Optimization of crop water and nitrogen use efficiency based on the AquaCrop model and NSGA-Ⅱ algorithm in the Ordos irrigation areas on the south bank of the Yellow River
To optimize irrigation and fertilizer management in the Ordos irrigation area on the south bank of the Yellow River, maize and sunflower were selected as the research subjects. A multi-objective optimization framework integrating the AquaCrop model with the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm Ⅱ (NSGA-Ⅱ) was adopted, with the maximization of crop yield, irrigation water use efficiency, and nitrogen partial factor productivity as collaborative objectives, to investigate the optimization of water and fertilizer regimes under mulched drip irrigation conditions. The results indicated that the AquaCrop model effectively simulated crop growth and yield responses in the study area, demonstrating strong applicability. Based on the meteorological conditions of specific hydrological years, the multi-objective optimization identified the optimal water and nitrogen application rates for maize in a typical normal year as 1 280-1 520 m3/hm2 and 212.8-243.6 kg/hm2, respectively. For sunflower in a typical dry year, the optimal ranges were 900-1 100 m3/hm2 for water and 232.5-273.75 kg/hm2 for nitrogen. Compared with traditional optimization schemes focusing solely on maximizing yield, the proposed framework resulted in yield losses of only 9% for maize and 6% for sunflower, while significantly enhancing water and fertilizer use efficiency by 21% and 14%, respectively. In conclusion, the simulation-optimization coupling framework developed in this study provides a robust tool for mitigating agricultural non-point source pollution and promoting ecological protection and high-quality agricultural development in the Yellow River Basin.
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