Enhancing the yield and water use efficiency of processing tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller) through optimal irrigation and salinity management under mulched drip irrigation

doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.03.021

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Enhancing the yield and water use efficiency of processing tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller) through optimal irrigation and salinity management under mulched drip irrigation

Jiaying Ma^{1, 2, 3, 4}, Jian Liu^{1, 2, 3, 4}, Yue Wen^{1, 2, 3, 4}, Zhanli Ma^{1, 2, 3, 4}, Jinzhu Zhang^{1, 2, 3, 4}, Feihu Yin^{1, 4, 5}, Tehseen Javed¹, Jihong Zhang^{1, 2, 3, 4}, Zhenhua Wang^{1, 2, 3, 4}^#

¹College of Water Conservancy & Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China

²Key Laboratory of Modern Water-Saving Irrigation of Xinjiang Production & Construction Group, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China

³Technology Innovation Center for Agricultural Water and Fertilizer Efficiency Equipment of Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China

⁴Key Laboratory of Northwest Oasis Water-Saving Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shihezi 832000, China

⁵Institute of Farmland Water Conservancy and Soil-fertilizer, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi 832000, China

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摘要

近年来，合理利用咸水资源进行农业灌溉已成为缓解水资源短缺的有效策略。为了长期安全有效地开发咸水资源，明确灌水盐度对加工番茄的影响并制定最佳水盐灌溉策略至关重要。本研究进行了两年（2018年和2019年）的田间小区试验，以探讨灌水盐度（S1：1 g L^-1、S2：3 g L^-1和S3：5 g L^-1）和灌溉定额（W1：305 mm、W2：485 mm和W3：611 mm）对土壤体积含水量、土壤盐分、加工番茄生长、产量和水分利用效率的影响。结果表明，使用低中度咸水（<3 g L^-1）灌溉提高了作物的水分吸收和利用能力，与S3相比，S1和S2处理的土壤含水量（SWC）分别降低了6.5‒7.62%和10.52‒13.23%（2018年）。S1水平下，土壤含盐量（SSC）积累速率随灌水量的增加而逐渐降低。2018年，W3处理SSC较W1和W2分别下降85.00和77.94%，2019年分别下降82.60和73.68%。高水低盐条件下（S1W3）土壤出现淋洗作用，随着灌水盐度和灌水次数的增加淋洗作用逐渐减弱。2019年，各处理土壤含盐量较2018年增加了10.81‒89.72%。加工番茄的产量随着灌溉量的增加而增加，且两年均在S1W3处理达到峰值（125304.85 kg ha^-1，2018年；128329.71 kg ha^-1，2019年）。S2W3处理在第一年咸水灌溉条件下，保持相对较高的产量，与S1W3处理相比仅下降2.85%，但在第二年显著降低15.88%。结构方程模型（SEM）显示，土壤环境因素（SWC和SSC）直接影响产量，同时也对加工番茄的生长指标（株高、茎粗和叶面积指数）产生间接影响。TOPSIS分析表明，S1W3、S1W2和S2W2得分始终排在前三位。单因素边际效应函数显示，当灌溉水盐度低于0.96 g L^-1时，对综合评价分数（CES）有正向贡献。使用盐度为3 g L^-1的咸水一年，且灌溉量为485 mm时，可确保加工番茄保持高产量和相对较高的CES（0.709）。然而，连续使用咸水灌溉超过一年并不可行。

Abstract

In recent years, the rational utilization of saline water resources for agricultural irrigation has emerged as an effective strategy to alleviate water scarcity. To safely and efficiently exploit saline water resources over the long term, it is crucial to understand the effects of salinity on crops and develop optimal water-salinity irrigation strategies for processing tomatoes. A two-year field experiment was conducted in 2018 and 2019 to explore the impact of water salinity levels (S1: 1 g L^–1, S2: 3 g L^–1, and S3: 5 g L^–1) and irrigation amounts (W1: 305 mm, W2: 485 mm, and W3: 611 mm) on the soil volumetric water content and soil salinity, as well as processing tomato growth, yield, and water use efficiency. The results showed that irrigation with low to moderately saline water (<3 g L^–1) enhanced plant water uptake and utilization capacity, with the soil water content (SWC) reduced by 6.5‒7.62% and 10.52‒13.23% for the S1 and S2 levels, respectively, compared to the S3 level in 2018. Under S1 conditions, the soil salt content (SSC) accumulation rate gradually declined with an increase in the irrigation amount. For example, W3 decreased by 85.00 and 77.94% compared with W1 and W2 in 2018, and by 82.60 and 73.68% 2019, respectively. Leaching effects were observed at the W3 level under S1, which gradually diminished with increasing water salinity and duration. In 2019, the salt contents of soil under each of the treatments increased by 10.81‒89.72% compared with the contents in 2018. The yield of processing tomatoes increased with an increasing irrigation amount and peaked in the S1W3 treatment for the two years, reaching 125,304.85 kg ha^–1 in 2018 and 128,329.71 kg ha^–1 in 2019. Notably, in the first year, the S2W3 treatment achieved relatively high yields, exhibiting only a 2.85% reduction compared to the S1W3 treatment. However, the yield of the S2W3 treatment declined significantly in two years, and it was 15.88% less than that of the S1W3 treatment. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that soil environmental factors (SWC and SSC) directly influence yield while also exerting indirect impacts on the growth indicators of processing tomatoes (plant height, stem diameter, and leaf area index). The TOPSIS method identified S1W3, S1W2, and S2W2 as the top three treatments. The single-factor marginal effect function also revealed that irrigation water salinity contributed to the composite evaluation scores (CES) when it was below 0.96 g L^–1. Using brackish water with a salinity of 3 g L^–1 at an irrigation amount of 485 mm over one year ensured that processing tomatoes maintained high yields with a relatively high CES (0.709). However, using brackish water for more than one year proved unfeasible.

Keywords: Processing tomatoes soil water and salt transport yield water use efficiency irrigation water salinity mulched drip irrigation

Online: 27 March 2025

Fund: This study was funded by the National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFD1900405).

About author: Jiaying Ma, E-mail: mjy980315@163.com; #Zhenhua Wang, E-mail: wzh2002027@163.com

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Jiaying Ma, Jian Liu, Yue Wen, Zhanli Ma, Jinzhu Zhang, Feihu Yin, Tehseen Javed, Jihong Zhang, Zhenhua Wang. 2025. Enhancing the yield and water use efficiency of processing tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller) through optimal irrigation and salinity management under mulched drip irrigation. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.03.021

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