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Sustainable Water Resource Management and Agricultural Production under Ongoing Environmental Changes

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 March 2023) | Viewed by 14789

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Clement D. D. Sohoulande

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Guest Editor

USDA-ARS Coastal Plains Soil, Water, and Plant Research Center, Florence, SC, USA
Interests: water quality; water quantity; contaminants; agriculture; climate change; land cover change; hydrology; modeling; environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

During the last century, the world population has grown at an unprecedented rate, causing an increase of anthropogenic pressure on natural resources. Disturbances related to human activities have resulted in multifaceted environmental changes, including ecological and climatic disturbances. The footprints of these changes are frequently evidenced in many locations around the globe as direct consequences of urbanization, deforestation, agriculture intensification, fossil energy use, or poor freshwater resource management. As the world population keeps growing, food and freshwater demands are increasing, while agricultural land areas are becoming more limited, along with declining water resources, both in quality and quantity. In this context, it is critical to rethink the use of natural resources in a manner that minimizes environmental impacts while leveraging freshwater and food supplies. To achieve such a goal, strategies developed for water resource management and agricultural food production must take into consideration the ongoing environmental changes. Nonetheless, these changes are complex and need to be thoroughly understood to manage water resources and agricultural production in a sustainable manner. This Special Issue of Sustainability aims to capitalize on recent research advances and scientific knowledge aligning with the efficient use of water resources and agriculture sustainability. Submitted manuscripts may focus on one or more of the following research fields:

Climate impact on agricultural production;
Water resource management, including water quality/quantity modeling and remote sensing;
Multiscale land-use–land-cover change studies.

Dr. Clement D. D. Sohoulande
Guest Editor

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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

water resources
climate
environmental sustainability
land-use–land-cover
agriculture
water quality
modeling

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2845 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Nitrogen and Phosphorus Outflow from an Instream Constructed Wetland under Precipitation Variability

by Clement D. D. Sohoulande, Ariel A. Szogi, Jeffrey M. Novak, Kenneth C. Stone, Jerry H. Martin and Don W. Watts

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16500; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142416500 - 09 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1107

Abstract

In many agricultural watersheds, surface runoff often causes unwanted nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses from croplands into stream networks. When this phenomenon is pronounced, it significantly changes N and P concentrations in streams affecting aquatic ecosystems. To protect stream water quality, the installation of instream-constructed wetlands (ICWs) for treating runoff water is often reported as a low-cost alternative to conventional water treatment systems. Indeed, ICWs have the capacity to collect and temporarily retain nutrients transported from agricultural landscapes and then slowly release them into downstream networks. However, the long-term hydrologic behavior of ICWs relative to N and P outflow control is still insufficiently reported. Especially in the context of climate change, it is relevant to investigate the effect of precipitation variability on ICWs N and P outflow. This study uses the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model to approximate the long-term hydrologic behavior of an experimental ICW installed in a small agricultural watershed. The model was set assuming a continuous corn and soybean rotation on croplands, then a multidecadal (period 2001–2020) simulation was used to evaluate the implication of precipitation variability on total nitrogen (TN), nitrate-N (NO3-N), total P (TP), and dissolved P (DP) outflows. Results show meaningful changes in the precipitation pattern with contrasting effects on N and P outflows. While analyses show significant trends in the maximum monthly precipitation, nutrient outflows during two consecutive decades, 2001–2010 and 2011–2020, show increases of 46% for TN, and 82% for TP. At the watershed scale, month-to- month TN and TP outflows range from 24 to 810 kg N and 26 to 1358 kg P during 2011–2020, compared with 42 to 398 kg N and 40 to 566 kg P during 2001–2010. The increase in nutrient outflow is particularly pronounced for TP and DP which show significant trends and high correlations (r > 0.70) with maximum monthly precipitation. An exception is nitrate-N outflow, which counts on average for less than 5% of TN outflow but appears more affected by the timing of N fertilization in the watershed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water Resource Management and Agricultural Production under Ongoing Environmental Changes)

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16 pages, 2796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating Sources of Marine Litter and Developing Coping Strategies in Scuba Diving Spots in Taiwan

by Ping-I Lin, Gordon Chih-Ming Ku, Hsiao-Hsien Lin, Chin-Hsien Hsu, Hung-Chih Chi and Yi-Ching Chen

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5726; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14095726 - 09 May 2022

Viewed by 1644

Abstract

Marine debris and floating marine debris issues have recently become a matter of great concern. The present study selected Kenting National Park and Northeast Cape and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area as the survey areas, where most of the popular scuba diving spots in Taiwan are located, to identify the volume, types, and sources of marine litter. The findings could be regarded as the foundation for future study and the suggestions for managerial strategies. The visual and line transect methods were used to conduct fourteen investigations of marine litter in four scuba diving spots from June 2020 to November 2020. Descriptive analysis and the chi-square test were used to analyze the volume, types, and sources of marine litter, as well as the different distributions under diverse locations, terrains, season, and tides. The results indicate that 2841 pieces of marine litter are identified, including 1786 (63%) plastic containers, 312 (11%) plastic bags, 254 (9%) disposable tableware for take-out beverages, 285 (10%) other materials, 72 (2%) cigarette butts, and 30 (1%) fishery and recreational fishing pieces. Different seasons, locations, and tides cause a significantly different marine litter distribution among these areas. The findings are expected to promote source reduction, develop shore and underwater cleaning proposals, and enhance marine protection education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water Resource Management and Agricultural Production under Ongoing Environmental Changes)

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25 pages, 5009 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Land Use and Land Cover Changes and Its Impact on Soil Erosion in Stung Sangkae Catchment of Cambodia

by Nareth Nut, Machito Mihara, Jaehak Jeong, Bunthan Ngo, Gilbert Sigua, P.V. Vara Prasad and Manny R. Reyes

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9276; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13169276 - 18 Aug 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4711

Abstract

Agricultural expansion and urban development without proper soil erosion control measures have become major environmental problems in Cambodia. Due to a high population growth rate and increased economic activities, land use and land cover (LULC) changes will cause environmental disturbances, particularly soil erosion. This research aimed to estimate total amounts of soil loss using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model within a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. LULC maps of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) 2002 and Mekong River Commission (MRC) 2015 were used to evaluate the impact of LULC on soil erosion loss in Stung Sangkae catchment. LULC dynamics for the study periods in Stung Sangkae catchment showed that the catchment experienced a rapid conversion of forests to paddy rice fields and other croplands. The results indicated that the average soil loss from the catchment was 3.1 and 7.6 t/ha/y for the 2002 and 2015 periods, respectively. The estimated total soil loss in the 2002 and 2015 periods was 1.9 million t/y and 4.5 million t/y, respectively. The soil erosion was accelerated by steep slopes combined with the high velocity and erosivity of stormwater runoff. The spatial distribution of soil loss showed that the highest value (14.3 to 62.9 t/ha/y) was recorded in the central, southwestern and upland parts of the catchment. It is recommended that priority should be given to erosion hot spot areas, and appropriate soil and water conservation practices should be adopted to restore degraded lands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water Resource Management and Agricultural Production under Ongoing Environmental Changes)

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15 pages, 2872 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficacy of Supplemental Irrigation and Nitrogen Management on Enhancing Nitrogen Availability and Urease Activity in Soils with Sorghum Production

by Gilbert C. Sigua, Kenneth C. Stone, Phil J. Bauer and Ariel A. Szogi

Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8358; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12208358 - 12 Oct 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1823

Abstract

The soil nitrogen (N) availability and urease activity (UA) in a humid ecosystem with variable rainfall distribution and poor soil fertility are not well understood. A complete appreciation of N cycling in the soil–water–plant continuum is needed to better manage N and water in regions that will be strongly affected by climate change. A sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) study located in Florence, South Carolina, USA, was conducted using a variable-rate pivot system. We hypothesized that supplemental irrigation (SI) and N would enhance UA and N uptake while minimizing the concentration of N in porewater (TINW). The aim of the study was to assess the impact of SI (0, 50, and 100%) and N fertilization (0, 85, and 170 kg N ha⁻¹) on: UA; total N (TNS); total inorganic N (TINS); TINW; and N uptake of sorghum. Results support our research hypothesis. The greatest UA was from 0% SI and 170 kg ha⁻¹ (18.7 µg N g⁻¹ ha⁻¹). Porewater N (mg L⁻¹), when averaged across SI and N showed a significantly lower concentration at lower soil depth (9.9 ± 0.7) than the upper depth (26.1 ± 2.4). The 100% SI had the greatest biomass N uptake (NUPB) of 67.9 ± 31.1 kg ha⁻¹ and grain N uptake (NUG) of 52.7 ± 20.5 kg ha⁻¹. The greatest NUPB (70.9 ± 30.3 kg ha⁻¹) and NUG (55.3 ± 16.5 kg ha⁻¹) was from the application of 170 kg N ha⁻¹. Overall, results showed that proper use of water and N enhanced soil N dynamics, and improved biomass productivity and N uptake of sorghum. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water Resource Management and Agricultural Production under Ongoing Environmental Changes)

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18 pages, 887 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Drainage N Loads Under Climate Change with Winter Rye Cover Crop in a Northern Mississippi River Basin Corn-Soybean Rotation

by Robert Malone, Jurgen Garbrecht, Phillip Busteed, Jerry Hatfield, Dennis Todey, Jade Gerlitz, Quanxiao Fang, Matthew Sima, Anna Radke, Liwang Ma, Zhiming Qi, Huaiqing Wu, Dan Jaynes and Thomas Kaspar

Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7630; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12187630 - 16 Sep 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2573

Abstract

To help reduce future N loads entering the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River 45%, Iowa set the goal of reducing non-point source N loads 41%. Studies show that implementing winter rye cover crops into agricultural systems reduces N loads from subsurface drainage, but its effectiveness in the Mississippi River Basin under expected climate change is uncertain. We used the field-tested Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) to estimate drainage N loads, crop yield, and rye growth in central Iowa corn-soybean rotations. RZWQM scenarios included baseline (BL) observed weather (1991–2011) and ambient CO₂ with cover crop and no cover crop treatments (BL_CC and BL_NCC). Scenarios also included projected future temperature and precipitation change (2065–2085) from six general circulation models (GCMs) and elevated CO₂ with cover crop and no cover crop treatments (CC and NCC). Average annual drainage N loads under NCC, BL_NCC, CC and BL_CC were 63.6, 47.5, 17.0, and 18.9 kg N ha⁻¹. Winter rye cover crop was more effective at reducing drainage N losses under climate change than under baseline conditions (73 and 60% for future and baseline climate), mostly because the projected temperatures and atmospheric CO₂ resulted in greater rye growth and crop N uptake. Annual CC drainage N loads were reduced compared with BL_NCC more than the targeted 41% for 18 to 20 years of the 21-year simulation, depending on the GCM. Under projected climate change, average annual simulated crop yield differences between scenarios with and without winter rye were approximately 0.1 Mg ha⁻¹. These results suggest that implementing winter rye cover crop in a corn-soybean rotation effectively addresses the goal of drainage N load reduction under climate change in a northern Mississippi River Basin agricultural system without affecting cash crop production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water Resource Management and Agricultural Production under Ongoing Environmental Changes)

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Review

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24 pages, 1852 KiB

Open AccessReview

Optimising Water Management in Drylands to Increase Crop Productivity and Anticipate Climate Change in Indonesia

by Popi Rejekiningrum, Yayan Apriyana, Sutardi, Woro Estiningtyas, Hendri Sosiawan, Helena Lina Susilawati, Anggri Hervani and Annisa Dhienar Alifia

Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11672; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141811672 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2158

Abstract

In the future, Indonesia will become increasingly dependent on dryland agriculture. New adaptive technology innovations able to transform drylands into arable land throughout almost the entire year have been developed to anticipate global climate change in tropical areas. This article reviews the results of research on the importance of climate and water management technology to increase the crop index and productivity in Indonesia. We found that irrigation treatment at 80% of the FAO-recommended rate resulted in the highest maize stover yield (around 13.65–14.10 t h⁻¹). Irrigation treatment at 60% of the FAO-recommended rate for soybeans (at 0.24 L s⁻¹ h⁻¹) produced good-quality soybean seeds. The use of existing water resources can increase the planted area from 1.25 to 1.67 and increase the cropping index during the second planting season in the same area. Agricultural systems based on water management can improve their crop index and productivity, and anticipate climate change to increase farmers’ incomes and wellbeing. Support measures in the form of regulations, legislation, acts, programmes, and policies from central and local governments for land use and management are crucial. The development of infrastructure by establishing water management institutions at the village/farmers’ group levels to allocate irrigation water is a leverage point to develop dryland agricultural systems appropriately and judiciously to assist in sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water Resource Management and Agricultural Production under Ongoing Environmental Changes)

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