Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production

Water scarcity and climate variability have become major constraints on global agricultural productivity, particularly in arid and semiarid regions. Improving water-use efficiency (WUE) is, therefore, essential for sustaining crop production while minimizing pressure on limited freshwater resources. This reprint collection presents 42 research and review articles originally published in the Plants Special Issue "Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production", providing a comprehensive overview of recent advances in this field. ]

The collected contributions investigate water-use efficiency across multiple scales, integrating crop physiological responses, soil-water-crop interactions, and agronomic management strategies. The topics include deficit and precision irrigation, water-nitrogen coupling, soil amendments and mulching practices, crop water status monitoring, and physiological responses to drought, salinity, and waterlogging. The studies encompass a wide range of cropping systems, including cereals, legumes, oil crops, forage species, and horticultural and perennial crops, under diverse environmental and climatic conditions. In addition, several articles apply crop growth models and remote sensing approaches to simulate crop performance and optimize irrigation strategies. Collectively, these studies provide practical management insights and scientific evidence to support the development of water-efficient and resilient cropping systems under increasing water scarcity and climate change.