Experimental Investigation of Soil Evaporation and Evapotranspiration of Winter Wheat Under Sprinkler Irrigation

Sprinkler irrigation is one of the typical irrigation technologies used for the winter wheat-summer maize double cropping system in the North China Plain. To evaluate the evapotranspiration （ET） of winter wheat under sprinkler irrigation in Beijing area, field experiments were conducted in growing seasons through 2005-2008, in the experimental station located in Tongzhou County, Beijing, China, with different irrigation depths. Results indicated that a relatively large variation of soil water content occurred within 0-40 cm soil layer. The seasonal ET of winter wheat generally increased with increasing irrigation amount, while the seasonal usage of soil water had a negative relationship with irrigation amount. Soil evaporation （Es） was about 25% of winter wheat ET during the period from reviving to maturity. Es increased while Es/ET decreased with increasing irrigation amount. Sprinkler irrigation scheduling with relatively large irrigation quota and low irrigation frequency can reduce Es and promote the irrigation water use efficiency.

Late spring cold reduces grain number at various spike positions by regulating spike growth and assimilate distribution in winter wheat

Late spring cold(LSC) occurred in the reproductive period of wheat impairs spike and floret differentiation during the reproductive period,when young spikelets are very cold-sensitive.However,under LSC,the responses of wheat spikelets at various positions,leaves,and stems and the interactions between them at physiological levels remain unclear.In the present study,two-year treatments at terminal spikelet stage under two temperatures(2 C,-2 C) and durations(1,2,and 3 days) were imposed in an artificial climate chamber to compare the effects of LSC on grain number and yield in the wheat cultivars Yannong 19(YN19,cold-tolerant) and Xinmai 26(XM26,cold-sensitive).The night temperature regimes were designed to reproduce natural temperature variation.LSC delayed plant growth and inhibited spike and floret differentiation,leading to high yield losses in both cultivars.LSC reduced dry matter accumulation(DMA,g) in spikes,stems,and leaves,reducing the DMA ratios of the spike to leaf and spike to stem.Plant cell wall invertase(CWINV) activity increased in upper and basal spikelets in YN19,whereas CWINV increased in middle spikelets in XM26.Under LSC,soluble sugar and glucose were transported and distributed mainly in upper and basal spikelets for glume and rachis development,so that spike development was relatively complete in YN19,whereas the upper and basal spikelets were severely damaged and most of the glumes in middle spikelets were relatively completely developed in XM26,resulting in pollen abortion mainly in upper and basal spikelets.The development of glumes and rachides was influenced and grain number per spike was decreased after LSC,with kernels present mainly in middle spikelets.Overall,reduced total DMA and dry matter partitioning to spikes under LSC results in poor spikelet development,leading to high losses of grain yield.

Breeding and Cultivation Techniques of a New Spring Wheat Variety Kechun 140103

Kechun 140103 is a new spring wheat variety with high and stable yield bred by Keshan Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences.This paper summarizes the breeding process,characteristics,yield performance and cultivation techniques of Kechun 140103,in order to promote the popularization and application of the variety.

Estimating daily actual evapotranspiration of a rice–wheat rotation system in typical farmland in the Huai River Basin using a two-step model and two one-step models

The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of three models for estimating daily evapotranspiration(ET) by employing flux observation data from three years(2007, 2008 and 2009) during the growing seasons of winter wheat and rice crops cultivated in a farmland ecosystem(Shouxian County) located in the Huai River Basin(HRB), China. The first model is a two-step model(PM-Kc);the other two are one-step models(e.g., Rana-Katerji(R-K) and advection-aridity(AA)). The results showed that the energy closure degrees of eddy covariance(EC) data during winter wheat and rice-growing seasons were reasonable in the HRB, with values ranging from 0.84 to 0.91 and R2 of approximately 0.80. Daily ET of winter wheat showed a slow decreasing trend followed by a rapid increase, while that of rice presented a decreasing trend after an increase. After calibrating the crop coefficient(Kc), the PM–Kc model performed better than the model using the Kc recommended by the Food and Agricultural Organization(FAO). The calibrated key parameters of the R-K model and AA model showed better universality. After calibration, the simulation performance of the PM-Kc model was satisfactory. Both the R-K model and AA model underestimated the daily ET of winter wheat and rice. Compared with that of the R-K model, the simulation result of the AA model was better, especially in the simulation of daily ET of rice. Overall, this research highlighted the consistency of the PM-Kc model to estimate the water demand for rice and wheat crops in the HRB and in similar climatic regions in the world.

Root carbon consumption and grain yield of spring wheat in response to phosphorus supply under two water regimes

In semiarid areas, cereal crops often alocate more biomass to root at the expense of aboveground yield. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate carbon consumption of roots and its impact on grain yield of spring wheat （Triticum aestivum L.） as affected by water and phosphorus （P） supply. A factorial design was used with six treatments namely two water regimes （at 80–75% and 50–45% ifeld capacity （FC）） and three P supply rates （P1=0, P2=44 and P3=109 μg P g–1 soil）. At shooting and lfowering stages, root respiration and carbon consumption increased with the elevate of P supply rates, regardless of water conditions, which achieved the minimum and maximum at P1 under 50–45% FC and P3 under 80–75% FC, respectively. However, total aboveground biomass and grain yield were higher at P2 under 80–75% FC; and decreased with high P application （P3）. The results indicated that rational or low P supply （80–75% of ifeld water capacity and 44 mg P kg–1 soil） should be recommended to improve grain yield by decreasing root carbon consumption in semiarid areas.

The Effect of Organo-Mineral Fertilizer Applications on the Yield of Winter Wheat, Spring Barley, Forage Maize and Grass Cut for Silage

Biosolids were applied with urea to produce a granulated organo-mineral fertiliser (OMF) for application by farm fertiliser equipment to a range of agricultural crops. The recommended rates of nitrogen, phosphate and potash were calculated for the test crops using “The Fertiliser Manual”, which assesses the nutrient requirement based on previous cropping, rainfall and soil index. The OMF produced similar crop yields compared to ammonium nitrate fertiliser when applied as a top-dressing to winter wheat, forage maize and grass cut for silage in the cropping years 2010 to 2014. In 2012 the grain yield of spring barley top-dressed with OMF was significantly lower than the conventional fertiliser treatment, due to dry conditions following application. For this reason it is recommended that OMF is incorporated into the seedbed for spring sown crops and The Safe Sludge Matrix guidelines followed. The experimental work presented shows that OMF can be used in sustainable crop production systems as a source of nitrogen and phosphorus for a range of agricultural crops.

Fertilization Management for Improving Quality Properties of Spring Wheat in Northeast China

Fertilization management to improve quality properties of spring wheat cultivars has received little research attention inNortheast China. In this study, the effects of different fertilization management regimes on the quality properties of springwheat cultivar New Kehan 9 (Triticum aestivum L.) were investigated for two years. The results showed that fertilizationconsistently increased wheat yield, and the highest yield was obtained with addition of N, P and NPK fertilizers. The NPKtreatment resulted in 50% more yield than the unfertilized plot. The average increases in protein content from NPK and NP atseeding + N at anthesis over no fertilization and NP fertilizers at seeding were 2.7% and 0.90% respectively. The highestprotein yields were achieved in NPK and NPK + N treatments, and the lowest protein yield was observed in the no fertilizertreatment due to both low protein content and grain yield. Fertilization increased gliadins content, but decreased gluteninscontent, thus the gliadins/glutenins ratios were higher in the fertilization treatments. The most obvious effect of fertilizationon kernel quality was the significant increase of hardness percentage. Although the dough rheological properties werenot strongly changed by fertilization, dry gluten and wet gluten were significantly increased, and the highest breadvolume and bread score were found in the NPK treatment in both years. The application of 3% urea at anthesis, or applying45 kg ha-1 of potassium sulphate at seeding, with urea and diammonium phosphate as basal applications, significantlyincreased protein yield and improved quality properties of this wheat cultivar.Key words: Fertilization, Yield, Protein contents, Protein fractions, Quality, Spring Wheat

Exploring the Potential Impacts of Climate Variability on Spring Wheat Yield with the APSIM Decision Support Tool

Assessing the impacts of climate variability on agricultural productivity at regional, national or global scale is essential for defining adaptation and mitigation strategies. We explore in this study the potential changes in spring wheat yields at Swift Current and Melfort, Canada, for different sowing windows under projected climate scenarios (i.e., the representative concentration pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). First, the APSIM model was calibrated and evaluated at the study sites using data from long term experimental field plots. Then, the impacts of change in sowing dates on final yield were assessed over the 2030-2099 period with a 1990-2009 baseline period of observed yield data, assuming that other crop management practices remained unchanged. Results showed that the performance of APSIM was quite satisfactory with an index of agreement of 0.80, R2 of 0.54, and mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) of 529 kg/ha and 1023 kg/ha, respectively (MAE = 476 kg/ha and RMSE = 684 kg/ha in calibration phase). Under the projected climate conditions, a general trend in yield loss was observed regardless of the sowing window, with a range from ?-24% to -94% depending on the site and the RCP, and noticeable losses during the 2060s and beyond (increasing CO2 effects being excluded). Smallest yield losses obtained through earlier possible sowing date (i.e., mid-April) under the projected future climate suggested that this option might be explored for mitigating possible adverse impacts of climate variability. Our findings could therefore serve as a basis for using APSIM as a decision support tool for adaptation/mitigation options under potential climate variability within Western Canada.

Screening and evaluation for antibiosis resistance of the spring wheat accessions to the grain aphid,Sitobion miscanthi(Takahashi)(Hemiptera:Aphididae)

Resistant cultivar deployment is an effective method for cereal aphid management.Under greenhouse conditions,preliminary antibiosis resistance screening was conducted on 114 Ethiopian and 22 Chinese spring wheat accessions.After performing a bioassay to determine antibiosis resistance,aphid feeding behaviour and phenolic acid content analyses were performed on the aphid resistant wheat accessions by electrical penetration graph(EPG)and high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC),respectively.Among the wheat accessions,two high resistances,27moderate-resistances,and 35 low-resistances to Sitobion miscanthi were identified.The antibiosis resistance test showed prolonged pre-adult and pre-reproductive periods,shorter reproductive periods,lower fecundity,an intrinsic rate(rm)of increase,and a finite rate(λ)of increase of S.miscanthi on Lunxuan 145,Wane,Lunxuan 6,204511,Lunxuan 103and 5215 than those on the aphid-susceptible accession Beijing 837.The changes for the parameters of aphid feeding behaviour,including spending a longer time in the penetration and phloem salivation phases and less time in the phloem sap-feeding phase on the resistant wheat accessions,indicated that the aphid resistance may occur during the phloem phase and may be due to difficulties in the mechanical probing of the mesophyll cells.Additionally,the HPLC analysis showed higher contents of:1)ferulic acid in Lunxuan 145,Lunxuan 103 and Lunxuan 6;2)p-coumaric acid in Lunxuan145;3)vanillic acid in Lunxuan 145,Wane and Lunxuan 6;4)syringic acid in Lunxuan 103;and 5)caffeic acid in 5215.The contents of some phenolic acids within wheat leaves,such as p-courmaric acid and vanillic acid showed significant positive correlation with the duration of aphid development,but negative correlation with the aphid fecundity.The concentrations of these acids may be the causes of antibiosis resistance to S.miscanthi.The identification of grain aphid-resistant wheat accessions in our study will be helpful in future breeding program for pest control.

Modelling the meteorological influence on the yellowing of spring wheat leaves

The yellowed-leaf rate is one of the important variables in simulation models for thegrowth of spring wheat. Based on the field experiments (1985-1988), the evolution of yellowed-leafrate of spring wheat is analyzed. The functional relationship between the yellowing process of greenleaves and the development stages of spring wheat is established. Based on modelling and correctingfor the yellowing proass of green leaves affected by temperature and moisture, the synthetic modelfor simulating the dynaniical evolution of yellowed-leaf rate is constructed. The numerical experi-inents show that the result of the modelling is satisfactory.

Effects of zinc on cadmium uptake by spring wheat (Triticum aestivum, L.): long-time hydroponic study and short-time ^(109)Cd tracing study

To investigate effects of Zn on Cd uptake by spring wheat (Triticum aestivum, L.) in solution culture, long-time hydroponic experiment (1 month) (Experiment 1) and short-time Cd isotope (109Cd) tracing experiment (24 h) (Experiment 2) were conducted. In Experiment 1, spring wheat (cv. Brookton) was grown in nutrient solution at uniform cadmium concentration of 20μ mol/L and 10 zinc concentrations (0, 1, 5, 10, 20, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 μ mol/L). In Experiment 2, spring wheat seedlings,pre-cultivated in complete nutrient solution, were treated with 109Cd of uniform activity and the same series of Zn concentrations as those in Experiment 1 for 24 h. Cd concentrations in shoots and roots in Experiment 1 increased marginally but not consistently with Zn increasing at Zn rates of 1～200 μmol/L, and then decreased significantly at high rates (＞200 μ mol/L). In Experiment 2, the response of 109Cd activities in shoots and roots to increasing Zn was greatly similar to the response of Cd concentrations to Zn increasing in Experiment 1. The results of the two experiments indicated that the short-time and long-time exposure of spring wheat to Zn had similar effects on Cd accumulation.

Using CropSyst to Simulate Spring Wheat Growth in Black Soil Zone of Northeast China

Available water and fertilizer have been the main limiting factors for yields of spring wheat, which occupies a large area of the black soil zone in northeast China; thus, the need to set up appropriate models for scenario analysis of cropping system models has been increasing. The capability of CropSyst, a cropping system simulation model, to simulate spring wheat growth of a widely grown spring cultivar, 'Longmai 19', in the black soil zone in northeast China under different water and nitrogen regimes was evaluated. Field data collected from a rotation experiment of three growing seasons (1992-1994) were used to calibrate and validate the model. The model was run for 3 years by providing initial conditions at the beginning of the rotation without reinitializing the model in later years in the rotation sequence. Crop input parameters were set based on measured data or taken from CropSyst manual. A few cultivar-specific parameters were adjusted within a reasonable range of fluctuation. The results demonstrated the robustness of CropSyst for simulating evapotranspiration, aboveground biomass, and grain yield of 'Longmai 19' spring wheat with the root mean square errors being 7%, 13% and 13% of the observed means for evapotranspiration (ET), grain yield and aboveground biomass, respectively. Although CropSyst was able to simulate spring production reasonably well, further evaluation and improvement of the model with a more detailed field database was desirable for agricultural systems in northeast China.

Effect of Limited Single Irrigation on Yield of Winter Wheat and Spring Maize Relay Intercropping

一个场地实验在收割冬小麦(Triticum aestivum ) 和春天玉米(Zea mays ) 的季节评估有限单身者的效果的 2002/2003 期间被进行在接力赛在西北的中国的一个半干旱的区域杂种下面在收益和两庄稼的水使用上滴灌溉。A 控制了 35 公里单身者灌溉，早或迟了，在某个生长阶段被用于每庄稼。土壤水，叶面积，最后的谷物收益和产量构成因素象千谷物的重量那样，一些尖铁，肥沃的小穗状花小穗数，每尖铁谷物数，并且粒重每尖铁被测量，并且水使用效率和叶面积指数被计算为灌溉并且非灌溉的接力赛杂种处理和唯一的收割控制。结果在杂种的继电器显示出那收益，产量构成因素，水使用效率，和叶面积指数处理被有限单身者影响在小麦和玉米的各种各样的生长阶段期间滴灌溉。处理在小麦和标题的出发阶段和玉米的开花期舞台期间灌溉了的在杂种的继电器的全部的收益在所有处理之中是最高的，由在小麦的开花期阶段和玉米的 silking 舞台期间灌溉了那列在后面；那么是水使用效率。重要差别发生在大多数产量构成因素在之间灌溉并且非灌溉的杂种继电器的处理。在杂种继电器或完全收割的小麦和玉米的叶面积指数的动力学显示出单个山峰的模式的一种类型，而杂种的继电器，处理显示出双山峰的一种类型模式。适当地，有限单个灌溉和控制土壤水分含量水平能导致更高全部的产量，水使用效率，和叶面积指数，并且在接力赛杂种改进产量构成因素。这个惯例节省了为灌溉使用并且也增加了收益的水的数量。因此，小麦和标题的标题舞台和玉米的开花期舞台被建议是最佳在半干旱的区域的杂种继电器的小麦和玉米的有限单个灌溉时间。

EflFect of long-term ozone fumigation on growth development and yield of spring wheat in open-top field chamber

The experimental plants were grown in open-top chamber and exposed to 0.26 ppm of ozone for six hrs. per day from seedling stage till ripening. The results showed that the height of plants, rates of earing, flowering, grain forming, ripening and the weight/1000 kernels all declined in fumigated plants in comparison with the controls. The yield lost 76.7%. The actual actions of ozone were that it caused foliar injury and chlorophyll destruction accelerating leaf senescence, reduction of assimilation products. O3 was unfavorable injurious to transport and accumulation of substances to the grains after flowering.

A preliminary study on simplified simulation model of spring wheat growth

In the model developed in this paper, taking the characters and requirements of meteorological services into account, some conventional meteorological observations which are easy to be obtained have been ch.osen, and mathematical equations describing micro-growth processes of crops have been established on the basis of the field experiments, laboratorial analysis and computer's modelling tests with time interval of ten-days for several years (1987-1989), in accordance with the known biological and physical rules and corresponding reference literatures. It is a preliminary simplified simulation model of spring wheat growth in optimal water and nutrient conditions. The field experiments show that simulation results of this simplified model are satisfactory. The potential operational application and theoretical sense are significant in the meteorological forecast of yield and in the assessment of influences of climatic change on agriculture.

Study on Somaclonal Variation of Spring Wheat

Somaclonal variation of calli and regenerated plants of spring wheat were detected by using technique RAPD in the study. Calli at different culture stages and regenerated plants derived from young spikes and immature embryos were used as materials. Molecular variation could be reflected from electrophoresis pattern of RAPD fragments at different culture stage in calli, and in regenerated plants derived from different explants, even no phenotype variations were found. Somaclonal variation in calli and in regenerated plants appeared regularly: A higher frequency of variation in hybrids F2 was detected than that of the cultivar that is stable genetically. High variation frequency of RAPD fragments appeared in calli when cultured 75 days. The identical variations of RAPD fragments were observed in calli and in the regenerated plants induced from different genotype or explants. The variation frequency detected is higher in regenerated plants than that of in calli. RAPD could be applied easily and simply to determine variation in level of DNA at each stage cultured in vitro.

Impact of Climate Variability on Yield of Spring Wheat in North Dakota

Agricultural production is highly dependent on the climatic variability of the specific regions. Differential climatic and soil conditions bring about changes in yield, quality of crops thus affecting the economy. This study evaluated the impact of variability in different climatic factors keeping the other factors constant on spring wheat production in North Dakota from 2007 to 2011. The spring wheat yield mainly depends on the climatic changes during growing periods April to September. Average maximum air temperature was significantly different from April to September except June from 2007 to 2011. High average minimum and maximum air temperatures during planting time increase yield and planting area for 2010. In 2011, low mean soil temperature, excess rainfall in April caused low yield of spring wheat. The unmitigated climate variability will result in declines in yields. So, adoption of sustainable agriculture practices helps the farmers to develop the different practices for their farms.

Spring Wheat Response to Disease Control and Subsurface Drainage Management in the Red River of the North Valley, USA

Increased variability in rainfall events and high production input costs are driving agricultural producers to consider subsurface water management in the flat Red River of the North Valley in Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota, USA. Subsurface tile incorporated with water table control structures was utilized from 2009 to 2011 to investigate the response of hard red spring wheat (HRSW) (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Thell.) for yield, disease, and other agronomic characteristics to soil water management. A factorial arrangement of four cultivars, two seed treatments, and two foliar fungicide treatments in a split-plot design with closed and open tile as whole-plots was used. Mean wheat yields averaged across years were not significantly different with closed or open tile treatments. There existed an optimum management practice where plant useable water was not freely drained and analyzing the data with the optimum water management for each year found the optimum water table managed treatment yielded higher with 3812 kg ha-1 compared with limited water table management with 3679 kg ha-1. In 2011, the cultivars Faller and Howard were taller, and Traverse had lower root disease severity. In 2010 and 2011, Howard and Traverse had more leaf disease with open tile compared with closed tile. Across years, there was no difference in root disease, stand, number of spikes, crop height, or yield response to appli-cation of seed treatments with open or closed tile. In 2010, there was a 3.7% yield advantage with application of seed treatment on open tile. Across years, there was no yield response to application of foliar fungicides;however, wheat yield with foliar fungicide was 5% higher than without application in 2010. Producers should be using water table control and disease management to maximize HRSW yield. Further research should investigate water table management throughout the season based on weather conditions.

Analysis on the Expression of TaMOR Gene in Two Different Spring Wheat Varieties at Different Years

[Objectives]The TaMOR gene is a gene that affects the initiation and growth of the secondary roots of wheat,but the expression patterns in different parts of the wheat root system and the differences in expression in different varieties are not clear.This study aimed to investigate the expression of the TaMOR gene in the seminal roots,secondary roots and root base.[Methods]Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR technology was used to analyze the relative expression levels of the TaMOR gene in seminal roots,secondary roots and root base of seedlings of ancient variety Monkhead and modern variety Longchun 35.[Results]There was no significant difference in the number of seminal roots between Longchun 35 and Monkhead,and the numbers of seminal roots of the two varieties did not change significantly during the three sampling periods.The number of secondary roots and shoot dry weight of Longchun 35 were significantly higher than those of Monkhead,and the number of secondary roots and shoot dry weight of both varieties increased with the sampling time point.The root dry weight of Monkhead increased with the sampling time,while Longchun 35 showed the largest value at the second time.The fluorescence quantitative PCR results showed that for 13-day seedlings,the relative expression of the TaMOR gene in root base was significantly higher than that in the seminal roots and secondary roots.There was no significant difference in the relative expression of gene TaMOR in the root system of Monkhead and Longchun 35.[Conclusions]The root allocation of gramineous crops decreases with the breeding years,and the difference in gene TaMOR expression level needs further study.