Abstract
The growth of winter wheat consumes a substantial amounts of water, and precipitation in most years cannot meet the water demand for the normal growth of winter wheat. The unsuitable irrigation strategies waste a large number of water resource, and the low water use efficiency has become the main factor limiting wheat yields. This research explored the effects of different cultivation managements on water consumption characteristics, water utilization efficiency, and grain yields of winter wheat. A field experiment, in which 4 cultivation managements including traditional cultivation management (T1), optimized cultivation management compared with T1 (T2), super high-yield cultivation management (T3) and optimized cultivation management compared with T3 (T4), was conducted during 2008–2010 to measure the above parameters. The results showed that different cultivation managements had significant effects on the total water consumption amounts and water source compositions. Total water consumption amounts in T1 and T3 managements were significantly higher than that in T2 and T4 managements, possibly from irrigation water. T2 and T4 managements remarkably increased the uptake and utilization of soil storage water and precipitation amounts. T3 and T1 managements increased and decreased water consumption in upper (0–40 cm) and lower (60–100 cm) soil layers, respectively, while effectively increased the consumption of storage water in middle and lower soil layers (60–100 cm) and yield water use efficiency (WUEY), precipitation water use efficiency (WUEP), soil water use efficiency (WUES), irrigation water use efficiency (WUEI), and irrigation efficiency (IE) in T4 and T2 managements were higher than those in T3 and T1, respectively. Total water consumption amounts markedly raised in T1 and T3 managements, whereas their soil storage water amounts utilization declined. T2 and T4 managements reduced irrigation water amounts and optimized the water and fertilizer supplies, resulting in significant increase in WUES and WUEI. Collectively, our results suggest that synergetic improving the water uptake and utilization of irrigation water and soil storage water can be the primary means to increase the grain yields and WUE.
Highlights
Huang-Huai-Hai Plain region, in which mainly occurs a monsoon climate of medium latitude with sufficient heating, lighting conditions and convenient irrigation conditions, is the region with the most suitable ecological conditions for winter wheat growth, and wheat sowing area and total wheat output in this region rank first in China[1]
The four cultivation managements had remarkable effects on the total water consumption amounts and the water source compositions, and the differences were significant among four cultivation managements (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) (Table 2)
With the increased amounts of irrigation water in wheat fields, the total water consumption amounts in all soil layers significantly increase, whereas they quickly decrease in lower soil layer[26,27,28]
Summary
Huang-Huai-Hai Plain region, in which mainly occurs a monsoon climate of medium latitude with sufficient heating, lighting conditions and convenient irrigation conditions, is the region with the most suitable ecological conditions for winter wheat growth, and wheat sowing area and total wheat output in this region rank first in China[1]. Conventional tillage in successive years has been found to harden and tighten the soil layers below 30 cm, leading to the formation of the bottom layer of plough, the enhancement of the soil permeability and porosity, and reduction of soil storage water capacity This is unsuitable to the root growth and the water absorption and utilization, resulting in a great decline in the crop yields and WUE10. Deep ploughing can promote the crop growth and increase the grain yields through deepening the plough layer, broking the hard plough layer, and improving the soil layer structures at 30–40 cm, the soil porosity[11], the soil water infiltration capacity and storage water capacity, and the soil storage water capacity and WUE12 Zhang and his colleagues have found that both irrigation periods and amounts significantly affect the wheat grain yields and WUE13. We propose a hypothesis that combination of the above mentioned agronomic managements could effectively improve the grain yields and water use of winter wheat
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