Effect of chemical regulators on the recovery of leaf physiology,dry matter accumulation and translocation,and yield-related characteristics in winter wheat following dry-hot wind

Dry-hot wind stress causes losses in wheat productivity in major growing regions worldwide,especially winter wheat in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China,and both the occurrence and severity of such events are likely to increase with global climate change.To investigate the recovery of physiological functions and yield formation using a new noncommercial chemical regulator(NCR)following dry-hot wind stress,we conducted a three-year field experiment(2018-2021)with sprayed treatments of tap water(control),monopotassium phosphate(CKP),NCR at both the jointing and flowering stages(CFS),and NCR only at the jointing stage(FSJ)or flowering stage(FSF).The leaf physiology,biomass accumulation and translocation,grain-filling process,and yield components in winter wheat were assessed.Among the single spraying treatments,the FSJ treatment was beneficial for the accumulation of dry matter before anthesis,as well as larger increases in the maximum grain-filling rate and mean grain-filling rate.The FSF treatment performed better in maintaining a high relative chlorophyll content as indicated by the SPAD value,and a low rate of excised leaf water loss in flag leaves,promoting dry matter accumulation and the contribution to grain after anthesis,prolonging the duration of grain filling,and causing the period until the maximum grain-filling rate reached earlier.The CFS treatment was better than any other treatments in relieving the effects of dry-hot wind.The exogenous NCR treatments significantly increased grain yields by 12.45-18.20% in 2018-2019,8.89-13.82% in 2019-2020,and 8.10-9.00% in 2020-2021.The conventional measure of the CKP treatment only increased grain yield by 6.69% in 2020-2021.The CFS treatment had the greatest mitigating effect on yield loss under dry-hot wind stress,followed by the FSF and FSJ treatments,and the CKP treatment only had a minimal effect.In summary,the CFS treatment could be used as the main chemical control measure for wheat stress resistance and yield stability in areas with a high incidence of dry-hot wind.This treatment can effectively regulate green retention and the water status of leaves,promote dry matter accumulation and efficient translocation,improve the grain-filling process,and ultimately reduce yield losses.

Effects of different concentrations of super-absorbent polymers on soil structure and hydro-physical properties following continuous wetting and drying cycles

Super-absorbent polymers(SAPs)are widely used chemical water-saving materials,which play an active role in the accumulation of soil water and the improvement of soil structure.Little is known about their performance with repeated usage or about factors influencing their efficiency under alternate wetting and drying cycles.In this study,various concentrations of SAP(0,0.1,0.2 and 0.3%)in soil following three continuous wetting and drying cycles(T1,T2 and T3),were studied to determine effects on soil structure stability and hydro-physical properties.The results indicated that the SAP improved soil water supply capacity under conditions of mild drought(T2)and sufficient irrigation(T3)at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.3%,but a reduction was observed under severe drought conditions(T1),which was negatively correlated with the SAP concentration.The physical adsorption of the SAP by soil and the chemical connection between the SAP and soil mineral colloids as Si-O-Si bonds,-OH bonds and different crystalline silica were the important factors that directly lead to the reduction of water retention capacities of the SAP with alternating wet and dry conditions.Compared with the control,the soil liquid phase ratios of the SAP treatments were increased by8.8-202.7%in the T1 and T2 cycles,which would have led to a decrease in the soil air phase ratios.After repeated wetting and drying cycles,the SAP treatments increased the amount of>0.25 mm soil aggregates and the contents of water-stable macro-aggregate(R_(0.25)),and decreased the amount of<0.053 mm soil aggregates,especially with higher concentrations of the SAP.Increases in mean weight diameter(MWD)and geometric mean diameter(GMD),and declines in fractal dimension(D)and unstable aggregates index(E_(LT))were all observed with the SAP treatments,which indicated an improvement in soil stability and structure.It was concluded that the distribution and stability of soil aggregates and soil water supply capacity was closely related to SAP concentration,soil moisture condition and the interaction between the SAP and soil particles.

Effects of Different Line Spacing and Seedling Belt Width on Yield Formation of Broad-Width Fine Sowing Wheat

In order to explore the interaction effects of line spacing and seedling belt width on wheat yield formation and improve the cultivation techniques of broadwidth and fine seeding of wheat,a high-yielding winter wheat cultivar Shannong 28 was selected as material. Using the split plot design,the main plot was set with line spacing as 20,25 and 30 cm,respectively,and the sub-plot was set with seedling belt width as 3,5,7,9 and 11 cm,respectively. Then,the population dynamics,dry matter accumulation and translocation and yield of wheat were studied under the experimental conditions. The results showed that under the line spacing of 20 cm,the dry matter accumulation and yield of winter wheat were higher with the seedling belt width of 5 cm. When the line spacing was 25 cm,the dry matter accumulation and yield under the seedling belt width of 9 cm reached a high level. Under the line spacing of 30 cm,Shannong 28 achieved higher dry matter accumulation and yield with the seedling belt width of 11 cm. Comprehensive analysis revealed that the suitable treatment for Shannong 28 was 25 cm of line spacing with 9 cm of seedling belt width,which could realize the coordination of the three factors of yield composition and get higher yield. Therefore,the reasonable line spacing and seedling belt width were the important technical ways to realize high yield of wheat.