The optimization of irrigation and fertilization indexes for peanuts with drip irrigation is urgently needed in Xinjiang. A field experiment was conducted during the 2021 peanut growing season at Urumqi, Xinjiang, in Northwestern China, to evaluate the effects of different water and nitrogen treatments on the growth, yield, and water and nitrogen utilization of peanuts. In field experiments, we set up three irrigation levels (irrigation water quotas of 22.5, 30, and 37.5 mm, respectively, for W₁, W₂, and W₃), two nitrogen application levels (77.5 and 110 kg·ha⁻¹, recorded as N₁ and N₂), and a control treatment (W₂N₀) that did not include the application of nitrogen. The results showed that nitrogen application enhanced the growth, physiological indexes, yield, and water use efficiency of the W₁, W₂, and W₃ treatments when the irrigation volume remained the same. In comparison with no nitrogen application (W₂N₀), the peanut growth, physiological indexes, yield, and water use efficiency improved with increasing irrigation amounts in the N₁ and N₂ treatments. With an increase in the irrigation volume, the water use efficiency grew; the W₃N₂ treatment had the highest water use efficiency, which was 1.32 kg·m⁻³. The total water consumption and reproductive-stage water consumption of the peanuts in all treatments increased with the irrigation volume, and a high yield was achieved at 402.57 mm, which was 5.2974 Mg·ha⁻¹. In the W₁, W₂, and W₃ treatments, the nitrogen partial factor productivity significantly decreased as the nitrogen application increased, with the nitrogen partial factor productivity in the W₃N₁ treatment being the highest, at 60.61 kg·kg⁻¹. A comprehensive evaluation based on principal component analysis assigned W₃N₂ the higher score. These findings suggest that irrigation water quotas of 37.5 mm should be coupled with 110 kg·ha⁻¹ nitrogen applications for peanuts using drip irrigation in mulch film in Xinjiang.

The aim of this study was to optimize water-saving and high-efficiency irrigation and nitrogen application scheduling for greenhouse tomato cultivation in North China. Using experimental data on water and nitrogen inputs, the DSSAT-GLUE parameter adjustment tool was employed to calibrate the genetic parameters of the DSSAT–CROPGRO–Tomato model. Simulations were conducted to assess greenhouse tomato growth, water use, and yield under varying water and nitrogen conditions. After calibration, the model showed average relative errors of 3.19% for the phenological stages, 3.33% for plant height, and 4.52% for yield dry weight, meeting accuracy standards. The results from the calibrated model indicated that increasing irrigation or nitrogen levels initially enhanced yield but led to diminishing returns beyond optimal ranges. The maximum tomato yield and water–nitrogen use efficiency were achieved with irrigation quotas between 320 and 340 mm and nitrogen applications between 360 and 400 kg·ha⁻¹. These findings provide a guideline for efficient water and nitrogen management for greenhouse tomatoes under drip irrigation conditions.

This article scientifically studies the direct impact of climate problems on the time transition of reference crop evapotranspiration in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China from 1957 to 2017, which is conducive to formulating irrigation scheduling and adaptive capacity countermeasures. The objective of this study is to investigate the impacts of climate change on ET_o for the cotton growing seasons. The meteorological data were collected from 48 meteorological stations in the region and analyzed using the Mann–Kendall test and linear trend. The results show the following points: (1) the ET_o decreases from low to high elevations, and with the increase in northern latitude. (2) The annual mean ET_o and average values of ET_o during the growing seasons for cotton exhibited two abrupt changes in the period 1957–2017, with the first abrupt change in 1995 to 1999 and the second abrupt change in 2006 to 2011. (3) The ET_o in Xinjiang of China demonstrates a decreasing trend during 1957–1996; a significant decreasing trend during 1997–2008; and a significant increasing trend during 2009–2017.

The objective of this research was to improve the accuracy and representativeness of experimental plot studies by determining the optimum plot area and replication number for winter wheat with border irrigation. Considering the spatial distribution of soil water content, the border effect in relation to crop growth, and the lateral seepage of soil water, we sought to study and optimize the area and specifications of irrigation experiment plots with different levels and replicates. The results show that the experimental irrigation plot consisted of two parts—the core area and the guard area. The most suitable area for the experiment plot core area, with a single level and without replicates, was 60–80 m². The core experimental area can be arranged with two replicates per 40 m², with differences in soil moisture content between the treatments reaching more than 15% at the two experiment levels. Each plot comprised two replicates, or if they were 20 m², then they contained three replicates; when the soil moisture contents differed between 10% and 15%, the area of each replicate plot was 80 m², comprising two replicates, or 30 m² with three replicates. When the difference in soil moisture content between the treatments exceeded 15% with the three experimental levels, the area of each plot was 30 m² and they contained two replicates, or 20 m² containing three replicates; at differences of 10% to 15%, each replicate plot was 50 m² containing two replicates, or 30 m² with three replicates. The experimental plots were rectangular, with irrigation furrows dug lengthwise; therefore, the plots had aspect ratios between 7:1 and 5:1. The width of the buffer area was over 60 cm. The effect of the border on plant height and LAI for winter wheat primarily emerged with one to three rows (20–60 cm) at the jointing stage, while the effect on grain yield and biomass in winter wheat mainly emerged with one to two rows (20–40 cm). The conclusions of this research will inform the development of surface irrigation methods for silt loam in northern Henan, as a reference for optimizing experiment plots employing border irrigation with different soil textures.