This study determined the Water Production Function (WPF) and Optimal Irrigation Schedule (OIS) for rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivated with drip irrigation under plastic film. Six different field capacity levels were established, 100% (W1), 90% (W2), 80% (W3), 70% (W4) and 60% (W5). The results showed that, the rice growth and yields and quality were significantly affected by the different irrigation treatments. The rice height and yield decreased from W1to W4, the W2 is the highest yield. The lower the amount of irrigation water applied was, the higher the Irrigation Water Use Efficiency values were. A WPF model was established for this cropping system, and the water sensitivity indices calculated by the mathematical model showed that the crop water sensitivity decreased in the order booting stage > flowering stage > tillering stage > filling stage. Based on this result, the OIS determined by the dynamic solution of several models was as follows: the optimal irrigation levels were 750 m³ ha⁻¹ in the tillering stage, 2125 m³ ha⁻¹ in the jointing-booting stage, 1050 m³ ha⁻¹ in the heading-flowering stage and 325 m³ ha⁻¹ in the milk stage. The WPF and OIS developed in this study provide a theoretical basis for the implementation of rice cultivation with drip irrigation under plastic film in arid regions of China.

In arid areas, the combined use of plastic sheeting under gravel-sand mulch on ridge-furrow planting systems is an emerging practice to minimize soil water evaporation and micro-plastic pollution. In this study, we conducted a two-year field experiment near Gobi-Tengger Desert in Ningxia, China, to evaluate the effects of a plastic film underneath a layer of pure sand (MS1), pure gravel (MS2) and mixed gravel-and-sand (MS3) mulch on the soil hydrothermal properties, water use efficiency, yield, and fruit quality of wolfberry, compared to bare soil (CK). The results showed that mulching significantly increased soil temperature and water content in the 0–20 cm surface layer, though the effects varied with soil depth and water availability between a supplemental irrigated year (2022) and a rain-fed year (2023). Mulching markedly altered soil water dynamics, enhancing the capture and retention of light-to-heavy rainfall events. Consequently, all mulches significantly increased seasonal water consumption (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE) compared to CK. The MS1 treatment consistently achieved the highest yield and WUE, and the highest accumulation of beneficial fruit compounds like polysaccharides and flavonoids. However, this treatment also resulted in elevated soil salinity. Our findings demonstrate that combined mulching, especially MS1, is a highly effective strategy for optimizing soil conditions, water productivity, and fruit quality in wolfberry cultivation, although long-term salinity management requires attention.

Under the influence of long-term natural evolution and human activities, the water-sediment situation of the Yellow River has undergone profound changes. Many studies have revealed that water-sediment resources influence the spatial and temporal dynamics of socioeconomic development. There is a notable gap in research regarding the bidirectional coupling of water-sediment resources and economic growth, particularly concerning temporal and spatial variations and cross-scale impacts. Eight urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin were selected as research subjects to advance this study area. This research employs the decoupling model, the Haken model, and the coupling coordination model to analyze the interactions between water-sediment resources and socioeconomic systems of the Yellow River Basin and spatial dynamics at the basin, urban agglomerations, and grid scales during the period from 2001 to 2020. The results indicate expansion-negative decoupling relationships within the urban agglomerations across different historical periods. The socioeconomic subsystems predominantly influence the synergy between the water-sediment resources and the economic composite system, with the current level of synergy being relatively low. Furthermore, the dependence on the driving effects of water-sediment and economic intensity within the city clusters at the grid scale is increasingly high. This study is a first attempt to apply the Haken model in the field of water-sediment and economy from the perspective of synergetics. The exploration of the evolutional nexus between water-sediment subsystem and socioeconomic subsystem in the Yellow River Basin is expected to provide important references for policy formulation both locally and for other regions.