Different Deficit Irrigation Lower Limits and Irrigation Quotas Affect the Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Winter Wheat by Regulating Photosynthetic Characteristics

To determine suitable thresholds for deficit irrigation of winter wheat in the well-irrigated area of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain,we investigated the effects of different deficit irrigation lower limits and quotas on the photosynthetic characteristics and grain yield of winter wheat.Four irrigation lower limits were set for initiating irrigation(i.e.,light drought(LD,50%,55%,60%and 50%of field holding capacity(FC)at the seedling-regreening,jointing,heading and filling-ripening stages,respectively),medium drought(MD,40%,50%,55%and 45%of FC at the same stages,respectively),adequate moisture(CK1,60%,65%,70%and 60%of FC at the same stages,respectively),heavy drought(CK2,35%,40%,45%and 40%of FC at the same stages,respectively))and five irrigation quota per event(30,60,90,120 and 180 mm)were set for each lower limit.We found that the increase of drought stress is conducive to normal photosynthesis of winter wheat leaves which is supported by the following findings.First,photosynthetic rate(Pn)of LD60 treatment was higher than that of LD30,LD90,LD120,LD180,MD30,MD60,MD90,MD120 and MD180.Then,Under the 90 mm irrigation quota treatment,the yield of winter wheat basically increased with the increase of irrigation’s lower limit.Moreover,With the increase in irrigation quota,the yield of winter wheat increased,and the water use efficiency(WUE)of winter wheat increased at first and then decreased.In addition,compared with the LD30,MD30,MD60,MD90,MD120,and MD180,the yield of winter wheat in LD60 treatment increased by about 3.23%(3-year average),32.3%,19.9%,11.7%,10.1%,and 14.6%.At the same time,the WUE with LD60 treatment of winter wheat was significantly higher than LD90,LD120,LD180,MD30,MD60,MD90,MD120,MD180 treatments.There was a positive correlation between soil volumetric water content and Pn and between yield and Pn.The key period for yield formation in winter wheat is 180 days after sowing.In conclusion,to achieve the dual goals of stable winter wheat yield and efficient utilization of water resources in this region,the suitable threshold for initiating deficit irrigation of winter wheat is the LD60 treatment.This conclusion provides data support for water-saving and stable yield of winter wheat in this area.

Effects of Irrigation Amount on Soil Water Content of Gentiana macrophylla

[Objectives]This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different irrigation quotas and irrigation times on soil physical and chemical properties and water content in the planting areas of Gentiana macrophylla in dry farming areas of southern Ningxia.[Methods]G.macrophylla planted for three years was selected as the experimental material,and the water content,nutrients,bulk density and total porosity of the soil at different depths(0-20 and 20-40 cm)were measured under different irrigation quotas and irrigation times.[Results]Compared with the CK,different irrigation quotas and irrigation times could significantly improve the water contents of the 0-20 and 20-40 cm layers in the planting areas of G.macrophylla.The change trend of water content at the 0-20 cm soil depth was 3 times of irrigation>2 times of irrigation>1 time of irrigation>CK,and that at the 20-40 cm soil depth was 2 times of irrigation>3 times of irrigation>1 time of irrigation>CK.With the increase of irrigation times,soil urease in the 0-20 cm soil showed a trend of decreasing at first and then increasing,reaching a maximum value of 0.415 mg/g·24 h with 1 time of irrigation,which increased by 84.44%compared with the CK,and the value with two times of irrigation was basically the same as that of the CK,but 3 times of irrigation resulted in a value 57.33%higher than the CK.However,the changes of 20-40 cm were the opposite.The change trends of alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen in the 0-20 and 20-40 cm soil layers with irrigation times was smaller,and the contents of soil organic carbon,available phosphorus and available potassium increased first and then decreased with the increase of irrigation times,and were generally higher than those in the CK.[Conclusions]This study provides a theoretical and technical basis for the artificial cultivation of G.macrophylla in dry farming areas of Ningxia.

Temporal and spatial changes of agricultural water requirements in the Lancang River Basin

Based on the data of eight meteorological stations from the 1950s to 2007, current cropping patterns, field water moisture management, we use the Mann-Kendall and the Rescaled Range Analysis methods to research the changes of humidity and crop irrigation water requirements in the Lancang River Basin. The results show that the annual and dry season average temperatures significantly increased, and the dry season rainfall increased while wet season rainfall decreased. Evaportranspiration （ETo） increased during both dry and wet seasons at all stations except Dali, Jianchuan and Gengma, and the aridity-humidity index decreased at most of the stations. The turning points of weather factors, ETo, the aridity-humidity index, paddy irrigation requirements and total agricultural water requirements occurred from the 1960s to the 1990s. The spatial changing tendency of paddy irrigation quota increased with the increase of altitude and latitude, and the correlation coefficients are 0.513 and 0.610, respectively. The maximum value is observed in Weixi, while the minimum in Mengla.