Gong et al. (2026) Model-based optimization of agricultural drainage design: comparing orthogonal design, range analysis, and surrogate-assisted evolutionary optimization

Identification

• Journal: Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-24
• Authors: Yi Gong, Yuehua Ma, Lidong Chen, Ruinan Li, Jingsen Liu, Hao Liu
• DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2026.1942112

Research Groups

• College of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University
• Yangzhou City Urban Watercourse Management Office
• Jiangsu Surveying and Design Institute of Water Resources Co., Ltd.
• Yandu District Drinking Water Safety Management Service Center
• Jiading District Water Authority of Shanghai
• Lianyungang Water Conservancy Society

Short Summary

This study proposes a model-based optimization framework for agricultural drainage design, comparing orthogonal design, range analysis, and surrogate-assisted evolutionary optimization. The framework was evaluated through a case study in Eastern China, demonstrating the effectiveness of systematic optimization methods in identifying optimal drainage designs while reducing simulation effort.

Objective

• To develop an efficient method for optimizing agricultural drainage system design considering multiple factors and constraints.
• To evaluate the performance of orthogonal design, range analysis, and surrogate-assisted evolutionary optimization approaches in identifying optimal drainage designs.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Local scale (case study site in Eastern China)
• Temporal Scale: Long-term (49-year record of weather data)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: DRAINMOD model for hydrological performance evaluation, Gaussian Process surrogate modeling for optimization.
• Data sources: Field investigations, laboratory soil measurements, existing studies, and long-term weather records.

Main Results

• The orthogonal design reduced the required simulations by 75% (64 to 16).
• The identified optimum (12 m spacing, 140 cm depth, 3 cm surface roughness) was corroborated through a continuous-space NSGA-II search.
• Global sensitivity analysis identified the drainage efficiency weight (67%) as the most influential factor.

Contributions

• This study contributes to advancing the theory and application of systematic optimization in engineering by providing an efficient method for optimizing agricultural drainage system design.
• The proposed framework can be applied to various regions with different climate conditions, soil types, and agricultural practices.

Funding

• Not specified.

Citation

@article{Gong2026Modelbased,
  author = {Gong, Yi and Ma, Yuehua and Chen, Lidong and Li, Ruinan and Liu, Jingsen and Liu, Hao},
  title = {Model-based optimization of agricultural drainage design: comparing orthogonal design, range analysis, and surrogate-assisted evolutionary optimization},
  journal = {Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3389/fsufs.2026.1942112},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2026.1942112}
}