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Deep storage irrigation can recharge farmland deep soil moisture and sustain production of summer maize (Zea mays L.) through flood resources utilization in irrigation districts of northern China

Xiaodong Fan, Xiaotao Hu#, Yakun Wang, Dianyu Chen, Wene Wang, Fang Wang, Qing Zha

Key Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
 Highlights 

l The new technology of “deep storage irrigation” was proposed to utilize flood resources.

Deep soil moisture recharge occurred when effective rainfall and irrigation exceeded 390 mm.

l Maize grain yield demonstrated a quadratic relationship with deep soil moisture recharge.

Deep storage irrigation effectively recharges deep soil moisture and maintains maize production.

l Deep storage irrigation shows potential for widespread implementation in irrigation districts of northern China.

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摘要  

我国北方灌区面临淡水资源短缺、洪水资源无法有效利用以及地下水长期超采等问题。鉴于这些挑战,本研究提出了利用洪水资源进行深蓄储水灌溉的新技术。然而,深蓄储水灌溉能否补给农田深层土壤水分并维持作物生产尚需进一步研究。因此,本研究在关中平原开展为期两年的夏玉米田间试验(2021-2022),评估以土壤饱和含水率作为灌水上限的不同土壤湿润层深度(T1: 60 cm; T2: 90 cm; T3: 120 cm; T4: 150 cm; T5: 180 cm)对农田深层土壤水分补给夏玉米产量的影响。结果表明,在20212022年不同灌溉处理在100–200 cm土层的深层土壤水分补给(SMS100–200)分别73.34–267.420–150.03 mm有效降灌水量之和超过390 mm时,SMS100–200二者之和的增加呈现线性上升趋势。同时,在20212022年玉米籽粒产量GY)分别在T2T3处理达到峰值,分别为11.4411.25 t ha-1此外,2021年T4处理和2022T5处理的GY与峰值相比分别仅降低3.95.7%。然而,T4T5处理的SMS100–200分别是T2T3处理2.45.0倍。综上所述,深蓄储水灌溉量进一步增加造成少量籽粒产量损失,但能够显著增加农田深层土壤水分补给。因此,深蓄储水灌溉突破了传统灌区以有限水资源开展节水灌溉为目标的思路,可以作为解决水资源匮乏、洪水资源利用效率较低和地下水位持续下降等问题的有效替代方案中国北方灌区推广使用。



Abstract  

The irrigation districts of Northern China face issues such as water scarcity, inability to effectively utilize flood resources, and groundwater overexploitation. In view of these challenges, this study proposes a new concept of deep storage irrigation through flood resources utilization. However, whether deep storage irrigation can recharge deep soil moisture and sustain crop production still requires further study. A two-year field experiment was conducted on summer maize in the Guanzhong Plain with five soil wetting layer depths (T1: 60 cm; T2: 90 cm; T3: 120 cm; T4: 150 cm; T5: 180 cm) and soil saturation moisture content as the irrigation upper limit. The results presented that the ranges of deep soil moisture recharge in the 100–200 cm soil profile (SMS100–200) was 73.34267.42 and 0–150.03 mm in 2021 (wet season) and 2022 (normal season). When the effective precipitation and irrigation exceeded 390 mm, the SMS100–200 began to linearly increase. The highest grain yield (GY) were observed at T2 and T3 treatments in 2021 (11.44 t ha−1) and 2022 (11.25 t ha−1), respectively. The maize GY of T4 in 2021 and T5 in 2022 were only 3.9 and 5.7% lower than the maximize GY, respectively. However, the SMS100–200 for T4 and T5 were 2.4 and 5.0 times that of T2 and T3 treatments in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Overall, the further increase in irrigation amounts induced only a slight decrease in grain yield, but it significantly increased deep soil moisture recharge. Therefore, the deep storage irrigation breaks through the traditional idea of water-saving irrigation with limited water resources, which can be utilized as an effective alternative to address the issues of water scarcity, low flood resources utilization, and groundwater level declines in the irrigation districts of northern China.

Keywords:  deep storage irrigation       soil moisture dynamics       soil moisture storage       grain yield       summer maize  
Online: 14 July 2025  
Fund: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U2243235) and the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Water Resources, China (2022slkj-6).
About author:  Xiaodong Fan, Mobile: +86-18832016863, E-mail: fanxiaodong9527@163.com; #Correspondence Xiaotao Hu, Mobile: +86-13892816133, E-mail: huxiaotao11@nwsuaf.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Xiaodong Fan, Xiaotao Hu, Yakun Wang, Dianyu Chen, Wene Wang, Fang Wang, Qing Zha. 2025. Deep storage irrigation can recharge farmland deep soil moisture and sustain production of summer maize (Zea mays L.) through flood resources utilization in irrigation districts of northern China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.07.013

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