Strategies for Jointly Enhancing Water Use Efficiency and Yield of Crops in the North China Plain

黄淮海平原作物高效用水与高产协同策略(英文)

The North China Plain （NCP） is one of the most important agricultural re- gions in China, but it is experiencing a serious water-resource crisis due to exces- sive exploitation of groundwater reserves. Improving water-use efficiency （WUE） of crops is thought to have good potential for conserving groundwater and in maintain- ing high crop production in the region, In this paper, firstly, strategies for improving WUE of crop cultivars in the NCP were discussed. According to studies on key factors affecting cultivar WUE, stomatal conductance, which has large genotypic variability and differs among cultivars in response to drought, is an important physio- logical trait associating closely with the performance of cultivars in WUE and yield. Higher WUE and higher yield may be obtained through strategies of cultivar adop- tion with appropriate stomatal characteristics suitable to different conditions of water availability. Secondly, irrigation scheduling in the North China Plain was further dis- cussed. The irrigation frequency currently employed in this area could be reduced by at least one application （from four to three applications） to obtain higher produc- tion and also higher WUE. Finally, straw mulching and the use of early vigor culti- vats were suggested as two practices that had the potential to be effective in in- creasing crop WUE.

黄淮海平原是我国最重要的粮食主产区之一,长期过度开采地下水已导致严重的水资源危机。提高作物水分利用效率是保存地下水资源并维持高产的重要途径。本文首先讨论了提高黄淮海平原作物水分利用效率的策略。研究表明,气孔导度特性遗传变异大,其干旱胁迫响应在品种间差异显著,是影响品种WUE和产量的重要生理因素。通过品种气孔特性和地区水分条件的合理匹配对策可以协同提高作物产量和WUE。其次,讨论了灌溉制度的优化问题,提出黄淮海平原冬小麦灌溉次数至少可以减少1次(从灌溉4次减少到3次),实现在不影响产量的同时降低灌溉水用量,提高作物WUE。最后,讨论提出了秸秆覆盖和选用早发性好的品种是提高地区作物WUE的两种有效措施。