Crop management measures to mitigate negative impacts of late sowing on winter wheat production in China: a meta-analysis.

Background: Global warming, extreme weather, and crop rotation disruptions often lead to delayed sowing of winter wheat, impacting yields. Management strategies like fertilization and increased planting density may mitigate these effects, but their efficacy is not well understood. We conducted a meta-analysis using data from 95 studies to assess the impact of late sowing and management practices on winter wheat yield and components in China.

Result: Our findings indicate that late sowing shortened the winter wheat growth period by about 16 days, decreasing dry matter accumulation and, thus, winter wheat yield (by 9.77%). Notably, late sowing had the most substantial impact on spike number (SN), decreasing it by 9.33%, whereas grain number per spike (GN) showed no significant effect, and thousand-grain weight (TGW) decreased by 1.17%. Increasing planting density can compensate for the decrease in SN, and additional nitrogen fertilizer can offset the reduction in GN. Combining increased planting density with irrigation or increased nitrogen application can result in comparable late-sown and normal-sown wheat yields. Moreover, using plastic film mulch after delayed sowing can even surpass the yield of normal sowing in some aspects, achieving comparable SN and TGW and surpassing normal sowing in GN.

Conclusion: Our study underscores that late sowing of winter wheat results in reduced yields, but appropriate cultivation management practices can effectively alleviate these adverse effects. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.