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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiangyang Fan

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Guest Editor

Farmland Irrigation Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Xinxiang 453003, China
Interests: regulation mechanism of typical pollutants in the utilization of unconventional water resources; safe irrigation technologies for unconventional water resources; risk assessment, optimal allocation methods, and technologies of multiple water sources in an irrigation area

Dr. Erping Cui

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Farmland Irrigation Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Xinxiang 453003, China
Interests: risk assessment of emerging pollutants in reclaimed water; behavior of emerging pollutants in soil–plant systems under unconventional water resources irrigation and agronomic control measures; municipal wastewater advanced treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Unconventional water resources (e.g., reclaimed water, saline water, etc.) have been proven to reduce the reliance of agriculture upon freshwater resources. Reducing the pollution risk and improving nutrients utilization are the most important issues for unconventional water irrigation. It is necessary to fully understand the behavioral mechanisms of nutrients, salts, heavy metals, pathogens, emerging pollutants, and greenhouse gas emissions in unconventional water irrigated soil–plant systems. Associated control measures need to be developed to achieve the safe and efficient utilization of unconventional water resources in agriculture.

This Special Issue aims to advance and disseminate knowledge in all related areas of the safe and efficient utilization of unconventional water resources in agriculture. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Transport and transformation mechanism of nutrients and pollutants in unconventional water utilization;
Regulation mechanism of pollutants in unconventional water irrigated soil–plant systems;
Techniques and strategies of safe and highly efficient utilization of unconventional water resources;
Environmental impact and risk assessment of unconventional water resources utilization.

Prof. Dr. Xiangyang Fan
Dr. Erping Cui
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

nutrients
salts
heavy metals
pathogens
emerging pollutants
greenhouse gas emissions
transport and transformation mechanism
regulation mechanism
irrigation regime and technology
agronomic control technologies
risk assessment

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2395 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Mulching on Soil Quality in an Agroforestry System Irrigated with Reused Water

by Ágnes Kun, Barbara Simon, Mihály Zalai, Ildikó Kolozsvári, Csaba Bozán, Mihály Jancsó, János Tamás Körösparti, Gergő Péter Kovács, Csaba Gyuricza and Beatrix Bakti

Agronomy 2023, 13(6), 1622; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy13061622 - 16 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1694

Abstract

In this study, a special rice-energy willow/poplar agroforestry system was used to analyze the effects of reused water irrigation and mulching on soil salinity, earthworm biomass and abundance, soil organic matter (SOM) content and weed coverage in treerow-dependent habitats. After three-year-irrigation, we investigated the woody line (WL), the buffer zone (BZ) and the crop line habitats (CL). Between 2019 and 2021, we collected data on the distribution of soil-specific electrical conductivity (EC), ammonium-lactate soluble sodium (AL-Na) and exchangeable cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺) and soil NO₂⁻ + NO₃⁻-N contents from CL habitats irrigated with effluent water from an intensive catfish farm. Based on our results, significantly greater earthworm abundance (274 pc m⁻²) and earthworm biomass (54.0 g m⁻²) values were measured in WL than in BZ or CL habitats. There was no significant difference in weed coverage between the CL (0.61%) and BZ (1.91%), but weeds were significantly denser on the WL (12.3%). In the third year, the EC, AL-Na and ESP values were lower, but the SOM was higher in mulched soil (183.1 mS cm⁻¹, 253.1 mg kg⁻¹, 4.4 ESP% and 4.597%, respectively) than in un-mulched soil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safe and Efficient Utilization of Unconventional Water Resources in Agriculture)

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Other

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19 pages, 3418 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

Water Availability and Status of Wastewater Treatment and Agriculture Reuse in China: A Review

by Rakhwe Kama, Jibin Song, Yuan Liu, Abdoul Kader Mounkaila Hamani, Shouqiang Zhao and Zhongyang Li

Agronomy 2023, 13(5), 1187; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy13051187 - 23 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2721

Abstract

Due to climate change, 2/3 of the world’s population will face water shortage problems by 2025, while a 50% increase in food production is required in 2050 to feed nine billion people. In addition, the intensified anthropogenic activities have significantly increased water resource pollution. In this condition, wastewater reuse for crop irrigation to reduce water scarcity is currently becoming global, while it often causes soil pollution and heavy metal accumulation in agricultural areas. This situation has increased public concern over its environmental impact. Thus, an integrated framework was conducted to discuss the status of water availability in China, wastewater treatment and reuse in irrigation systems, and the potential health risks. Avenues for new research toward sustainable agriculture were discussed. We emphasize that wastewater reuse reduces the freshwater deficit and increases food productivity. However, adequate treatment should be applied before use to reduce its adverse impacts on human health risks and environmental pollution. Facilities and policies should support more accessible access to reclaimed water used in industries and urban facilities from secondary municipal wastewater treatment plants. This could be a long-term solution to eradicate water scarcity and inefficient water resources in agricultural systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safe and Efficient Utilization of Unconventional Water Resources in Agriculture)

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