Aerated irrigation (AI) has emerged as a method to mitigate rhizosphere hypoxia caused by wetting front with sub-surface drip irrigation (SDI). Increasing oxygen in processing tomato’s root zone is beneficial to the improvement of the rhizosphere gas environment, crop growth, yield and quality. The relationship between aerated irrigation and irrigation quantity is not clear. A total of eight treatments, including four irrigation levels (4950 m³ hm⁻² (W1), 4750 m³ hm⁻² (W2), 4500 m³ hm⁻² (W3), 4050 m³ hm⁻² (W4)) in combination with aerated irrigation (A2) and non-aerated irrigation (A1) were used to investigate the effects of aerated irrigation on the physiological characteristics and yield of processing tomatoes under mulched drip irrigation in Xinjiang, China. The effects of aerated irrigation on plant height, stem diameter, leaf area index and dry matter, photosynthesis, fluorescence, fruit quality and yield of processing tomatoes were studied. The results showed that plant height, stem diameter, biomass accumulation and leaf area index of processing tomatoes under aerated irrigation were increased by 10.2%, 7.3%, 12.5% and 6.2% under the W1, W2, W3 and W4 conditions (p < 0.05), respectively, compared with non-aerated irrigation. Yield and the content of Vitamin C and soluble solids under aerated irrigation was 9.71%, 5.59% and 5.68% (p < 0.05) higher than that under conventional irrigation, respectively, and the sugar-acid under aerated irrigation decreased by 0.5%. Through principal component analysis, W2A2 treatment had a higher score according to the yield index (per fruit weight, fruit number per plant) and quality index (Vitamin C, soluble solids, sugar-acid ratio) than the other treatments. The results show that aerated irrigation is feasible under the existing mulched drip irrigation in Xinjiang and, in this experiment, W2A2 treatment was the most suitable planting mode.

To address residual plastic film in fields in which mulched drip irrigation technology is applied, a sprayable degradable film (consisting of 1–5% clay, 5–20% humic acid, 0.5–5% crosslinker, and 0.5–5% auxiliary and water) can be used as a superior alternative to the plastic film applied in drip-irrigated fields. A field experiment was conducted in Xinjiang, Northwest China, to test the impacts of five different mulching treatments (SF1, sprayable degradable film applied at 1900 kg ha⁻¹; SF2, sprayable degradable film applied at 1900 kg ha⁻¹; SF3, sprayable degradable film applied at 2500 kg ha⁻¹; PF, plastic film; and NF, no film mulching) on cotton growth and development, yield, and water use efficiency. The results showed that, compared to the NF treatment, sprayable degradable film mulching (SF1, SF2, and SF3) positively impacted the soil hydrothermal environment, promoted root growth, significantly increased plant height and leaf area, and enhanced physiological characteristics, which, in turn, increased yield and water use efficiency by 11.79–15.00% and 21.88–30.21%, respectively. The maximum yield and water use efficiency were observed in the PF treatment, amounting to 5345 kg ha⁻¹ and 1.28 kg m⁻³, respectively, and they had no significant differences from those in the SF3 treatment. In general, applying moderate amounts of sprayable degradable film at a rate of 2500 kg ha⁻¹ represents an effective agronomic strategy for managing residual film contamination while maintaining stable cotton yields.

Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise year after year, contributing significantly to global warming—an escalating crisis that demands urgent attention. In order to address this issue, it is crucial to investigate the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions from farmland and crop yield and quality through comprehensive regulation of the soil micro-environment by inputting water, fertilizer, gas, and heat. Therefore, we conducted field experiments in 2024 to examine the effects of different water, fertilizer, gas, and heat conditions on the yield, quality, greenhouse gas emissions, net global warming potential (NGWP), and greenhouse gas emission intensity (GHGI) of processing tomatoes in Xinjiang, China. This study established two irrigation water temperatures (T0: the local irrigation water temperature, approximately 10–15 °C; and T1: warming irrigation, 20–25 °C), two humic acid application rates (H0: 0% and H1: 0.5%, % as a percentage of total fertilizer application), and three aeration methods (A0: no aeration, A1: Venturi aerated, and A2: micro–nano aerated) during the growth period. The results showed that the number of fruits per hectare (NP), vitamin C (VC) content, titratable acidity and lycopene content were all significantly increased with increasing temperature, application of 0.5% humic acid, and aeration. Warming has little effect on GHGI, while humic acid application and aeration have significant and extremely significant effects on GHGI. The GHGI of humic acid treatment was 7.70% lower than that of H0, and the GHGI of micro–nano aeration and Venturi aeration treatment was 18.95% and 6.85% lower than that of A0, respectively. We employed a comprehensive evaluation model that focused on overall differences to assess yield, quality, economic benefits, and environmental impact (GHGI, global warming potential). The optimal strategy identified comprised 20–25 °C irrigation, micro–nano aeration, and 0.5% humic acid, which collectively achieved the highest scores in yield, quality, and emission reduction. This study establishes a theoretical and technical foundation for the sustainable and efficient production of tomatoes in the arid regions of Northern Xinjiang.