[Effects of water-fertilizer spatial coupling in root zone on winter wheat growth and yield].

A soil column experiment was conducted to study the winter wheat growth and yield under effects of different soil wetting (overall wetting, upper part wetting, and lower part wetting) and fertilization (overall fertilization, upper part fertilization, and lower part fertilization). The plant height and leaf area at tillering stage decreased significantly under lower part fertilization, compared with those under upper part and overall soil fertilization, but had no significant differences under different soil wetting. At jointing stage, the plant height was higher when the soil wetting and fertilization were at same location than at different location, manifesting a synergistic coupling effect of water and fertilizer. Lower part soil wetting and lower part fertilization decreased the root-, shoot-, and total dry biomass significantly, upper part fertilization benefited the biomass accumulation of winter wheat, and upper part soil wetting combined with upper part fertilization had an obvious coupling effect on the shoot- and total dry biomass. Soil wetting and fertilization at same location induced a higher ratio of root to shoot, compared with soil wetting and fertilization at different location, and lower part soil wetting resulted in the maximum water use efficiency (WUE), compared with upper part and overall soil wetting. A higher WUE was observed in the soil wetting and fertilization at same location than at different location, but a lower WUE was induced by lower part fertilization. The grain number per spike under upper part and overall soil wetting was increased by 41.7% and 61.9%, respectively, compared with that under lower part soil wetting, and this yield component under upper part and overall soil fertilization was also higher, compared with that under lower part fertilization. Upper part soil wetting and fertilization had an obvious coupling effect of water-fertilizer on the yield and yield components (except for 1000-grain mass). Different soil wetting and fertilization affected the yield mainly through affecting the grain number per spike.

[Effects of water deficit and nitrogen fertilization on winter wheat growth and nitrogen uptake].

Winter wheat plants were cultured in vitro tubes to study their growth and nitrogen uptake under effects of water deficit at different growth stages and nitrogen fertilization. Water deficit at any growth stages could obviously affect the plant height, leaf area, dry matter accumulation, and nitrogen uptake. Jointing stage was the most sensitive stage of winter wheat growth to water deficit, followed by flowering stage, grain-filling stage, and seedling stages. Rewatering after the water deficit at seedling stage had a significant compensation effect on winter wheat growth, and definite compensation effect was observed on the biomass accumulation and nitrogen absorption when rewatering was made after the water deficit at flowering stage. Under the same nitrogen fertilization levels, the nitrogen accumulation in root with water deficit at seedling, jointing, flowering, and grain-filling stages was reduced by 25.82%, 55.68%, 46.14%, and 16.34%, and the nitrogen accumulation in aboveground part was reduced by 33.37%, 51.71%, 27.01%, and 2.60%, respectively, compared with no water deficit. Under the same water deficit stages, the nitrogen content and accumulation of winter wheat decreased with decreasing nitrogen fertilization level, i. e., 0.3 g N x kg(-1) FM > 0.2 g N x kg(-1) FM > 0.1 g N x kg(-1) FM. Nitrogen fertilization had obvious regulation effect on winter wheat plant growth, dry matter accumulation, and nitrogen uptake under water stress.