Conservation Tillage Increases Water Use Efficiency of Spring Wheat by Optimizing Water Transfer in a Semi-Arid Environment

Peng, Z and Wang, L and Xie, J and Li, L and Coulter, J A and Zhang, R and Luo, Z and Kholova, J and Choudhary, S (2019) Conservation Tillage Increases Water Use Efficiency of Spring Wheat by Optimizing Water Transfer in a Semi-Arid Environment. Agronomy (TSI), 9 (583). pp. 1-18. ISSN 2073-4395

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Abstract

Water availability is a major constraint for crop production in semiarid environments. The impact of tillage practices on water potential gradient, water transfer resistance, yield, and water use e�ciency (WUEg) of spring wheat was determined on the western Loess Plateau. Six tillage practices implemented in 2001 and their e�ects were determined in 2016 and 2017 including conventional tillage with no straw (T), no-till with straw cover (NTS), no-till with no straw (NT), conventional tillage with straw incorporated (TS), conventional tillage with plastic mulch (TP), and no-till with plastic mulch (NTP). No-till with straw cover, TP, and NTP significantly improved soil water potential at the seedling stage by 42, 47, and 57%, respectively; root water potential at the seedling stage by 34, 35, and 51%, respectively; leaf water potential at the seedling stage by 37, 48, and 42%, respectively; tillering stage by 21, 24, and 30%, respectively; jointing stage by 28, 32, and 36%, respectively; and flowering stage by 10, 26, and 16%, respectively, compared to T. These treatments also significantly reduced the soil–leaf water potential gradient at the 0–10 cm soil depth at the seedling stage by 35, 48, and 35%, respectively, and at the 30–50 cm soil depth at flowering by 62, 46, and 65%, respectively, compared to T. Thus, NTS, TP, and NTP reduced soil–leaf water transfer resistance and enhanced transpiration. Compared to T, the NTS, TP, and NTP practices increased biomass yield by 18, 36, and 40%; grain yield by 28, 22, and 24%; and WUEg by 24, 26, and 24%, respectively. These results demonstrate that no-till with straw mulch and plastic mulching with either no-till or conventional tillage decrease the soil–leaf water potential gradient and soil–leaf water transfer resistance and enhance sustainable intensification of wheat production in semi-arid areas.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Research Program : Innovation Systems for the Drylands (ISD)
CRP:	UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Conservation tillage, Water potential gradient, Water transfer resistance, Transpiration, Water use e�fficiency
Subjects:	Others > Semi-Arid Tropics Others > Wheat Others > Water Conservation
Depositing User:	Mr Arun S
Date Deposited:	12 Jun 2020 05:52
Last Modified:	12 Jun 2020 05:52
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/11515
Official URL:	https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9100583
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	Research Program of the Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Department of Education of Gansu Province
Acknowledgement:	UNSPECIFIED
Links:	Google Scholar

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