The co-allocation of photovoltaic arrays with crops presents a promising strategy to mitigate the conflict between photovoltaics and agricultural land. However, there is a notable lack of quantitative research on the impact of agrivoltaic system on land quality in fragile areas. In this study, peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) and ryegrass (Lolium perenne) were cultivated in photovoltaic array in the dry–hot valley of southwest China, with an off-site native land serving as the control. Sixteen soil physicochemical and biochemical parameters were measured in the gap and under-panel and control area. Results demonstrated that the agrivoltaic system significantly enhanced soil moisture, organic carbon, nitrogen–phosphorus–potassium nutrients, microbial biomass, and urease activity. It also led to varying degrees of increase in soil pH and electrical conductivity, along with reduced soil sucrase and phosphatase activity. In comparison to the control, the agrivoltaic system notably improved soil quality and multifunctionality. Specially, gap cultivation had a more pronounced positive impact on soil quality than under-panel cultivation, and the cultivation of peanuts had a greater effect on soil quality and multifunctionality improvement than ryegrass. This study provides fundamental data to support the improvement of land quality in photovoltaic developed regions, and to alleviate the conflict between photovoltaics and agricultural land.

Agro-photovoltaics (APV) or agrivoltaic systems integrate crop cultivation with solar energy production, offering a promising solution through the dual-use of land. This two-year study (2023 and 2024) examined the effects of an APV system on rice production. The results indicated that APV arrays created spatially variable light environments, with shadow lengths following predictable solar azimuth patterns and cloudy conditions mitigating shading effects through enhanced diffuse light. Compared with CK (non-shadow area), inter-panel plots (BP) maintained 77% photosynthetic efficiency and 85.4% plant height, whereas the areas beneath the panel showed a significant decrease in the relative chlorophyll content (SPAD values), photosynthesis rates, and yield. BP plots preserved a 78% fruiting rate through adaptive stomatal regulation, whereas LP zones (directly under the low eave) exhibited 35% higher intercellular CO₂ because of the limited assimilation in shading. Rice yield losses were correlated with shading intensity, driven by reduced panicles and grain filling. Moreover, the APV system achieved a high land equivalent ratio of 148–149% by combining 65–66% rice yield with 82.5% photovoltaics output. Based on the microenvironment created by the APV system, optimal crop types and fertilisation are essential for enhancing agricultural yields and improving land use efficiency.

Agrophotovoltaic (APV) or agrivoltaic (AV) systems, which combine the crop cultivation with solar energy production, emerge as a promising solution by leveraging the dual use of land. This two-year study (2023 and 2024) investigated APV system impacts on rice production. The findings indicated that APV arrays created spatially variable light envi-ronments, with shadow lengths following predictable solar azimuth patterns, cloudy conditions mitigated shading effects via enhanced diffuse light. Compared to CK (non shadow area), inter-panel plots (BP) maintained 77% photosynthetic efficiency and 85.4 % plant height, while beneath panel areas showed significant declines of SPAD values, photosynthesis rate and yield. BP plots preserved 78% fruiting rate through adaptive sto-matal regulation, while LP zones (directly under the low eave) showed 35% higher inter-cellular CO₂ due to limited assimilation in shading. Rice yield losses correlated with shading intensity, driven by reduced panicles and grain filling. In addition, the APV sys-tem achieved high land equivalent ratio of 1.48–1.49, which was combining 65-66 % rice yield with 82.5 % photovoltaic output. Based on the microenvironment created by the APV system, an optimal crop types and fertilization management are essential to enhance ag-ricultural yields and to improve land use efficiency.

The Hetao Irrigation District is an important arid-oasis agricultural system in the Yellow River Basin, where water scarcity has become a major constraint on high-quality regional development and irrigation water use dominates the district’s water-use structure. Irrigation water resources carrying capacity represents the application of the broader concept of water resources carrying capacity to irrigation systems. Existing studies have largely overlooked long-term assessments of irrigation water resources carrying capacity and the identification of its dominant patterns of variation at the irrigation-district scale. This study aimed to evaluate irrigation water resources carrying capacity in the Hetao Irrigation District from 2001 to 2023 and identify its dominant patterns of variation. An evaluation indicator system was developed, and a TOPSIS model incorporating combined subjective–objective weighting was used to assess long-term changes in carrying status, while principal component analysis was applied to identify the dominant patterns of variation. The results showed that improvement in the irrigation water-use efficiency subsystem partially offset the adverse effects of the decline in the water availability subsystem, resulting in an overall improvement in carrying status. Linhe District ranked highest among the county-level units, whereas Dengkou County ranked lowest. The variation in carrying capacity was summarized into three dimensions: joint variation in water availability and water-use scale; a mixed pattern linking irrigation water-use intensity, the degree of water resource utilization, and groundwater conditions; and variation in effective irrigation coverage. By integrating long-term carrying-status assessment with the identification of dominant patterns of variation, this study reveals a compensatory relationship between improved irrigation water-use efficiency and declining water availability, thereby providing a new perspective on carrying-status evolution at the irrigation-district scale.