation network.
• Evaluate the performance of the proposed method against alternative grouping approaches using a calibrated EPANET model.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: A 59.1-ha tree-shaped cotton drip-irrigation network in Xinjiang, China.
• Temporal Scale: The study was conducted over multiple irrigation events and seasons.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: EPANET for hydraulic simulation and CP-SAT for combinatorial optimization.
• Data sources: Field pressure observations, dripper-discharge measurements, and network topology data.

Main Results

• The proposed method achieved 100% unit-level pressure satisfaction and 100% group-level feasibility in steady-state simulations.
• Intelligent grouping increased mean pressure by 0.181 m and pressure satisfaction by 12.50 percentage points relative to empirical grouping in the field assessment.
• Dripper-discharge uniformity was improved, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 8.06%.

Contributions

• The study presents a novel closed-loop framework that integrates hydraulic feedback with combinatorial optimization for optimizing rotational irrigation grouping.
• The proposed method ensures hydraulic feasibility and improves pressure satisfaction and dripper-discharge uniformity.

Funding

• This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52109223) and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Science and Technology Plan Project (Grant No. 2021AB01055).

Citation

@article{Zhang2026Fieldcalibrated,
  author = {Zhang, Xiaolong and Li, Yongke and Wang, Lei and Mao, Bowen and Yu, En and Mu, Qianqian and Shan, Mengli},
  title = {Field-calibrated hydraulic feedback for optimizing rotational irrigation grouping in cotton drip-irrigation networks},
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-67861-8},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-67861-8}
}