Irrigation, as a research topic, encompasses the controlled application of water to agricultural or landscaped soils to optimize plant growth, yield, and resource efficiency under variable climatic and hydrological conditions. It includes the study and modeling of water delivery methods (e.g., surface, sprinkler, and drip systems), soil–plant–atmosphere water dynamics, evapotranspiration estimation, and scheduling strategies based on soil moisture, plant stress indicators, or climate data. Research additionally addresses irrigation water quality, salinity management, impacts on groundwater and surface water systems, energy use, and integration with precision agriculture and deficit-irrigation strategies to improve water productivity and sustainability.
Soil salinity is a critical concern in agriculture when excessive soluble salts restrict a plant's water uptake, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hindering crop growth and reducing yields on roughly 30% of ...
Biotechnology
Mar 25, 2026
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10
For half the world's population, the water in their drinking glasses comes from below them. Groundwater also supplies 40% of global irrigation projects. Alarmingly, more than a third of the planet's aquifers, or groundwater ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 20, 2026
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300
Reliable and scalable water level prediction is crucial in hydrology for effective water resources management, especially when considering challenges owing to climate change, urbanization, improper land use, and high-water ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 16, 2026
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10
In areas where freshwater is scarce, farmers often turn to treated wastewater to irrigate crops. And many regulators and consumers worry about exposing food to compounds routinely found in wastewater, including many psychoactive ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Mar 12, 2026
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220
By 2050, up to half the world's urban population will face water scarcity. A new model of water supply, demand, and policies in a drought-prone city of 7 million in India shows how policies could prevent the poor from bearing ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 11, 2026
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67
Outdoor air pollution is estimated to contribute to more than 100,000 premature deaths in the United States each year, according to the National Weather Service. Accurate air quality forecasts—designed to protect public health, ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 4, 2026
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20
New research from Cranfield University has analyzed the environmental impact of fresh apples sold in the U.K., comparing the greenhouse gas emissions and blue water scarcity across domestic production and imports from Europe ...
Ecology
Feb 19, 2026
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21
Growing lettuce in the Arctic as a business venture? One Greenland entrepreneur believes in the idea, selling his house to get start-up capital in a gamble he's hoping will pay off.
Agriculture
Feb 17, 2026
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12
The Doñana National Park, considered one of Europe's most valuable wetlands, is expected to lose its marshland in 61 years, according to calculations from a major water-resource monitoring study carried out by the University ...
Environment
Feb 16, 2026
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19
Even as farmers shift toward less water-intensive crops, climate change is pushing agricultural water consumption upward in Central Asia. A new study by IAMO researchers shows that rising temperatures and atmospheric water ...
Environment
Feb 12, 2026
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