Chen et al. (2026) Interactive Effects of Irrigation Amount and Interval on Cotton Water Use and Productivity: Evidence from Controlled Experiments and AquaCrop Simulations

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

Identification

• Journal: Agronomy
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-03-31
• Authors: Hanjing Chen, Qiuxiang Tang, Yabing Li, Hao Zhang, K. M. Li, Jiaqi Li, Yanyan Xie, Na Su, Yushui Duan, Zhiyi Lv, Tao Lin
• DOI: 10.3390/agronomy16070730

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study investigated the independent and interactive effects of irrigation amount and interval on soil water dynamics, evapotranspiration partitioning, yield, and water use efficiency in cotton. It found that irrigation interval is a critical management variable, with intermediate intervals improving water use efficiency under moderate irrigation conditions.

Objective

• To evaluate how irrigation amount and interval jointly regulate soil water dynamics, evapotranspiration partitioning, yield formation, and water use efficiency (WUE) in cotton.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Controlled soil-column experiment.
• Temporal Scale: Two-year experimental period, focusing on seasonal irrigation effects.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: AquaCrop model.
• Data sources: Controlled soil-column experiment data (2024 for calibration, 2025 for validation), scenario simulations across 16 irrigation combinations.

Main Results

• The AquaCrop model accurately reproduced canopy cover and soil water storage dynamics (R² > 0.89; NRMSE < 16%).
• Irrigation amount primarily controlled overall water availability.
• Irrigation interval reshaped the temporal fluctuation pattern of soil water content in the shallow root zone.
• Under moderate irrigation levels, an intermediate interval (every 6 days) improved water use efficiency by stabilizing soil water content and maintaining high transpiration proportions.
• Under severe deficit conditions, prolonged intervals intensified periodic water stress and reduced yield.
• Simulated transpiration accounted for 95–97% of seasonal evapotranspiration in the controlled system.

Contributions

• Quantified the independent and interactive roles of irrigation interval and amount on cotton water use and yield, addressing a gap in existing literature.
• Highlighted irrigation interval as an important management variable for optimizing cotton irrigation scheduling, beyond total irrigation amount.
• Provided a combined experimental and modeling framework offering practical guidance for irrigation design in arid regions.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Chen2026Interactive,
  author = {Chen, Hanjing and Tang, Qiuxiang and Li, Yabing and Zhang, Hao and Li, K. M. and Li, Jiaqi and Xie, Yanyan and Su, Na and Duan, Yushui and Lv, Zhiyi and Lin, Tao},
  title = {Interactive Effects of Irrigation Amount and Interval on Cotton Water Use and Productivity: Evidence from Controlled Experiments and AquaCrop Simulations},
  journal = {Agronomy},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/agronomy16070730},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16070730}
}