Food security is an important pre-requisite for human well-being; however, water shortages and poor quality of arable land threaten food security in the North China Plain (NCP). Subsoiling and proper ...irrigation can improve soil structure and increase crop yield. This study investigated the effects of two tillage methods (rotary tillage at 15 cm depth, R15; subsoiling at 35 cm depth, S35) combined with three irrigation treatments (no irrigation during the winter wheat growing season, I0; 60 mm irrigation at the jointing stage, I1; 60 mm irrigation at both the jointing and heading stages, I2) on soil moisture dynamics, evapotranspiration, and winter wheat yield. The Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2) was adopted after calibration and validation base on a field experiment. The results showed that the normalized root mean square errors (calibration and test) between the actual and simulated values of soil water storage (SWS), evapotranspiration (ET), and yield were 7.45–10.87%, 3.80–7.21%, and 5.38–14.15%, respectively. Subsoiling improved winter wheat soil moisture conditions, yield, and crop water productivity (CWP), and irrigation during the winter wheat growing seasons increased crop yield (I2 > I1 > I0) and CWP (I1 > I2 > I0). The best yield treatment during the 2020–2022 winter wheat growing seasons was S35-I2. However, the CWP of S35-I1 was 2.67% higher than that of S35-I2. Tillage methods change the ET structure of winter wheat fields. Compared to rotary tillage, subsoiling reduced actual ET by 16.11% and increased actual transpiration by 10.44%. The results of this study indicate that subsoiling at a depth of 35 cm and 60 mm irrigation at the jointing stage could improve the CWP of winter wheat in the NCP.
•Subsoiling improved winter wheat grain yield and crop water production (CWP).•Subsoiling reduces actual evapotranspiration and increases actual transpiration.•60 mm irrigation at jointing stage increased winter wheat yield and crop water productivity.
Climate change and the growing demand for food security force growers to identify ways both to improve food production and to reduce agricultural carbon emissions. Although straw mulching is known to ...decrease CO
emissions, winter wheat grain yield in the North China Plain was declined under straw mulching. In an effort to determine the most effective way to increase winter wheat yield under straw mulching, a field experiment was conducted using two planting patterns (wide-precision planting and conventional-cultivation planting) and two straw mulching rates (0 and 0.6 kg/m
). The results showed the wide-precision planting/non-mulching treatment significantly increased the leaf area index more than the other three treatments at the early growth stage. This treatment improved aboveground dry matter accumulation and was conducive to increased spike weight in the late growth stage. By contrast, straw mulching significantly reduced winter wheat grain yields by lowering both spike number and 1000-grain weight at the mature plant stage. In the wide-precision planting/mulching treatment, a significantly increased spike number compensated for grain yield losses. The results support the idea that wide-precision planting combined with straw mulching has the potential to decrease the winter wheat grain yield reduction previously observed with straw mulching in the North China Plain.
Implementing sustainable farming practices for winter wheat (
L.) in the North China Plain may be a way to reduce carbon emissions. No tillage generally results in less net CO
loss from farmland, but ...no tillage also reduces the grain yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of winter wheat. Wide-precision planting of winter wheat may enhance the grain yield and WUE; however, it is not known precisely how tillage and planting patterns affect CO
exchange, grain yield and WUE.
In this study, two tillage methods (conventional tillage, T and no tillage, NT) and two planting patterns (conventional planting, C and wide-precision planting, W) were used in two consecutive winter wheat growing seasons.
Compared with the T treatments, the NT treatments had significantly lower cumulative net CO
emissions in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 (30.8 and 21.3%, respectively), and had lower grain yields (9.0 and 9.4%, respectively) and WUE (6.0 and 7.2%, respectively). The W treatments had a compensating effect on grain yield failure and reduced cumulative net CO
emissions more than C treatments, thereby increasing WUE, reducing carbon emissions per unit water consumption, and increasing the yield carbon utilization efficiency (YCUE). The lowest cumulative CO
emissions and highest YCUE were observed for NT with W treatment. Results from this analogous tillage experiment indicated that NT and W farming practices provide an option for reducing carbon emissions and enhancing WUE and YCUE for sustainable winter wheat development.
Iron is one of the essential elements for crop growth. Traditional iron fertilizer application method by injecting iron into soil results in low utilization efficiency of iron fertilizer and a ...considerable amount of iron residue in the soil. Applying iron fertilizer by drip irrigation system could effectively improve the utilization efficiency of iron fertilizer. However, emitter clogging seriously restrict this technology. Here, the effects of different types of iron fertilizers Ferrous sulfate (FeSO4); Ferric citrate (FC-Fe); Sodium ferric ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA-Fe); And no iron fertilizer (CK) on emitters clogging were assessed. The components of emitter clogging substances were detected through X-ray Diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer. The results showed that different types of iron fertilizers significantly affected emitter clogging. EDTA-Fe application significantly mitigated emitter clogging, reduced the total amount of clogging substances by 49.6% on average, and increased the emitter flow rate by 21.0%. This is due to EDTA-Fe chelated scaling cations (e.g., Ca2+) in water through its functional groups, thereby reducing the contents of calcite, monohydrate calcite and dolomite. However, FeSO4 and FC-Fe application aggravated emitter clogging, and increased the total clogging substances by 52.3% and 105.8%, respectively. Surprisingly, iron precipitation was not detected in the clogging substances. FeSO4 and FC-Fe aggravated clogging mainly by increasing the formation of particulate fouling (e.g., muscovite) and chemical precipitation (e.g., calcite). This study suggested choosing EDTA-Fe in drip irrigation systems to reduce emitter clogging. The research results are of significance for improving the utilization efficiency of iron fertilizer and promoting the application of iron fertilizer drip irrigation technology.
► We studied water use, radiation interception, and grain yield in wide-precision planting. ► Evapotranspiration from wide-precision planting was not different from that from conventional-cultivation ...planting. ► Wide-precision planting increased the PAR capture ratios at 40 and 60cm above the ground. ► Wide-precision planting resulted in high grain yield, which can be attributed to increased spike numbers.
To develop a water-saving planting pattern in the North China Plain, in the 2010–2011 and 2011–2012 winter wheat growing seasons, 2 types of planting patterns (wide-precision planting and conventional-cultivation planting) and 3 different irrigation treatments (60.0-mm irrigation at both jointing and heading stages, 60.0-mm irrigation at only the jointing stage, and no irrigation at any time during the growing season) were conducted. These methods were used to study the effects of irrigation and wide-precision planting on water use, leaf area index (LAI), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) capture ratio, dry matter accumulation, and grain yield of winter wheat. The results indicated that after 60.0mm irrigation at the jointing and heading stages of winter wheat, the soil water content and the LAI from the wide-precision planting were higher than those from the conventional-cultivation planting late in the growing seasons. The PAR capture ratios at 40 and 60cm above the ground in the wide-precision planting were higher than those in the conventional-cultivation planting. At the milking stage, the wide-precision planting with 60.0-mm irrigation at both the jointing and heading stages had significantly (LSD, P<0.05) high dry matter accumulation. Compared to the conventional-cultivation planting, the wide-precision planting with 60.0-mm irrigation at both jointing and heading stages had the highest grain yield, which can be attributed to increased spike numbers. The results indicate that the wide-precision planting with 60.0-mm irrigation at both the jointing and heading stages of winter wheat should be extended in the North China Plain.
A suitable planting pattern and irrigation strategy are essential for optimizing winter wheat yield and water use efficiency (WUE). The study aimed to evaluate the impact of planting pattern and ...irrigation frequency on grain yield and WUE of winter wheat. During the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 winter wheat growing seasons in the North China Plain, the effects of planting patterns and irrigation frequencies were determined on tiller number, grain yield, and WUE. The two planting patterns tested were wide-precision and conventional-cultivation. Each planting pattern had three irrigation regimes: irrigation (120 mm) at the jointing stage; irrigation (60 mm) at both the jointing and heading stages; and irrigation (40 mm) at the jointing, heading, and milking stages. In our study, tiller number was significantly higher in the wide-precision planting pattern than in the conventional-cultivation planting pattern. Additionally, the highest grain yields and WUE were observed when irrigation was applied at the jointing stage (120 mm) or at the jointing and heading stages (60 mm each) in the wide-precision planting pattern. These results could be attributed to higher tiller numbers as well as reduced water consumption due to reduced irrigation frequency. In both growing seasons, applying 60 mm of water at jointing and heading stages resulted in the highest grain yield among the treatments. Based on our results, for winter wheat production in semi-humid regions, we recommend a wide-precision planting pattern with irrigation (60 mm) at both the jointing and heading stages.
► Furrow planting resulted in a increase in WUE of wheat under deficit irrigation. ► Bed planting had the potential to increase wheat yield, but WUE was not consistent. ► In North China, deficit ...irrigation combine with furrow planting should be extended.
The limited water resources in the North China Plain have compelled the farming community to implement water-saving measures. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of uniform row, furrow planting, and bed planting pattern systems on the yield, water consumption, and water use efficiency (WUE) of deficit irrigated winter wheat. The results showed that the soil moisture content increased in the up to 30-cm soil profiles when using the furrow planting pattern after jointing stages of winter wheat. On the other hand, soil moisture decreased in the up to 50-cm soil profiles when using the bed planting pattern. The application of furrow and bed planting patterns showed a significant (LSD, P<0.05) increase in soil moisture before sowing (SMBS) consumption, as compared with the uniform row. After irrigation, both furrow and bed planting patterns yielded a significant (LSD, P<0.05) increase in irrigation water penetration ratio. Evapotranspiration, grain yield, and WUE were significantly (LSD, P<0.05) increased when using the furrow planting pattern. The results of this study suggest that, in the presence of a deficit irrigation regime, the furrow planting pattern facilitates better winter wheat production in the North China Plain.
Increasing the planting density of summer maize to improve the utilization efficiency of limited soil and water resources is an effective approach; however, how the leaf water-use efficiency (WUEL), ...yield, and RUE respond to planting density and genotypes remains unclear. A 2-year field experiment was performed in the North China Plain (NCP) to investigate the effects of planting density (high, 100,000 plants ha−1; medium, 78,000 plants ha−1; and low, 56,000 plants ha−1) and genotypes (Zhengdan 958 and Denghai 605) on the leaf area index (LAI), photosynthetic characteristics, dry-matter accumulation, WUEL, and RUE of maize. The objective was to explore the effect of density and genotype on the WUEL and RUE of maize. Increasing planting density boosted LAI, light interception, dry-matter accumulation, and spike number but reduced the chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and 1000-kernel weight. Both high and low planting densities were averse to RUE and yield. Zhengdan 958 increased the WUEL by 19.45% compared with Denghai 605, but the RUE of Denghai 605 was 18.19% higher than Zhengdan 958, suggesting that Denghai 605 had a greater production potential as the planting density increased. Our findings recommend using 78,000 plants ha−1 as the planting density with Denghai 605 to maintain summer maize yields in the NCP.
Biodegradable mulches have become the focus of attention, as pollution caused by leftover plastic mulch material becomes increasingly severe. However, the impact of biodegradable mulches to the soil ...needs to be further investigated. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of no-mulch, biodegradable film mulch (BM) and polyethylene film mulch (PM) on the soil's physical, chemical and biological properties after six years (2013-2019) of mulching in garlic growing season in a garlic-maize rotation. Results showed that the soil bulk density of the 10-20 cm soil layer under BM decreased by 12.09-17.17% compared with that under PM. The soil total nitrogen content increased significantly by 14.75-28.37%, and the soil available phosphorus and potassium content increased by 64.20% and 108.82%, respectively. In addition, BM increased the soil's microbial, soil urease, and soil catalase activities compared with those for PM. To sum up, BM can reduce soil bulk density, and long-term use of BM does not cause a decrease in soil nutrient content and microbial activity. On the contrary, it can improve soil quality. This study helps accumulate data for the environmental safety evaluation of BM and provides theoretical and technical support for the large-scale promotion of biodegradable mulches.
The factor limiting the increase in winter wheat yield was not the deficiency of light radiation but the low radiation use efficiency (RUE). In 2004–2005 and 2005–2006, an experiment was conducted at ...the Agronomy Station of Shandong Agricultural University to study the effects of irrigation and different planting patterns on the photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) capture ratio, PAR utilization, and winter wheat yield. In this experiment, winter wheat was planted in four patterns as follows: uniform row planting (U; row spacing, 30
cm), “20
+
40” wide-narrow row planting (W), “20
+
40” furrow planting (F), and “20
+
40” bed planting (B), which are very popular in North China. The results showed that under different irrigation regimes, there was no significant difference (less than 15.93%) between any of the planting patterns with respect to the amount of PAR intercepted by the winter wheat canopies. However, significant differences were observed between different planting patterns with respect to the amount of PAR intercepted by plants that were 60–80
cm above the ground surface (53.35–225.16%). This result was mainly due to the changes in the vertical distributions of leaf area index (LAI). As a result, the effects of the planting patterns on RUE and the winter wheat yield were due the vertical distribution of PAR in the winter wheat canopies. During the late winter wheat growing season, irrespective of the applied irrigation, the RUE in case of F was higher than that in case of U, W, and B by 0.05–0.09, 0.04–0.08, and 0.02–0.12
g/mol, respectively, and the yield was higher by 238.39–693.46, 160.02–685.96, and 308.98–699.06
kg/ha, respectively. Only under the fully irrigated conditions, the RUE and winter wheat yield significantly (LSD;
P
<
0.05) increased in case of B. This experiment showed that in North China, where the water shortage is the highest, application of planting pattern B should be restricted. Instead, F should be used in combination with deficit irrigation to increase the RUE and grain yield of winter wheat.
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