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Perspective

A Review of the Application and Impact of Drip Irrigation under Plastic Mulch in Agricultural Ecosystems

by
Chunyu Wang
1,2,3,
Sien Li
1,2,3,*,
Siyu Huang
1,2,3 and
Xuemin Feng
1,2,3
1
State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Agricultural Water Resources, Beijing 100083, China
2
National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Efficient Water Use of Oasis Agriculture in Wuwei of Gansu Province, Wuwei 733009, China
3
Center for Agricultural Water Research in China, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2024, 14(8), 1752; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081752 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 21 May 2024 / Revised: 23 July 2024 / Accepted: 8 August 2024 / Published: 10 August 2024
(This article belongs to the Section Water Use and Irrigation)
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Abstract

:
Food security, a crucial issue for the development of humankind, is often severely constrained by water scarcity. As a globally recognized most advanced agricultural water-saving technology, drip irrigation under plastic mulch (DIPM) has played a significant role in grain production. However, a comprehensive review of the dual impacts of this practice in farmland remains lacking. This study has conducted an exhaustive review of DIPM research from 1999 to 2023 and employed CiteSpace software to perform a co-occurrence and clustering analysis of keywords in order to reveal research hotspots and trends. The results show that the attention to DIPM technology has increased annually and reached a peak in 2022. China leads in the number of publications in this field, reflecting its emphasis on agricultural water-saving technologies. This study critically discusses the dual impacts of DIPM on farmland. On the positive side, DIPM can improve soil temperature and moisture, enhance nutrient availability, promote water and nutrient absorption by roots, and increase the crop growth rate and yield while reducing evaporation and nitrogen loss, suppressing weed growth, decreasing herbicide usage, and lowering total greenhouse gas emissions. On the negative side, it will cause pollution from plastic mulch residues, damage the soil structure, have impacts on crop growth, and lead to increased clogging of drip irrigation systems, which will increase agricultural costs and energy consumption, hinder crop growth, hamper soil salinization management, and further reduce the groundwater level. The future development of DIPM technology requires optimization and advancement. Such strategies as mechanized residual-mulch recovery, biodegradable mulch substitution, aerated drip irrigation technology, and alternate irrigation are proposed to address existing issues in farmland triggered by DIPM. This review advocates for the active exploration of farming management practices superior to DIPM for future agricultural development. These practices could lead to higher yields, water–nitrogen efficiency, and lower environmental impact in agricultural development.

1. Introduction

Globally, dryland farming accounts for 81% of agricultural land, and over 80 agriculture-dominated countries are located in arid regions [1]. Therefore, agricultural development is crucial for ensuring food security in drought-prone areas worldwide. Over the past century, agricultural production has consumed up to 90% of freshwater in the world [2]. Even worse, agricultural development in arid regions is severely constrained by water scarcity, which highlights the urgency to save water for sustainable agricultural and economic development [3].
To mitigate threats posed by drought conditions in agricultural production, agricultural water-saving technologies have been explored. In 1951, Japan first applied plastic mulch in agriculture, and this technology was subsequently introduced to other countries. This technology has a profound impact on agriculture by altering the balance of surface water and energy [4,5,6]. It has been proven to be able to increase the resistance of plants to water vapor transport, reduce soil evaporation, preserve heat, and increase soil moisture [7,8]. In this way, it can significantly change the growing environment of crops, improve their water use efficiency, and raise yields [4,9,10]. With its water-saving advantage, plastic mulching can further reduce the amount of irrigation in farmland, which allows this technology to be widely applied in water-scarce areas.
As an important technology for achieving precision agriculture, drip irrigation was first researched and promoted by Israelis in the 1960s. It can achieve high-frequency but low-volume irrigation while integrating water and fertilizer management so that irrigation water and fertilizer can directly reach crop roots, avoiding unnecessary evaporation [11]. By keeping a small portion of the soil wet while the rest dries out, drip irrigation can improve soil aeration, which thereby will enable soil moisture and nutrients to be absorbed by crop roots, enhance crop yield and quality [12], and improve water use efficiency [13] and nitrogen use efficiency [11]. Additionally, drip irrigation can influence environmental changes by regulating soil biochemical reactions that affect greenhouse gas emissions [13,14].
With in-depth research on plastic mulching and drip irrigation technologies, researchers have begun to explore the possibility of combining plastic mulching and drip irrigation, and have conducted research and tested applications in many regions. Previous studies have explored the effects of drip irrigation under plastic mulch (DIPM) in agricultural water saving and ensuring food security, especially in water-scarce regions [15,16,17,18], but we still lack a comprehensive understanding of it. In order to better clarify the application of DIPM in farmland and provide inspiration for future research on DIPM and the development of similar farmland management measures, this study reviews previous research results to (1) summarize the research situation of DIPM in agriculture, (2) analyze its dual impacts, and (3) propose its future directions.

2. Research Overview

To better clarify the current application of DIPM in farmland, we collected and analyzed relevant works from the literature. In this survey, we conducted a search in the All Fields of the Web of Science Core Collection for relevant articles using the keywords “drip irrigation” and “plastic mulch” or “plastic film” and “agriculture,” ranging from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2023. We further screened 22 major categories with more than 20 publications in Web of Science Categories, ultimately sorting out 2876 articles for analysis, covering their publication year, journal, and country. Subsequently, we utilized the CiteSpace software (6.3.R1 Basic), a tool developed by Prof. Chen Chaomei for detecting and visualizing emerging trends and transient patterns in scientific studies [19], to perform co-occurrence and clustering analysis on their keywords. CiteSpace software can be downloaded at https://citespace.podia.com/ (accessed on 18 May 2024).

2.1. Analysis of Annual Publication Volume and Published Journals

By analyzing the collected studies associated with DIPM research, we plotted publications by their number based on the publication year and major journals with more than 25 publications, as shown in Figure 1. Our study found that research on DIPM increased from 1999 to 2023 overall. Specifically, it underwent steady growth from 1999 to 2007, accelerated growth from 2008 to 2014, and explosive growth from 2015 to 2023. This indicates that the agricultural management practice combining plastic mulching and drip irrigation has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers, reaching a peak of 445 publications in 2022.
Of the 2876 published journals eligible for the search, Agricultural Water Management leads with an absolute advantage, having published 204 relevant articles, while Science of the Total Environment also boasts a significant number of 102 publications, followed by Field Crops Research and Agronomy Basel with 90 and 53 published articles, respectively.

2.2. Analysis of Publication Volume Per Country

According to the statistics of the collected literature, the proportion of publications associated with DIPM produced by different countries around the world (i.e., the number of publications from each country versus the total number) is shown in Figure 2. This graph clearly demonstrates that China takes a leading role, accounting for more than half (51.32%) of the total. This is attributed to China’s water scarcity. In China, agricultural development is severely constrained by drought. To cope with this problem, the Chinese government vigorously promotes agricultural water-saving technologies to address problems of food security arising from population growth. Coming next is the United States, with a ratio of 17.39%. Despite the United States being rich in water resources, its major agricultural areas, such as California, are frequently troubled by droughts. It also faces excessive groundwater extraction, which further exacerbates water resource issues [20]. Therefore, American researchers have also turned their eyes to research on water-saving irrigation measures. India has also highlighted water-saving irrigation measures such as DIPM with its continuously expanded irrigated agricultural area and heavier water resource pressure [21]; its publication volume ranks eighth in the world, accounting for 3.27% of the total.

2.3. Analysis of Keyword Co-Occurrence and Keyword Clustering

To integrate the research on DIPM, we have organized the keywords from the collected studies, which will help in clarifying the focus of this field. We employed CiteSpace software to conduct a keyword co-occurrence analysis on the collected studies and clustered keywords with similar themes and illustrated research results, as presented in Figure 3.
This figure displays the top 19 keywords with a frequency of occurrence greater than or equal to 150. A larger font size of a keyword means a higher frequency of occurrence, with “yield” having the highest frequency of 447. We found that researchers in this field pay more attention to crop growth, fruit yield and quality, water use efficiency, soil environment, and farmland management measures. “Loess Plateau” is the most focused location, while “winter wheat” and “maize” are the most studied crops.
Furthermore, we categorized the keywords into seven main groups: #0 mechanical properties, #1 water use efficiency, #2 drip irrigation, #3 microplastics, #4 storage, #5 biochar, and #6 tomato. Group #3, “microplastics”, appearing in the keyword clustering came as a surprise, indicating that researchers are now aware of the serious harm caused by the long-term use of plastic mulching in farmland. The application of biochar in DIPM fields is suggested as an effective strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil fertility, and increase crop yield, which has also sparked the interest of many researchers [22,23,24].

3. The Dual Impacts of Drip Irrigation under Plastic Mulch on Cropland

3.1. Positive Impacts of Drip Irrigation under Plastic Mulch on Cropland

Compared to traditional irrigation methods, DIPM can provide crops with a more suitable growing environment through increasing the soil temperature and soil moisture content and improving nutrient availability in the soil [25,26,27,28]. In contrast to conventional flooding irrigation, it can increase the concentrations of soil N O 3 − –N, available potassium, available zinc, and reducible Mn in rice paddies, while reducing the concentrations of soil N O 4 + –N and exchangeable Mn in the soil [29]. Additionally, it can reduce the daily temperature amplitude and raise the relative humidity of the air in the canopy [30]. Changes in the microclimate of farmland will have an impact on crop growth. According to the literature, DIPM can increase the root length density of crops in shallow soil [27], thereby promoting the absorption of water and nutrients by the root system [31], enhancing crop emergence [32], and effectively shortening the length of the crop growth period [33].
Related research has also indicated that DIPM can significantly increase the leaf chlorophyll concentration, stomatal conductance, net photosynthetic rate, maximum carboxylation rate, and leaf area index, while reducing ABA content during the grain-filling stage [30,34,35,36,37], which improves the growth rate and growth parameters of crops accordingly. Compared with non-plastic mulching, DIPM was found to significantly enhance the growth parameters of turmeric, including plant height, biomass, leaf number, and yield attributes such as tillers and rhizomes [38]. The application of DIPM in agriculture has played an important role in increasing food yield. The study of Wang et al. pointed out that the root–shoot ratio of cotton under DIPM was relatively small, which was conducive to the distribution of photosynthetic products to the reproductive organs, and increased the number of bolls per plant by 7.30% to 25.10%, creating conditions for increasing the yield [39]. In a review study by Zhang et al., it was pointed out that DIPM increased crop yield and water use efficiency by about 20% and 30%, respectively, compared with non-mulched drip irrigation [40].
Under plastic mulching, the evaporation of farmland soil decreases [41]. Meanwhile, drip irrigation allows irrigation water and fertilizers to directly infiltrate into the plant root zone through integrating water and fertilizers, which will raise irrigation water use efficiency, water–nitrogen use efficiency, and nitrogen partial factor productivity, while reducing nitrogen leaching [42]. Therefore, irrigation and fertilization can be further reduced in DIPM, while meeting crop growth requirements. On one hand, this can alleviate the pressure on water resources and create favorable conditions for the expansion of irrigated agriculture. On the other hand, it can effectively reduce nitrogen losses in farmland ecosystems [43] and reduce greenhouse gas emissions [44], thus avoiding higher production costs and more severe environmental problems [45]. In this case, DIPM technology can effectively suppress weed growth by precisely wetting local farmland soil and reducing reliance on herbicides [25,32], which will better protect the environment.

3.2. Negative Impacts of Drip Irrigation under Plastic Mulch on Cropland

Despite the fact that previous studies have widely demonstrated the positive effects of DIPM in farmland applications, it will inevitably come with some adverse impacts as well. This section will comprehensively summarize and analyze its potential negative impacts from the perspectives of plastic mulching and drip irrigation. Firstly, the extensive use and accumulation of plastic mulch over the years can lead to residual pollution, which will damage the soil structure, reduce farmland quality, affect seed germination, and harm crop growth, resulting in lower crop yield and poorer agricultural operations [46,47]. Ultimately, this will constrain the development of sustainable agriculture. In Xinjiang (an autonomous region in Northwest China), the residual mulch present in cotton fields has far exceeded the limits set by national standards [48]. If the issue of residual plastic mulch continues to be ignored, its effects will outweigh the positive impact of DIPM [49]. Even worse, residual plastic mulch can also endanger the diversity and richness of microbial communities by altering soil chemical properties [50], as well as potentially threatening human health through the food chain or water cycle [51]. Because plastic mulching can effectively increase soil temperature in the root zone, it may also cause high-temperature stress, which will result in reduced plant growth and yield, and even cause root diseases such as spot blight in tomato fields [52].
On the other hand, drip irrigation systems may also have adverse effects on crop growth. Currently, clogged emitters remain a significant obstacle to the development of drip irrigation technology. Clogged emitters will reduce the uniformity of drip irrigation, expand the irrigation time, reduce the irrigation’s effectiveness, and shorten the lifespan of the drip irrigation system [53,54]. This not only harms crop growth but also necessitates the replacement of drip irrigation taps. Undoubtedly, it will require more money to be invested into farmland maintenance and reduce farmers’ income. The application of drip irrigation systems has increased the energy demand and investment [55], and the high-energy-consumption problem has not yet been effectively solved [56]. Additionally, drip irrigation systems maintain a high soil moisture content near the plant base, creating a conducive environment for root diseases. For example, highbush blueberry plants are prone to root rot under such conditions [57]. At higher soil temperatures, drip irrigation may lead to poorer photosynthetic performance than flood irrigation, while the negative impact of lower soil temperatures on drip-irrigated rice is even greater than that under flood irrigation [58]. Meanwhile, in arid regions, drip irrigation systems are widely used due to their water-saving effect and irrigation efficiency. However, reducing the leaching fraction in favor of water economy and sustainable agricultural development can lead to increased soil salinization. Lower drip irrigation levels are more likely to cause salt accumulation in the root zone [59]. Replacing the traditional canal irrigation systems with drip irrigation systems makes it difficult to achieve a balance between irrigation and drainage in farmland [60]. Drip irrigation technology has effectively reduced the consumption of irrigation water, and created conditions for expanding irrigated farmland [61]. Coupled with the reduction in soil water infiltration caused by drip irrigation, the dual impacts of drip irrigation will further exacerbate the decreased groundwater level in arid areas.

4. Insights for the Future Development of Agriculture

In order to achieve higher yields and better water–nitrogen efficiency, ensure lower levels of environmental damage during agricultural development, and mitigate the negative impacts of DIPM on cropland and future agricultural development, we present the following suggestions:
(1) The future development of DIPM technology necessitates its optimization and advancement. In the application of DIPM systems, greater emphasis should be placed on intelligence and automation. By introducing technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence, we can achieve precise control and optimized management of the irrigation process [62]. Additionally, DIPM systems can be integrated with other agricultural technologies (e.g., weeding, pest control, and disease control) to form a comprehensive agricultural management system. This will contribute to ensuring the precision, efficiency, and sustainability of agricultural production. In addition, the application of DIPM technology in agriculture has increased the initial investment required of farmers. Consequently, it is imperative to develop more durable and low-cost drip irrigation pipes and mulch materials in the future, which will extend their service life and reduce the overall cost of their usage. At the same time, the government can alleviate the cost burden on farmers by providing policy support and leveraging market mechanisms.
(2) We must actively explore solutions to existing problems in cropland caused by DIPM, such as mechanized residual plastic mulch recovery and the use of biodegradable mulch to replace plastics, which could effectively reduce pollution from residual mulch. However, due to the lack of research on the soil mechanical properties of residual-mulch-containing soil, the current effect of residual mulch recovery is not satisfactory, with a low removal rate [63]. Meanwhile, biodegradable plastic mulch materials have not been applied widely due to their degradation time being uncontrollable and their high costs [48]. Therefore, research on residual mulch recovery and biodegradable mulch will be an important issue in future agricultural development. Additionally, studies have shown that both lateral flushing and aerated drip irrigation can solve the clogging problem of drip irrigation [53,64]. Aerated drip irrigation can not only solve drip irrigation blockage, but can also alleviate soil rhizosphere hypoxia in crops [53]. At the same time, it can also change soil microorganisms, especially the archaea community, to promote crop growth [65]. Further research is still required to comprehensively investigate which flushing velocity and aeration methods can more effectively address the issue of drip irrigation blockage. To cope with the issues of severe salinization and declining groundwater levels in drought-affected areas using DIPM, alternate irrigation methods such as drip irrigation and border irrigation (or other high-volume irrigation methods) can be employed. In order to meet the demands of irrigation and address the issue of its high energy consumption, it is necessary to further investigate the technology of low-pressure drip irrigation in the future [66].
(3) We recommend combining cultivation methods and existing technologies and exploring farmland management schemes superior to or able to replace DIPM under different crops and growth environments. In drip irrigation experiments on maize in northern Xinjiang, it was found that by matching the required accumulated temperature of different maize varieties to the environmental accumulated temperature, coupled with no-mulch high-density planting and modern irrigation and fertilization measures, not only could the yield be increased, but also environmental pollution could be reduced [46]. Underground drip irrigation has been proven to be able to strengthen “soil–plant–microorganism” interactions, thereby promoting nitrogen and phosphorus absorption in tomatoes [67]. As a result, tomatoes grown using underground drip irrigation may be of better quality and produce a higher yield than those under DIPM [67]. Research has also shown that shallow-buried drip irrigation can enrich beneficial soil microorganisms in the surface layer without exacerbating plastic pollution in farmland, hence producing more significant economic and ecological benefits than DIPM [68]. In addition, the flow rate of a single hole in micro-sprinkler irrigation (MSI) under plastic mulch is much higher than that under DIPM; thus, MSI is less prone to blockage [69], meaning that the irrigation time can also be effectively shortened [70]. Micro-sprinkler irrigation under plastic mulch is more economically efficient and profitable than DIPM [71]. Therefore, further optimization of irrigation strategies, adjustment of cropping structures, and adaptation of superior agricultural water-saving technologies are still needed.

5. Conclusions

This study has provided a comprehensive analysis of the research on DIPM in farmland, emphasizing its potential for improving agricultural production efficiency and promoting sustainable farmland development. We have also pointed out the current challenges in the research and proposed future research directions. Firstly, we have analyzed studies according to their year of publication, the journals they were published by, and the countries producing the research, performed a co-occurrence and clustering analysis of their keywords, and collected the results with the aim of reviewing the development of DIPM research and identifying any current research hotspots. Secondly, the dual impacts of DIPM used in farmland have been analyzed. We conclude that while DIPM has positive effects on the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles in farmland and on crop growth processes, long-term DIPM can cause negative impacts as well. The development of drip irrigation technology is hindered by technical advancements. This technology may also harm crop growth in certain situations. Furthermore, to respond to the negative impacts of DIPM management on farmland, this study puts forward suggestions for technological innovation and optimization in relation to DIPM in the future. It is necessary to explore farmland management practices superior to DIPM while immediately addressing current problems caused by the use of DIPM. These suggestions aim to enable the achievement of higher yields and higher water–nitrogen efficiency in agriculture without causing severe environmental impacts, and provide new insights for the sustainable development of agriculture.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, S.L. and C.W.; methodology, C.W. and S.H.; writing—original draft preparation, C.W.; writing—review and editing, C.W., S.L. and X.F.; visualization, C.W.; supervision, S.L.; funding acquisition, S.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD1900801).

Data Availability Statement

Data are contained within the article.

Acknowledgments

The authors greatly appreciate the careful and precise reviews carried out by the anonymous reviewers.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Figure 1. Distribution of articles pertaining to drip irrigation under plastic mulch (DIPM) by year and by major journals. (a) represents the number of articles published in different years. (b) represents the specific number of articles in journals with more than 25 articles.
Figure 1. Distribution of articles pertaining to drip irrigation under plastic mulch (DIPM) by year and by major journals. (a) represents the number of articles published in different years. (b) represents the specific number of articles in journals with more than 25 articles.
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Figure 2. The distribution of articles related to DIPM across various countries around the world.
Figure 2. The distribution of articles related to DIPM across various countries around the world.
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Figure 3. Keyword co-occurrence (red) and clustering (blue) map displaying the most frequently used words associated with DIPM research.
Figure 3. Keyword co-occurrence (red) and clustering (blue) map displaying the most frequently used words associated with DIPM research.
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MDPI and ACS Style

Wang, C.; Li, S.; Huang, S.; Feng, X. A Review of the Application and Impact of Drip Irrigation under Plastic Mulch in Agricultural Ecosystems. Agronomy 2024, 14, 1752. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081752

AMA Style

Wang C, Li S, Huang S, Feng X. A Review of the Application and Impact of Drip Irrigation under Plastic Mulch in Agricultural Ecosystems. Agronomy. 2024; 14(8):1752. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081752

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wang, Chunyu, Sien Li, Siyu Huang, and Xuemin Feng. 2024. "A Review of the Application and Impact of Drip Irrigation under Plastic Mulch in Agricultural Ecosystems" Agronomy 14, no. 8: 1752. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081752

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