Newer wheat cultivars achieved greater yield and water productivity through root and canopy synergies in the North China Plain

IF 5.6 1区农林科学 Q1 AGRONOMY

Field Crops Research Pub Date : 2025-04-17 DOI:10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109880

Yehan Fu , Jiayue Dai , Han Yang , Biwei Gao , Yuzhao Ma , Yunzhou Qiao , Yongpeng Li , Hong Yang , Baodi Dong

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Context

Selecting high water productivity wheat cultivars is an ideal strategy to maintain grain yield under water limited environments. However, the evolutionary and physiological-ecological mechanisms underlying high-yielding and water-efficient traits in wheat remain poorly understood.

Method

A three-year field experiment (2020–2023) was conducted in the North China Plain, encompassing three irrigation environments (W0: rainfed; W1: irrigation at jointing and W2: irrigation at both jointing and anthesis), and 14 wheat cultivars released between 1976–2016. The purpose was to identify morpho-physiological differences in grain yield and water productivity with cultivar replacement.

Results

Grain yield and water productivity increased by 0.41–0.75 % yr ⁻¹ and 0.43–0.76 % yr ⁻¹ with cultivar replacement under different irrigation environments. Compared to 1970s cultivars (JM 1 and JM 2), those released in the 2010s (JM 585, JM 518 and JM 325) showed a 70.05–117.96 % increase in leaf area index and a 32.61–44.70 % increase in post-anthesis dry matter accumulation. Additionally, the ratio of green to yellow leaf dry weight increased by 30.77–105.12 %. Wheat cultivars released in the 2010s delayed senescence of the surface 0–30 cm root system under W0 and W1, resulting in a 23.82 % and 0.73 % increase respectively in total root length post-anthesis, while reducing total root length by 22.29 % under W2. Structural equation modeling indicated that grain yield and water productivity were positively affected by leaf area index and the ratio of leaf area to total root length at late grain filling period.

Conclusion

Newly released wheat cultivars improve grain yield and water productivity through improving root adaptation and optimizing root-canopy synergies post-anthesis.

Implications

These findings offer critical insights for breeding and selecting wheat cultivars with high water efficiency, supporting sustainable agriculture in water-limited regions.

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在华北平原，新小麦品种通过根冠协同效应获得了更高的产量和水分生产力

选育高产水分小麦品种是在缺水环境下保持小麦产量的理想策略。然而，小麦高产节水性状的进化和生理生态机制尚不清楚。方法在华北平原进行为期3年（2020-2023）的田间试验，包括3种灌溉环境(W0：雨养；W1：拔节期灌溉和W2：拔节和开花期灌溉)，以及1976-2016年间发布的14个小麦品种。目的是确定品种更替对籽粒产量和水分生产力的形态生理差异。结果在不同灌溉环境下，更换品种可使籽粒产量和水分生产力分别提高0.41 ~ 0.75 % yr−1和0.43 ~ 0.76 % yr−1。与1970年代品种（jm1和jm2）相比，2010年代品种（JM 585、JM 518和JM 325）的叶面积指数提高了70.05 ~ 117.96 %，花后干物质积累提高了32.61 ~ 44.70 %。绿黄叶干重比提高30.77 ~ 105.12 %。2010年代释放的小麦品种在W0和W1处理下延缓了表层0-30 cm根系的衰老，导致花后总根长分别增加23.82% %和0.73% %，而在W2处理下总根长减少22.29 %。结构方程模型表明，灌浆后期叶面积指数和叶面积与总根长之比对籽粒产量和水分生产力有显著的正向影响。结论小麦新品种通过提高根系适应性和优化花期根系-冠层协同效应提高了籽粒产量和水分生产力。这些研究结果为选育高效节水小麦品种，支持水资源有限地区的可持续农业发展提供了重要见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Field Crops Research 农林科学-农艺学

CiteScore

9.60

自引率

12.10%

发文量

307

审稿时长

46 days

期刊介绍： Field Crops Research is an international journal publishing scientific articles on: √ experimental and modelling research at field, farm and landscape levels on temperate and tropical crops and cropping systems, with a focus on crop ecology and physiology, agronomy, and plant genetics and breeding.