Effects of tillage practices on photosynthetic performance diurnal variation during filling stage and grain yield of winter wheat

Abstract

Photosynthesis characteristics of winter wheat under different tillage practices during fil-ling stage are vital for dry matter accumulation, transfer, and yield development. A field experiment, including no-till with residue removal (NT), no-till with residue retention (NTS), rotary tillage with residue removal (RT), rotary tillage with residue retained (RTS), subsoiling with residue removal (DT), subsoiling with residue retained (DTS), plow tillage with residue removal (CT), and plow tillage with residue retained (CTS) was conducted at Wuqiao experimental station of China Agricultural University since October 2008. The diurnal variation of photosynthetic characteristics of flag leaf, photosynthetic response curve, and crop yield under different tillage practices were evaluated during winter wheat filing stage in this study. The results showed thatthe net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance of flag leaf both diurnally varied with the bimodal curve, and the net photosynthetic rates were higher under treatments with residue retained than those under with residue removal. Diurnal variation of intercellular carbon dioxide concentration was observed with a "V-shaped wide mouth" bimodal curve under all treatments. Daily transpiration rate exhibited "double peak curve", except for the "single peak curve" under DTS, RTS and RT. The stimulated net photosynthetic rate was increased by 20.0%, 21.7%, 19.7%, 21.5%, 0.8%, 12.1% and 4.2% under NT, DT, RT, CT, CTS, RTS, and CTS, compared with DTS, respectively. Photosynthetic response curves were fitted better under treatments with residue retained than under treatments with residue removal. As for crop grain yields, the highest one was observed under DTS, following by RTS and CTS, and the lowest under CT. Crop grain yield was increased by 10.8%, 1.3%, 2.1%, 5.4%, 11.9%, 12.4%, and 12.6% under DTS, compared with NTS, RTS, CTS, NT, DT, RT, and CT, respectively. Thus, residue retaining under different tillage practices (e.g. NTS and DTS) could mitigate the mid-day depression of photosynthesis, maintain a high photosynthetic rate of winter wheat, and improve the dry matter accumulation and crop production.