Improving wheat grain yield via promotion of water and nitrogen utilization in arid areas

Abstract Crop yield is limited by water and nitrogen (N) availability. However, in Hexi Corridor of northwestern China, water scarcity and excessive fertilizer N in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production causes serious conflicts between water and N supply and crop demand. A field experiment was con...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Yan Tan, Qiang Chai, Guang Li, Cai Zhao, Aizhong Yu, Zhilong Fan, Wen Yin, Falong Hu, Hong Fan, Qiaomei Wang, Yao Guo, Xuemei Tian
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:
R
Q
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/9bcb1b2c8fc8457ca0154be9896dee81
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
Descripción
Sumario:Abstract Crop yield is limited by water and nitrogen (N) availability. However, in Hexi Corridor of northwestern China, water scarcity and excessive fertilizer N in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production causes serious conflicts between water and N supply and crop demand. A field experiment was conducted from 2016 to 2018 to evaluate whether reducing of irrigation and fertilizer N will reduce grain yield of wheat. There were two irrigation quotas (192 and 240 mm) and three fertilizer N rates (135, 180, and 225 kg N ha−1). The results showed that reducing irrigation to 192 mm and N rate to 180 kg N ha−1 reduced water uptake, water uptake efficiency, and N uptake of spring wheat as compared to local practice (i.e., 240 mm irrigation and 225 kg N ha−1 fertilizer). Whereas, it improved water and N utilization efficiency, and water and N productivity. Consequently, the irrigation and N rate reduced treatment achieved the same quantity of grain yield as local practice. The path analysis showed that interaction effect between irrigation and N fertilization may attributable to the improvement of grain yield with lower irrigation and N rate. The enhanced water and N utilization allows us to conclude that irrigation quota at 192 mm coupled with fertilizer N rate at 180 kg N ha−1 can be used as an efficient practice for wheat production in arid irrigation areas.