Cotton Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 57-71 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/cgg 65 60% irrigation, cotton yield remained close (about 1500 kg/mu), but water consumption decreased significantly and IWUE increased to about 0.62 kg/m³(Shareef et al., 2018). For example, O'Shaughnessy et al. (2023) reported that the use of automated precision irrigation reduced the irrigation water volume of cotton by 20% while maintaining the same yield, which is equivalent to a 20% increase in IWUE. Under the conditions of drip irrigation under film in Xinjiang, due to the small evaporation loss, the total water consumption of cotton fields is relatively reduced, and the water productivity is significantly improved compared with traditional flooding. Review studies in recent years also support this point: the average WUE of drip irrigation cotton fields can reach 1.2-1.4 kg/m³, while that of flood irrigation cotton fields is usually only 0.6-1.0 kg/m³. To further improve the water use efficiency of cotton, the key is to reduce non-productive water consumption (such as soil surface evaporation, deep infiltration and weed transpiration) and optimize productive water consumption (crop transpiration). Covering the ground with film, weeding between rows and improving irrigation methods can all help. At the same time, variety selection and cultivation measures (such as dense planting adjustment) will also affect the transpiration efficiency of the group. The combined use of these measures can enable cotton production to achieve the ideal state of "producing the most cotton with the least water". In general, improving cotton irrigation water productivity not only alleviates water pressure, but also reduces production costs and improves the ability to maintain stable production in drought years. It is one of the important goals of sustainable development of agriculture in cotton-growing areas. 6.2 The role of scheduling and automation in water conservation Irrigation scheduling refers to determining when and how much to irrigate based on crop water requirements and soil moisture conditions. In traditional agriculture, cotton farmers often irrigate based on experience or fixed schedules, which makes it difficult to respond to the real needs of crops in a timely manner, resulting in either water stress or excessive irrigation waste. Scientific irrigation scheduling is crucial to water saving and efficiency improvement. In recent years, with the development of sensing technology and information technology, irrigation scheduling is shifting from manual experience to automated intelligent decision-making. The automatic soil moisture monitoring system can track the soil moisture content at different depths in the field 24 hours a day, and automatically trigger irrigation when the moisture content is lower than the set lower limit to avoid drought stress on crops (Joji Mitto and Savant, 2022). At the same time, plant sensors (such as stem diameter change and leaf temperature thermal infrared imaging) can directly reflect the moisture status of cotton itself, providing a basis for precise irrigation. O'Shaughnessy et al. (2023) deployed an ISSCADA irrigation automatic control system based on a central pivot sprinkler. Through GIS monitoring of crop water stress index combined with meteorological data, the irrigation plan of the cotton field was dynamically adjusted. As a result, the yield was successfully maintained under deficit irrigation conditions and water was greatly saved. The application of Internet of Things (IoT) technology enables the fusion of data from different types of sensors and realizes remote irrigation control through wireless networks and cloud platforms (Guo and Chen, 2024). Farmers can view the soil moisture, weather and crop conditions of cotton fields in real time through mobile phones or computers, and automatically or manually issue irrigation instructions. This not only improves the accuracy of irrigation decisions, but also reduces the loss of manual field inspections and canal water delivery. In addition to automatic irrigation, data-based irrigation decision support systems (DSS) also play a role in water conservation. Models established through years of experimental data can provide optimal irrigation recommendations for different climate years and different cotton growth stages. In general, advanced scheduling and automation technologies can transform cotton irrigation from empirical extensive management to scientific and fine management, minimizing ineffective water use. These technologies have achieved initial results in arid areas such as Xinjiang, improving the efficiency of irrigation water use and reducing the labor intensity of cotton farmers. With the reduction of technical costs and the increase in promotion efforts, smart irrigation is expected to be applied in a wider range of cotton areas, providing a solid guarantee for water-saving agriculture. 6.3 Environmental factors and soil health protection The sustainability of cotton irrigation strategies is also reflected in the impact on the environment and soil health. First, long-term and large-scale irrigation may lead to groundwater over-exploitation and water source depletion,
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