Water scarcity and climate variability threaten citrus production in semi-arid regions, requiring strategies to improve drought resilience. This study evaluated the physiological and hormonal responses of two citrus cultivars, alemow (Citrus macrophylla Wester) and ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin (Citrus reshni Hort. Ex Tanaka), inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Rhizophagus irregularis + Funneliformis mosseae) and subjected to drought stress imposed by progressive soil drying (water withholding) and quantified by volumetric soil water content (θv) classes: >0.20 cm3 cm−3 (well-watered), 0.05–0.20 cm3 cm−3 (moderate drought), and <0.05 cm3 cm−3 (severe drought). Gas exchange, plant water status, and abscisic acid (ABA) dynamics were monitored to assess cultivar-specific effects of AM symbiosis. Under well-watered conditions, +AM plants exhibited higher photosynthetic rates than non-inoculated plants, with a stronger response in Macrophylla. During drought, contrasting patterns emerged: +AM Macrophylla maintained higher stomatal conductance and photosynthesis, with foliar ABA increasing only under severe stress, suggesting that non-hormonal mechanisms support gas exchange. In Cleopatra, AM inoculation was associated with higher root-derived ABA and earlier stomatal closure, suggesting a more conservative water-use strategy under soil drying conditions; however, the benefits were limited to moderate stress and decreased beyond a stomatal conductance threshold. These findings reveal that AM symbiosis enhances drought resilience through contrasting mechanisms: hydraulic stabilization predominates in Macrophylla, whereas hormonal (ABA-mediated) regulation drives the response in Cleopatra. This cultivar-dependent modulation highlights the importance of developing AM-based strategies adapted to each cultivar for effective citrus drought management. Combining AM inoculation with irrigation-saving practices could improve water productivity and support climate-smart citrus production.

Understanding the impact of climate change on tourism is vital for the economies that rely on it. The tourism sector in Croatia, a country with diverse climatic regions, but also diverse features of tourism, is particularly sensitive to changes in climate variables such as 2 m air temperature and precipitation totals. This study analyzes trends in these two key climate variables from 1961 to 2024 across five representative climatic regions: the-mountainous Lika region (Ličko-senjska County), the Kvarner region on the northern Adriatic coast (Primorsko-goranska County), the Zadar region on the central Adriatic coast (Zadarska Counties), and northern continental Croatia (Varaždinska and Međimurje Counties). Linear trends, 5-year moving averages, and comparisons between two standard climate periods (1961–1990 and 1991–2020) were conducted. Using these data, the monthly self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index (sc-PDSI) and Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) for seven-time scales were calculated for the period 1961–2024 to assess drought conditions and their implications for tourism across the selected destinations. Frequencies of dry, near normal and wet months, estimated by SPI for a nine-month time scale (SPI-9) and a monthly sc-PDSI, were compared for two subperiods, 1961–1992 and 1993–2024. Meteorological data were contextualized for tourism stakeholders, with a focus on adaptation measures. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with tourism professionals in the study regions, providing qualitative insights into observed changes in climate and tourist behavior, operational challenges, adaptation strategies, level of community engagement, and opportunities envisioned. Objective climatological data were compared with the subjective perceptions of tourism experts using the principle of mixed methods, which allows for triangulation. The climatological data indicated a continuous trend of increasing mean annual air temperatures, as well as anomalies of average precipitation amount. The interviews revealed signals of emerging climate shifts, such as changes in the seasonality of visitors, concerns about water scarcity and heat stress. These findings were interpreted in the context of potential threats and opportunities for the tourism sector, highlighting region-specific adaptation strategies. By combining objective climate data with insights from tourism professionals, this study provides a comprehensive assessment of climate change impacts on tourism and informs for resilient tourism development across Croatia’s diverse regions. This paper presents a methodological framework for developing adaptation recommendations that draw on both empirical climate data and the lived experiences of tourism work practitioners.

Psychological perception of water scarcity, despite its strong correlation with water-saving behavior, has not been explored within major behavioral theoretical frameworks. This study develops an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model incorporating psychological perception of water scarcity as an antecedent variable. This research paper investigates how scarcity perception impacts water-saving behavior by examining three mediating mechanisms: attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Additionally, it assesses the extended model's incremental explanatory power over the original model. Using data taken from China General Social Survey, this study uses structural equation model for path analysis and Bootstrap methods to test mediating effects. According to the findings, perceived scarcity is a significant predictor of all three main constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior. The attitude path makes the biggest contribution as all three chained mediating paths are significant. The extended model demonstrates superior fit and predictive accuracy. This study establishes four specific objectives which include clarifying the theoretical positioning of perceived scarcity as a precursor variable within the behavioral model; outlining its specific psychological pathways to stimulate water-saving behavior; and providing targeted evidence for water-saving interventions. Policymakers must focus on effort on developing strategies that shape attitudes and enhance people’s self-efficacy to promote an overall shift residential water-saving behaviors.

The Jordanian portion of the Jordan Valley serves as a critical geostrategic and agricultural corridor, yet it faces an existential threat from absolute water scarcity, climate change, and regional demographic pressures. This study provides an exhaustive qualitative analysis of water governance in the valley, drawing on national strategies, institutional archives, and longitudinal data from 2000 to 2025. The research evaluates the transition of the Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) from a centralized development agency toward a mature, tri-tier decentralization framework involving Water User Associations (WUAs). Despite these reforms, systemic challenges such as elite capture, non-revenue water (NRW) losses in the King Abdullah Canal (KAC), and the subsidies continue to hinder efficiency. The study applies the Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystem (WEFE) nexus framework to examine the interdependencies between energy-intensive pumping, the reuse of Treated Wastewater (TWW) for 98% in certain sectors, and the preservation of the Dead Sea ecosystem. Findings indicate that while land-use policies have preserved 371,000 dunums of agricultural land, approximately 71,000 dunums remain uncultivated due to water shortages. The manuscript identifies the Amman-Aqaba Water Conveyance Project (AAWA) and the 2030 Digital IT Roadmap as essential catalysts for long-term resilience. The paper concludes with adaptive governance recommendations aimed at reconciling national strategic priorities with localized operational efficiency.

Evaluation and modeling of environmental stressors affecting enteric microbial survival in soil: Implications for wastewater reuse and risk management.

Solar steam generation is widely recognized as a sustainable and cost-effective technology for seawater desalination and wastewater purification, offering an efficient solution to mitigate global water scarcity. Herein, a populus-inspired aerogel evaporator composed of hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and carbonized straw was fabricated through a directional freezing strategy. The incorporation of carbonized straw significantly enhanced the solar absorption of the evaporator to 95.1% while effectively reducing the material cost. Notably, the custom-designed vertically aligned channels in the evaporator significantly reduce water transport resistance, thereby enabling more rapid and efficient water delivery. Benefiting from its precisely tailored structure, the aerogel evaporator achieves a water evaporation rate of up to 2.6 kg m-2 h-1 and a solar energy conversion efficiency as high as 98.2% under 1-sun illumination (1 kW m-2). Moreover, the evaporator exhibits excellent cycle stability and high practical applicability. This work presents a promising and practical strategy for fabricating highly efficient, eco-friendly, and cost-effective aerogel evaporators, demonstrating significant potential for real-world applications in seawater desalination and wastewater treatment.

Climate change and declining water resources adversely affect rice production. Conventional continuous flooding in rice cultivation requires high water input, posing challenges under water scarcity and contributing to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is a water‐saving irrigation method that addresses water limitations in flooded cultivation. A Scopus literature search resulted in 1,830 articles, of which 77 were selected for quantitative analysis based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The critical review revealed that AWD reduces water input, increases water productivity and use efficiency. Physiological adjustments include enhanced indole acetic acid, abscisic acid, and cytokinin regulation, and increased enzymatic activities of sucrose and starch synthases. These changes improve root architecture and gas exchange traits, and facilitate efficient assimilate partitioning to maintain stable grain yield. AWD mitigates GHG emissions, reduces pests and disease incidences. Integration of organic amendments enhances soil health and moisture retention capacity. However, widespread adoption is hindered by weed infestations, sociocultural resistance, and economic risk perceptions. Research gaps include limited integration of weed and nutrient management, uncertain AWD performance under extreme weather events, and yield variations due to agroecological conditions. Addressing these through targeted research, local agricultural policies and farmer‐centric strategies is key to promoting AWD for sustainable rice cultivation.

Drought stress is one of the major environmental constraints affecting plant growth, development, and economic yield, particularly in vulnerable regions. Conventional plant responses to water scarcity often involve trade-offs that limit yield, posing an urgent need for sustainable strategies to enhance crop resilience. Moreover, decreased crop production, rising inflation, abrupt disease cycling, frequent insect and pest pressures, and other socio-economic issues cumulatively affected global food production and are a concern for nutritional security for expanding populations. Addressing these challenges demands urgent climate adaptation, improved water management, and policy innovation for future resilience. The present review explains the fundamentals of beneficial plant-microbe interactions in mitigating drought stress and utilizing these beneficial microbes, especially microbial consortia, as an integrated approach for gaining agro-ecological sustainability. It brings together current approaches on how plants recruit these stress-tolerant microbes purposefully through changed root exudates and rhizosphere chemistry, and how this changed environment favors the recruited players to work synergistically. Microbial consortia boost the plant performance even under the stressed environment through several key mechanisms, including the synthesis of osmoprotectants, the production of exopolysaccharides for improved water retention and biofilm formation, hormonal changes, antioxidative defense mechanisms, and improved nutrient mobilization under drought conditions. Field applications in several crops demonstrated better performances in growth, yield, and physiological health. However, consortia developed using multiple microbes that have plant growth-promoting properties are more effective than single microbes in alleviating the impacts of drought stress. The application of customized microbial consortia is a potent and environmentally friendly approach for mitigating drought-induced losses, reducing the use of chemicals, and striving toward climate-resilient agriculture. Advanced biotechnological interventions are required in order to address formulation and delivery challenges. Development of SynComs, use of CRISPR/Cas9 technology to enhance microbes, and application of AI and multi-omics technologies for developing efficient and crop-specific microbial inoculants will be the future of efficient agricultural systems.

Abstract Water scarcity poses major constraints to sustainable rural development, particularly in arid regions. In Egypt, limited freshwater resources are increasingly prioritized for domestic use, compelling proposed large-scale land reclamation projects to rely on brackish groundwater. However, marginal water quality restricts cultivation to salt-tolerant crops, undermining the long-term profitability of ongoing agribusiness activities. This study is the first to evaluate the techno-economic viability of integrating decentralized desalination systems into the Moghra development area. A systematic hydrochemical assessment of 73 wells, using the Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI), classified 49 as “Severe Restriction” and 24 as “High Restriction”, confirming widespread concerns about groundwater suitability. A two-stage reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system powered by photovoltaic (PV) energy was designed to achieve a 70% recovery rate. An optimization model identified blending ratios that maximize post-treatment water quality while minimizing the desalinated water volume. Results showed substantial improvements: the average sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) decreased by 66%, and IWQI increased from 34 to 77. Consequently, 68 wells were reclassified as “Low Restriction” and 5 as “Moderate Restriction”, enabling a shift from salt-tolerant olives to higher-value crops (e.g., wheat–maize rotation). A cost–benefit analysis assessed trade-offs between desalination costs and resulting economic returns. Under the abstraction limit, the proposed RO–PV blending strategy yielded a 35% higher net present value (NPV) and a 15.7% internal rate of return (IRR), demonstrating both technical and financial viability. These findings provide actionable insights for policymakers, stakeholders, and investors to enhance water productivity and agricultural sustainability in arid regions.

Water scarcity is one of the most critical constraints in arid and semi-arid regions, directly limiting plant growth, yield, and quality through its effects on physiological and biochemical processes. In Iran, where most areas experience arid or semi-arid conditions, enhancing crop resilience to drought is a pressing need. Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.), a medicinal and nutritionally valuable cucurbit, is particularly sensitive to water deficits. This study evaluated the effects of foliar-applied potassium (K), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), and silicon (Si) on vegetative growth, physiological responses, and nutrient accumulation under drought stress. The experiment followed a factorial design with two factors: foliar treatments (Zn, K, Ca, Si) and drought stress levels (50%, 75%, and 100% field capacity, FC) with five repetitions. Drought stress increased ion leakage and reduced relative water content (RWC), especially at 50% FC, while Ca and Si effectively alleviated these effects. Si-treated plants showed the highest RWC at 100% FC, whereas Ca was most effective at 75% FC. Chlorophyll and carotenoid levels declined under drought; however, Si and Zn preserved chlorophylls, and Ca and Si enhanced carotenoids. Photosystem II performance was maintained by K and Ca, with Si showing particular benefits at 50% FC. Biochemical adjustments included greater carbohydrate and proline accumulation, stimulated mainly by K and Si, while Ca and Si enhanced phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Ca was most effective in sustaining ascorbic acid and peroxidase activity, while Si and K improved catalase activity. Growth and yield traits declined significantly under drought but were best preserved by Ca, followed by K and Si, with Zn showing limited benefits. Nutrient uptake (Ca, Mg, K) in roots and shoots improved under Ca and K treatments, with Si contributing under severe stress. Overall, Ca emerged as the most versatile element, Si excelled under severe drought, and K supported osmotic and photosynthetic functions.

Photothermal materials possess efficient light absorption and light-to-energy conversion capabilities, and have been widely applied in research on seawater desalination and sewage treatment. However, traditional solar desalination faces challenges such as poor salt resistance, low photothermal conversion efficiency, and the inability to effectively remove wastewater discharged from seawater. In this study, we designed a self-floating solar evaporator with a vertically arranged and porous structure. By employing a simple "impregnation-crosslinking-reduction" method, we induced cross-linking in balsa wood/MXene/MnO2 (MMW). Among them, MXene exhibits exceptionally Superior efficiency in photothermal energy conversion and is widely applied as a photothermal material in the field of seawater desalination. Meanwhile, MnO2 nanoflowers, rich in oxygen vacancies, can effectively activate peroxydisulfate (PDS), demonstrating efficient catalytic performance. Within the evaporator, they spontaneously establish a wet, porous internal structure and specialized water pathways. Under such conditions, The system demonstrates a maximum evaporation capacity of 1.90 kg m-2 h-1, along with an evaporation efficiency of 113.4%. Moreover, the evaporator demonstrates high degradation rates(94.09% for 50 mg L-1 methylene blue and 95.31% for 100 mg L-1 Rhodamine 6G). In addition, this evaporator enables salt to be expelled from its interior to the surface via convection,which can acquire freshwater efficiently and sustainably. Furthermore, we used the purified water collected from evaporation to irrigate mung beans, which were able to germinate and grow normally. This work provides a direction for the application of evaporators and offers an alternative approach to addressing water scarcity and enhancing water utilization.

Predicted environmental concentrations to prioritize and determine geographical and temporal variation of 810 pharmaceuticals in wastewaters and rivers.

ABSTRACT The 2018 United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) warned that nearly 6 billion people could face clean water scarcity by 2050. This study critically re‐evaluates those projections using empirical data and analyzing key developments from 2018 to early 2025. Our findings indicate that the trajectory towards severe water scarcity is accelerating, exceeding previous estimates in both scale and pace. This reassessment examines the evolving influence of critical drivers—population growth, economic development pathways, and escalating water pollution—highlighting the amplified impacts of spatial inequalities, persistent access disparities, shifting consumption patterns, and inadequately controlled pollution sources. Growing geopolitical instability and conflict are exacerbating these trends. The analysis emphasizes regional vulnerabilities and the complex socio‐political factors often obscured by global averages. Addressing this escalating crisis demands urgent, integrated water governance frameworks. These frameworks must effectively manage demographic pressures, regulate unsustainable economic activities, curb pollution, protect critical aquifers, ensure equitable resource allocation, and fundamentally challenge the geopolitical and historical structures that perpetuate inequality. This updated perspective aims to spur targeted and decisive policy interventions to achieve sustainable water management.

Unearthing the secrets of drought-driven root system architecture: Nutrient acquisition and rhizosphere microbe interplay.

ABSTRACT Drought has emerged as one of the most severe and widespread environmental stresses affecting plants. Crops exposed to varying levels of drought, ranging from moderate to severe, often experience notable declines in yield or reduced harvest quality. Investigating the molecular mechanisms and cellular factors involved in plant defense against drought is crucial—not only for advancing our understanding of these processes but also for ensuring sustainable food production and supporting humanity's survival. Our previous work identified the small intrinsically disordered protein DSS1 (deleted in split‐hand/split‐foot) as a key factor in the stress defense mechanisms of Arabidopsis thaliana . The absence of DSS1(V) led to increased sensitivity of plants to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide or methyl viologen. As drought can induce oxidative stress in plant cells, we investigated if DSS1(V) protein can mitigate stress caused by mild to moderate drought. Alongside the wild‐type (WT) strain, the analysis included knockout plants lacking the DSS1(V) gene and plants overexpressing this gene. Various stress‐related parameters, including lipid peroxidation, total phenol content, chlorophyll levels, and protein oxidation, were measured. Results indicated that the DSS1(V) knockout line displayed significantly higher sensitivity to drought compared to WT plants. However, elevated levels of DSS1(V) transcripts in the overexpressing lines did not confer a protective effect, as these lines did not exhibit reduced drought sensitivity. These findings provide compelling evidence highlighting the critical involvement of the DSS1(V) protein in the mechanisms underlying plant responses to environmental stress, particularly water deficiency. This protein appears to enable plants to cope with the challenges posed by drought conditions, emphasizing its importance in maintaining cellular homeostasis and mitigating the adverse effects of water scarcity.

Historically, water management was confined to civil engineering and local governance. However, in the contemporary era, water has undergone securitisation. The volatility of water supply, characterised by both acute scarcity and catastrophic abundance, now functions as a fundamental driver of systemic risk. This paper explores the nexus between hydrological stability and the maintenance of international peace and security, and argues that as the global hydrological cycle undergoes unprecedented disruption from anthropogenic climate change and demographic expansion, this nexus is being strained. Water has transitioned from a resource management challenge to a primary global security imperative. This paper analyses the ‘threat multiplier’ effect of water scarcity or abundance, its impact on transboundary geopolitics, and the necessity of integrated hydro-solidarity. The paper thus argues that traditional Westphalian approaches to water sovereignty are insufficient to address the current crisis and proposes a multi-scalar framework for collective action grounded in data transparency, benefit-sharing, and institutional resilience.

This study examined the role of dry-season vegetable irrigation farming in enhancing food security in the Nanumba South District, using the Wulensi community as a case study. Guided by a qualitative research design, the study employed a case study approach and collected data from 15 purposively selected respondents, including dry-season farmers and agricultural officers. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, and were analysed thematically. The findings reveal that dry-season irrigation farming is widely practised in Wulensi and contributes significantly to household food security by improving food availability, generating income, and supporting livelihood diversification during the dry season. Despite these benefits, the study identified multiple constraints that undermine the sustainability of irrigation farming. These include water scarcity, limited access to modern irrigation technologies, high input costs, pest and disease infestations, market challenges, inadequate agricultural extension support, and financial barriers. Respondents proposed several feasible strategies to address these constraints, such as rehabilitating water infrastructure, improving access to irrigation technologies, strengthening extension services, expanding credit facilities, forming farmer cooperatives, and improving market access mechanisms. The study concludes that implementing these strategies could substantially improve the productivity and sustainability of dry-season irrigation farming, thereby contributing to long-term food security in the Wulensi community.

Strawberry production in Texas currently spans 162 to 182 ha, with a high percentage of growers in central and northeast Texas. As a high-value specialty crop, strawberries offer Texas growers profitable diversification opportunities, particularly through local and direct market sales. However, water scarcity exacerbated by periods of extended drought remains a major constraint, particularly in the Texas High Plains. Therefore, efficient water management and optimal plant spacing are critical to improve water use efficiency (WUE) and sustaining strawberry yield. This 2-year field study (2020–21 and 2021–22) evaluated the influence of irrigation volume and plant spacing on physiological response, yield, fruit quality, and WUE of ‘Camino Real’ strawberry plants grown under semi-arid conditions. Field-grown ‘Camino Real’ strawberry plants were exposed to three irrigation levels: 100% (control), 80%, and 60% of traditional grower application volumes. Post-experiment, applied irrigation volumes were converted to reference evapotranspiration (ET o ) and crop evapotranspiration (ET c ) demand estimates. In addition, plants were established at three different spacings: 23 cm, 31 cm, and 38 cm. Physiological measurements revealed strawberries maintained photosynthetic activity and other leaf gas exchange parameters under moderate water stress. In the 2020–21 growing season, high seasonal rainfall masked irrigation and spacing effects, resulting in no yield differences among spacing treatments and greatest yields under the 60% irrigation regime. In contrast, during the 2021–22 growing season (when rainfall was near normal levels), wider spacings (31 cm and 38 cm) produced greatest yields, while irrigation effects were evident with greatest yields under the 100% and 80% irrigation treatments. These findings provide planting and irrigation recommendations for strawberry producers growing ‘Camino Real’ within semi-arid climates similar to the Texas High Plains.

How green are my apples? The greenhouse gas emissions and blue water scarcity footprint of fresh apple supply chain

Insights into the environmental performance of nature-based wastewater technologies towards water and carbon neutrality.