IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v318y2025ics0378377425004044.html

Trade-offs of saline irrigation on crop productivity across China: A meta-analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Jia, Zhenjiang
  • Wu, Yangyang
  • Li, Wangcheng
  • Jia, Zixuan
  • Huang, Yahao
  • Xu, Haowen
  • Zhao, Guangxing
  • Yao, Xiaocui

Abstract

Saline water irrigation has been widely recognized as a promising agricultural management strategy to mitigate freshwater scarcity in China. Yet, the consensus on its impacts on crop productivity remains elusive due to the significant heterogeneity in experimental conditions and influencing factors. This study therefore conducted a meta-analysis synthesizing 78 publications comprising 1682 paired field observations in China to reveal the differential responses of crop yield, water productivity (WP), and irrigation water productivity (IWP) to saline water irrigation at a regional scale, focusing specifically on soil and water properties, agronomic management practices, and environmental variables. Results showed that saline water irrigation significantly reduced crop yield (15.81 %), WP (7.85 %), and IWP (14.65 %) within China compared to freshwater irrigation. All three indicators exhibited pronounced sensitivity to both irrigation water quality and site-specific conditions. Implemented agronomic optimizations could effectively alleviate the adverse impacts induced by saline water irrigation practices. Both random forest and structural equation modeling demonstrated that crop productivity was co-determined by irrigation water parameters, initial soil attributes, cultivation practices, and regional environments. Therefore, we recommend using of neutral, low-quality brackish water for short-term irrigation combined with cultivating cash crops in low-density, medium-textured, low-salinity neutral soils with high organic matter content, integrated with management practices comprising chemical fertilization, conventional irrigation, and surface mulching. This integrated approach demonstrates enhanced potential for simultaneously maintaining yield, WP and IWP, particularly in semi-humid regions with deep groundwater tables. Our findings underscore the importance of location-specific optimization of agricultural management practices for the application of saline water irrigation in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Jia, Zhenjiang & Wu, Yangyang & Li, Wangcheng & Jia, Zixuan & Huang, Yahao & Xu, Haowen & Zhao, Guangxing & Yao, Xiaocui, 2025. "Trade-offs of saline irrigation on crop productivity across China: A meta-analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:318:y:2025:i:c:s0378377425004044
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109690
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425004044
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109690?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ren, Futian & Yang, Guang & Li, Wanjing & He, Xinlin & Gao, Yongli & Tian, Lijun & Li, Fadong & Wang, Zelin & Liu, Saihua, 2021. "Yield-compatible salinity level for growing cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under mulched drip irrigation using saline water," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    2. Fernández, J.E. & Alcon, F. & Diaz-Espejo, A. & Hernandez-Santana, V. & Cuevas, M.V., 2020. "Water use indicators and economic analysis for on-farm irrigation decision: A case study of a super high density olive tree orchard," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 237(C).
    3. Wang, Xiaodong & Tian, Wei & Zheng, Wende & Shah, Sadiq & Li, Jianshe & Wang, Xiaozhuo & Zhang, Xueyan, 2023. "Quantitative relationships between salty water irrigation and tomato yield, quality, and irrigation water use efficiency: A meta-analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    4. C. Dionisio Pérez-Blanco & Arthur Hrast-Essenfelder & Chris Perry, 2020. "Irrigation Technology and Water Conservation: A Review of the Theory and Evidence," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 14(2), pages 216-239.
    5. Wang, He & Feng, Di & Zhang, Anqi & Zheng, Chunlian & Li, Kejiang & Ning, Songrui & Zhang, Junpeng & Sun, Chitao, 2022. "Effects of saline water mulched drip irrigation on cotton yield and soil quality in the North China Plain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    6. Giovanna CUCCI & Giovanni LACOLLA & Mario A. MASTRO & Gianraffaele CARANFA, 2016. "Leaching effect of rainfall on soil under four-year saline water irrigation," Soil and Water Research, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 11(3), pages 181-189.
    7. Hussain, M. Iftikhar & Muscolo, Adele & Farooq, Muhammad & Ahmad, Waqar, 2019. "Sustainable use and management of non-conventional water resources for rehabilitation of marginal lands in arid and semiarid environments," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 462-476.
    8. Wang, Ruopu & Cao, Heli & Kang, Shaozhong & Du, Taisheng & Tong, Ling & Kang, Jian & Gao, Jia & Ding, Risheng, 2025. "Agronomic measures improve crop yield and water and nitrogen use efficiency under brackish water irrigation: A global meta-analysis," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    9. Wang, He & Zheng, Chunlian & Ning, Songrui & Cao, Caiyun & Li, Kejiang & Dang, Hongkai & Wu, Yuqing & Zhang, Junpeng, 2023. "Impacts of long-term saline water irrigation on soil properties and crop yields under maize-wheat crop rotation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    10. Liu, Zimeng & Gao, Congshuai & Yan, Zongzheng & Shao, Liwei & Chen, Suying & Niu, Junfang & Zhang, Xiying, 2024. "Effects of long-term saline water irrigation on soil salinity and crop production of winter wheat-maize cropping system in the North China Plain: A case study," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    11. Cheng, Minghui & Wang, Haidong & Fan, Junliang & Wang, Xiukang & Sun, Xin & Yang, Ling & Zhang, Shaohui & Xiang, Youzhen & Zhang, Fucang, 2021. "Crop yield and water productivity under salty water irrigation: A global meta-analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    12. Zhang, Junpeng & Wang, He & Feng, Di & Cao, Caiyun & Zheng, Chunlian & Dang, Hongkai & Li, Kejiang & Gao, Yang & Sun, Chitao, 2024. "Evaluating the impacts of long-term saline water irrigation on soil salinity and cotton yield under plastic film mulching: A 15-year field study," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    13. Zhao, Nan & Zheng, Xinjun & Zhang, Bin & Tian, Shengchuan & Du, Lan & Li, Yan, 2025. "Does water-saving irrigation truly conserve water? Yes and No," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wei, Qi & Chen, Shengyu & Wei, Qi & Xu, Junzeng & Chen, Peng & Zhou, Xue & Liu, Zihao & Wu, Ruiqi & Qi, Zhiming & Li, Ziwei, 2026. "Unveiling the double-edged sword effect of saline water irrigation through meta-analysis: Reduced soil organic carbon storage versus mitigated CO2 and N2O emissions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xu, Qiang & Xu, Yibin & Xia, Hanji & Zhang, Qian & Li, Pengfei & Liu, Hongguang & Li, Mingsi & Gong, Ping, 2025. "Optimizing brackish water irrigation strategies: Promoting the ecological and economic benefits of salt wasteland utilization," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 317(C).
    2. Wei, Qi & Chen, Shengyu & Wei, Qi & Xu, Junzeng & Chen, Peng & Zhou, Xue & Liu, Zihao & Wu, Ruiqi & Qi, Zhiming & Li, Ziwei, 2026. "Unveiling the double-edged sword effect of saline water irrigation through meta-analysis: Reduced soil organic carbon storage versus mitigated CO2 and N2O emissions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
    3. Bi, Yanpeng & Zhou, Beibei & Ren, Peiqi & Yao, Shaoxiong & Chen, Xiaopeng & Yang, Xiaolong & Yu, Piaohua & Duan, Manli, 2025. "The mechanism of Bacillus subtilis to guarantee the safe utilization of brackish water by improving soil physical properties and cotton production," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 319(C).
    4. Zhang, Junpeng & Wang, He & Feng, Di & Cao, Caiyun & Zheng, Chunlian & Dang, Hongkai & Li, Kejiang & Gao, Yang & Sun, Chitao, 2024. "Evaluating the impacts of long-term saline water irrigation on soil salinity and cotton yield under plastic film mulching: A 15-year field study," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    5. Li, Xiaojin & Yang, Yonghui & Zhou, Xinyao & Liu, Linlin & Yang, Yanmin & Han, Shumin & Zhang, Yinsheng, 2024. "Impact of water productivity and irrigated area expansion on irrigation water consumption and food production in China in last four decades," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 304(C).
    6. Ma, Zhanli & Zhang, Jinzhu & Li, Wenhao & Ye, Hanchun & Yin, Feihu & Wen, Yue & Wang, Zhenhua, 2025. "The dual-threat: How saline water irrigation compromises soil health and seed cotton yield under mulched drip irrigation in Xinjiang, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    7. Lou, Boyuan & Hu, Yanzhe & Li, Teng & Liu, Qingsong & Wang, Jintao & Dong, Xinliang & Tian, Liu & Zhang, Xuejia & Bian, Wenxin & Liu, Tong & Zhao, Menghao & Sun, Hongyong, 2025. "Assessment of saline water irrigation on biomass and quality of alfalfa: A sustainable agriculture perspective," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    8. Chen, Rui & Zhang, Jinzhu & Wang, Jingya & Zhang, Jihong & Li, Wenhao & Wang, Zhenhua, 2025. "Carbon mineralization and microbial responses to saline-water irrigation in a drip-irrigated oasis cotton field: Variations across soil aggregate fractions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    9. Yang, Yiwen & Wang, Zitian & Ma, Yuru & Wang, Yunqi & Bai, Jinze & Zhang, Rui, 2025. "Balancing yield and water productivity in wheat: A meta-analysis of irrigation, soil, and climate interactions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    10. Lu, Jia & Shao, Guangcheng & Wang, Weiguang & Gao, Yang & Wang, Zhiyu & Zhang, Ying & Wang, Jiao & Song, Enze, 2024. "The role of hydraulic lift in tomato yield and fruit quality under different water and salt stresses," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    11. Kuang, Naikun & Hao, Chuangchuang & Liu, Dazhong & Maimaitiming, Maitusong & Xiaokaitijiang, Kasmu & Zhou, Yunpeng & Li, Yunkai, 2024. "Modeling of cotton yield responses to different irrigation strategies in Southern Xinjiang Region,China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    12. Liu, Zimeng & Gao, Congshuai & Yan, Zongzheng & Shao, Liwei & Chen, Suying & Niu, Junfang & Zhang, Xiying, 2024. "Effects of long-term saline water irrigation on soil salinity and crop production of winter wheat-maize cropping system in the North China Plain: A case study," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    13. Chen, Yang & Feng, Xuyu & Shi, Yuanzhi & Xu, Zunqiu & Hao, Xinmei & Tong, Ling & Wang, Sufen & Ding, Risheng, 2025. "Effects of irrigation and biochar management strategies on the multifunctionality of maize field ecosystem in the arid region of Northwest China," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    14. Xin, Lang & Tang, Maosong & Zhang, Lei & Huang, Weixiong & Wang, Xingpeng & Gao, Yang, 2024. "Effects of saline-fresh water rotation irrigation on photosynthetic characteristics and leaf ultrastructure of tomato plants in a greenhouse," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    15. Duan, Xiaoxian & Wang, Quanjiu & Mu, Weiyi & Ma, Changkun & Wei, Kai & Sun, Yan & Zhao, Xue, 2025. "Optimizing brackish water irrigation using magnetoelectric treatment for sustainable cotton cultivation in the arid region of southern Xinjiang," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    16. Yu, Qihua & Wang, Feng & Zou, Minzhong & Ji, Shasha & Li, Mingfa & Kang, Shaozhong, 2024. "Quantifying the spatial water salinity threshold of saline water irrigation by applying distributed WAVES model," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    17. Jiang, Wenge & Gong, Zhi & Yang, Yuhui & Tan, Zhanming & Li, Zhaoyang & Li, Dongwei, 2025. "Optimal irrigation water salinity enhances tomato(Solanum lycopersicum L.) yield in sand culture by regulating substrate salinity," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 317(C).
    18. Ma, Guorong & Zhang, Jihong & Yin, Feihu & Zhang, Jinzhu & Guo, Li & Wen, Yue & Ma, Zhanli & Feng, Zhengjiang & Mu, Xiaoguo & Wang, Zhenhua, 2026. "Coupled coordination of oasis agriculture water–environment–economy systems under drip irrigation: Pathways and constraints in Xinjiang, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    19. Delbaz, Reza & Ebrahimian, Hamed & Abbasi, Fariborz & Ghameshlou, Arezoo N. & Liaghat, Abdolmajid & Ranazadeh, Dariush, 2023. "A global meta-analysis on surface and drip fertigation for annual crops under different fertilization levels," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    20. Nicolette Matthews & Bennie Grové & Johannes Hendrikus Barnard, 2025. "Economic Analysis of Segmented Soil Salinity Management Using Current Irrigation Technology," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-14, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:318:y:2025:i:c:s0378377425004044. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.