Regulation Mechanisms of Water and Nitrogen Coupling on the Root-Zone Microenvironment and Yield in Drip-Irrigated Goji Berries

Zhenghu Ma, Maosong Tang, Qiuping Fu, Pengrui Ai, Tong Heng, Fengxiu Li, Pingan Jiang and Yingjie Ma ()
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Zhenghu Ma: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
Maosong Tang: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
Qiuping Fu: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
Pengrui Ai: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
Tong Heng: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
Fengxiu Li: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
Pingan Jiang: College of Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
Yingjie Ma: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 21, 1-22

Abstract: The low water and fertiliser utilisation efficiency and soil quality degradation caused by high water and fertiliser inputs are the primary challenges facing goji berry cultivation in arid regions. A two-year field experiment was conducted from 2021 to 2022. The experiment included three irrigation rates (I 1 , I 2 , I 3 ) of 2160, 2565, and 2970 m 3 ·hm −2 and three nitrogen application rates (N 1 , N 2 , N 3 ) of 165, 225, and 285 kg·hm −2 to quantify their impacts on soil nutrients, enzyme activity, and goji berry yield in the root zone. Results indicate that the indicators of soil nutrients decrease with increasing soil depth, with depths of 0–20 cm accounting for 24.80–72.48% of total content. With fertility period progression, soil organic matter at depths of 0–80 cm exhibits a “folded-line” trend, while total nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and available phosphorus show an “M”-type trend. At depths of 0–40 cm, the proportions of urease, sucrase, and alkaline phosphatase activities all exceeded 70%. At I 1 irrigation rate, enzyme activities gradually increased with rising nitrogen application rates. At I 2 and I 3 irrigation rates, enzyme activities first increased, then decreased with increasing nitrogen application. The highest yields of both fresh and dried fruits were achieved at I 2 N 2 treatment, increasing by 14.17% and 14.78%, respectively, compared to conventional management (CK). Analysis of the random forest model indicates that the soil-driven factors influencing yield formation include SA, UA, APA, HPA, SOM, NH 4 + -N, and TP. Analysis of SQI and yield fitted data indicates that water–nitrogen coupling significantly influences wolfberry yield by regulating soil quality. Partial least squares (PLS-PM) showed that N application and irrigation of soil nutrients did not cause a significant indirect impact on goji berry yield, but a significant positive effect on goji berry yield occurred through enzyme activity.

Keywords: water-nitrogen coupling; soil quality; minimum data set; goji berry; partial least squares path model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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