The Institute of Water-Saving Agriculture in Arid Areas of China is an interdisciplinary and independent academic research institution and a multi-disciplinary shared research platform established by Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University (NWAFU). The institute focuses on arid and semi-arid regions, conducting research on crop water demand processes, the interaction mechanisms of water, soil, air, and life, ecological regulation of rainfall runoff, and the development of water-saving irrigation technologies and equipment. It also works on optimizing crop water use, innovating regional water and soil resource management, integrating dryland and irrigation agricultural technologies, and establishing efficient water-use models for agriculture in arid areas.
The institute integrates scientific and technological resources related to arid and semi-arid water-saving agriculture at NWAFU and manages several national and provincial research bases, including the National Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Water Use of Arid Crops, the National Engineering Technology Research Center for Water-Saving Irrigation in Yangling, the Key Laboratory of Efficient Water Use of Crops (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), the Key Laboratory of Water and Soil Engineering in Arid Areas (Ministry of Education), the Key Laboratory of Physiological Ecology and Tillage of Crops in the Northwest Loess Plateau (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), and the Shaanxi Modern Water-Saving Agricultural Engineering Technology Research Center.
The institute focuses on four primary research areas: crop water demand regulation, water-saving cultivation, water-saving irrigation technology, and water and soil resource management. It has state-of-the-art experimental facilities and advanced research instruments, including a high-precision lysimeter, ion chromatograph, photosynthesis measurement system, vortex open circuit correlation system, plant physiological monitoring system, eddy covariance system, soil moisture measurement system, automatic Kjeldahl nitrogen analyzer, PF high-speed centrifuge, concrete rapid freeze-thaw test machine, and plant root growth monitoring system. Additionally, the institute has developed over 20 large-scale experimental devices, such as a soil water solute migration experimental device, solar greenhouse, large mobile rain shelter, large experimental soil trough, and large measurement pit.
The institute has built a high-level research team specializing in water-saving agriculture in arid regions, primarily composed of young and mid-career scientists. It actively promotes scientific research and academic exchange and has established collaborative partnerships with universities in more than 20 countries and regions, including the United States, South Korea, and Australia. The institute has also conducted joint research and water-saving irrigation technology demonstrations in Egypt, Uzbekistan, and other countries. It has played a key role in establishing the China-US Joint Research Center for Efficient Water Use in Arid Areas Agriculture, the International Water Footprint Research Alliance, and the China-UK Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Collaboration Network.
More information: https://wsa.nwafu.edu.cn.
