Ma et al. (2026) Simulation of Silage Maize Dry Matter and Mean 0–30 cm Soil Moisture at Maturity Using the Root Zone Water Quality Model 2 (RZWQM2) for Irrigation–Nitrogen Management in the Hexi Irrigation District

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Identification

• Journal: Agriculture
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-06-08
• Authors: Rui Ma, Qiang Liu, Guang Li, Yì Wáng, Xiaoyi Ma, Jiahui Liu
• DOI: 10.3390/agriculture16121271

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

The study utilizes the Root Zone Water Quality Model 2 (RZWQM2) to determine an optimal irrigation and nitrogen management range for plastic-mulched drip-fertigated silage maize in the Hexi Irrigation District.

Objective

• To extend limited field observations into a defensible and optimized irrigation–nitrogen management range for silage maize.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field scale, Hexi Irrigation District.
• Temporal Scale: 2022–2023.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Root Zone Water Quality Model 2 (RZWQM2).
• Data sources: Field observations from six fertilized treatments (2022 for calibration, 2023 for validation), including dry matter at maturity and soil moisture (0–30 cm).

Main Results

• Model Performance: RZWQM2 demonstrated high accuracy; for dry matter, nRMSE was 1.61% (2022) and 3.18% (2023); for soil moisture, nRMSE was 3.65% (2022) and 4.14% (2023).
• Optimal Scenarios: While scenario I1N4 produced maximum dry matter, scenarios I2N3, I2N4, and I3N4 were identified as priority management options when balancing yield, soil moisture deviation, stability, and proximity to baseline.
• Quantitative Range: The recommended management range consists of irrigation volumes between 4981.5 and 5535.0 m³·hm⁻² and additional urea-N inputs between 280 and 308 kg N·hm⁻².

Contributions

• Establishes a validated model-based framework to translate limited experimental data into a practical irrigation and nitrogen application range for silage maize under specific soil-climate conditions in the Hexi Irrigation District.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Ma2026Simulation,
  author = {Ma, Rui and Liu, Qiang and Li, Guang and Wáng, Yì and Ma, Xiaoyi and Liu, Jiahui},
  title = {Simulation of Silage Maize Dry Matter and Mean 0–30 cm Soil Moisture at Maturity Using the Root Zone Water Quality Model 2 (RZWQM2) for Irrigation–Nitrogen Management in the Hexi Irrigation District},
  journal = {Agriculture},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/agriculture16121271},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16121271}
}