{
  "abstract": "Soil salinization threatens agricultural productivity in arid gravity irrigation systems worldwide, yet the depth-stratified relationships between soil water and salt content remain poorly characterized. We monitored soil moisture and electrical conductivity (EC) at six depths (0–100 cm) across 15 sites in the Hetao Irrigation District, China, during the 2025 growing season. Our results indicate a depth-dependent divergence in water–salt associations. The EC-derived salinity index varied from 0.08 to 42.91 g/kg, exhibiting extreme spatial heterogeneity (coefficient of variation (CV) = 185.2%) across the salinity gradient. However, moisture-salinity relationships showed marked depth dependency. Surface soils (0–20 cm) exhibited non-statistically significant correlations (r = 0.07), whereas deep layers (60–100 cm) showed a statistically significant but weak positive correlation (r = 0.25, p < 0.01, R2 = 0.06), indicating limited explanatory power. This pattern is consistent with a subtle tendency of downward salt redistribution. The EC-derived salinity index showed a 42% increase in deep layers (from 1.59 to 2.26 g/kg) over the season, compared to a 136% fluctuation in surface layers. These results highlight limitations of surface-focused monitoring approaches and indicate patterns consistent with subsurface salt redistribution. Compared with previous studies, this work provides a depth-resolved, multi-site observational dataset combined with a stratified analytical approach, offering additional evidence for interpreting soil salinity dynamics under heterogeneous field conditions.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Hetao College, Bayannur, Inner Mongolia, China.",
    "Department of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Hetao College, Bayannur, Inner Mongolia, China."
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuanqing Cao",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3305-1440"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Huihui Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xuan Chen",
      "orcid": "0009-0002-3678-1008"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Li Zhu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6nbx89wajhrrs.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360976",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13682659",
  "id": "6nbx89wajhrrs",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360976",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1104|Engineering and Agricultural Innovations"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Agricultural methods/Agricultural irrigation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Agricultural methods/Agricultural irrigation/Surface irrigation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Agricultural soil science"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Soil science/Agricultural soil science"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Soil science/Soil chemistry/Soil salinity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Environmental chemistry/Soil chemistry/Soil salinity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Chemical properties/Salinity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Environmental chemistry/Soil chemistry/Soil salinity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Physical chemistry/Chemical properties/Salinity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Mathematics/Statistics/Statistical methods/Forecasting"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Electricity/Electric conductivity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Mathematical and statistical techniques/Statistical methods/Forecasting"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Precipitation techniques/Fractional precipitation/Salting out"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223061038",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13682659?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13682659",
  "pmid": "42900681",
  "published": "2026-10-20",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6nbx89wajhrrs.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:23Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360976",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360976"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:32Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42900681",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42900681"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "plos:environmental chemistry",
      "subfield": "environmental"
    },
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "plos:soil science",
      "subfield": "hydrology-soils"
    },
    {
      "field": "mathematics",
      "origin": "plos:statistical methods",
      "subfield": "statistics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Depth-dependent soil water-salt relationships in the Hetao Irrigation District, arid Northwest China: Implications for sustainable management",
  "title_text": "Depth-dependent soil water-salt relationships in the Hetao Irrigation District, arid Northwest China: Implications for sustainable management",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:32Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6nbx89wajhrrs",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}