Current water-nitrogen application standards supporting sustainable production of drip-irrigated cotton in Xinjiang, China: A data-mining study

Cotton is the most important source of natural fibre for the global textile industry, with Xinjiang contributing more than 90 % of China’s cotton production. However, severe water shortage and soil salinization have been restricting the development of cotton production in China. Drip irrigation has been proposed as an effective strategy to enhance cotton productivity in Xinjiang of China, but its effectiveness across diverse water-nitrogen management settings, climate conditions, and soil properties remains unclear. Current knowledge does not adequately capture the complex interactions among these factors. To address this gap, the present study uses a data-mining approach to extract 1798 sets of data including cotton yield, fibre quality, and resource use efficiency, from 150 published articles. The results of multivariate statistical and scenario analysis showed that water-nitrogen interaction jointly impacts the effectiveness of drip irrigation on yield, fibre quality, and resource use efficiency. Especially from the perspective of scenario analysis, the highest seed cotton yield along with moderate single boll weight, boll number per plant, water and nitrogen use efficiency, and partial factor productivity of nitrogen, were achieved when drip irrigation amount ranged from 250 to 350 mm and nitrogen application rate was between 230 and 330 kg ha −1 This water and nitrogen application range basically aligned with the recommended standards in Xinjiang, thereby directly supporting the effectiveness of the current local standards. This study also found that the maximum daily rainfall during the growth period, annual mean temperature, and soil organic matter were the three most important factors determining cotton production under drip irrigation. Overall, these findings provide quantitative guidance for optimizing water and nitrogen management to enhance cotton productivity in Xinjiang, and offer empirical support to the currently implemented management policies. • Water-nitrogen interaction regulates drip-irrigated cotton production in Xinjiang. • Soil organic matter is a key factor influencing drip-irrigated cotton production. • Meteorological factors influence both fibre quality and nitrogen use efficiency. • Current water-nitrogen standards support high seed cotton yield in Xinjiang.