Water deficit is a major problem affecting crop production worldwide. The use of treated wastewater in irrigation systems improves soil health and enhances crop growth and productivity. However, it has been characterized as a source of heavy metals. The unknown is how heavy metals’ movements would be impacted under an intercropping system when irrigated with treated wastewater. Understanding the dynamic of heavy metals in soil–plant systems is essential for environmental risk assessment and sustainable agriculture. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to explore the effects of treated wastewater irrigation on plant growth, soil chemical properties, and the movements of Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd from soil to plants in monoculture and intercropping systems. Maize and soybean were selected as the test crops and groundwater and treated livestock wastewater as the water sources. This study found that treated wastewater irrigation and intercropping systems synergically increased the soil nutrient content and crop growth. The concentrations of Zn, Pb, and Cd were significantly higher in leaves compared to other plant parts contrastingly to Cu, which was higher in roots. In addition, treated wastewater irrigation increased grain nutrient content in mono- and intercropping systems while the concentration of heavy metals was in the acceptable range for human consumption. The enrichment degree of Cu and Pb due to treated livestock wastewater irrigation relative to groundwater irrigation was higher in uncultivated soil compared with cultivated soil. This study showed that the intercropping system facilitated heavy metals’ transfer from soil to plant except for Cd. These findings provide guidelines for a safe utilization of treated wastewater in agricultural systems and to reduce freshwater use pressure.

While previous studies have suggested that biochar, nitrification inhibitors, and urease inhibitors may reduce soil greenhouse gas emissions, their effectiveness in soils irrigated with alternative water resources remains unclear. To compensate for this, reclaimed water and livestock wastewater were utilized as alternative water resources alongside groundwater control. Nitrapyrin and N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide and biochar were applied to the soil either individually or in combination, and a no-substance treatment (NS) was included for comparison. The results revealed that reclaimed water and livestock wastewater irrigation exacerbated the global warming potential. Compared to the NS, all exogenous substance treatments suppressed nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions while increasing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, and affecting methane (CH₄) emissions varied across treatments irrespective of the water types. Interestingly, the additional biochar reduced the inhibitory effect of the inhibitors on the greenhouse effect. Using nitrification inhibitors reduced the global warming potential by 48.3% and 50.1% under reclaimed water and livestock wastewater irrigation, respectively. However, when nitrification inhibitors were applied in combination with biochar, the global warming potential was increased by 52.1–83.4% compared to nitrification inhibitors alone, and a similar trend was also observed in the scenario of urease inhibitors, with increases ranging from 8.8 to 35.1%. Therefore, the combined application of biochar and inhibitors should be approached cautiously, considering the potential for increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Farmland ammonia (NH₃) volatilization is an important source of NH₃, and the application of chemical fertilizer nitrogen (N) is the main factor affecting NH₃ volatilization. The optimal substitution of chemical fertilizer with organic manure and straw reportedly reduces NH₃ volatilization, while reducing irrigation increases NH₃ volatilization. However, the combined effect of nitrogen fertilizer substitution and reducing irrigation on NH₃ volatilization and the role of microorganisms in this process remains unclear. In a soil column experiment, NH₃ volatilization and microbial composition were measured under both multiple N sources and different irrigation levels by the vented-chamber method and metagenomic sequencing. The results revealed that multiple N sources application reduced cumulative NH₃ volatilization by 16.5–75.4% compared to single chemical fertilizer application, and the decreasing trend of NH₃ volatilization under reduced irrigation conditions was greater. Microorganisms had a more important effect on NH₃ volatilization of reduced irrigation than conventional irrigation. The abundance of nirA, arcC, E3.5.1.49, and E3.5.5.1 (ammonia-producing) genes varied significantly at the two irrigation levels. Overall, multiple N sources could inhibit NH₃ volatilization increasing under reducing irrigation compared to a single chemical fertilizer. Our findings contribute valuable insights into the combined effect of reduced irrigation and multiple N sources on NH₃ volatilization.