Root growth, available soil water, and water-use efficiency of winter wheat under different irrigation regimes applied at different growth stages in North China

Field experiments were conducted at the Luancheng Agro-Ecosystem Experimental Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences during the winter wheat growing seasons in 2006–2007 and 2007–2008. Experiments involving winter wheat with 1, 2, and 3 irrigation applications at jointing, heading, or milking were conducted, and the total irrigation water supplied was maintained at 120 mm. The results indicated that irrigation during the later part of the winter wheat growing season and increase in irrigation frequency decreased the available soil water; this result was mainly due to the changes in the vertical distribution of root length density. In ≤30-cm-deep soil profiles, 3 times irrigation at jointing, heading, and milking increased the root length density, while in >30-cm-deep soil profiles, 1 time irrigation at jointing resulted in the highest root length density. With regard to evapotranspiration (ET), there was no significant (LSD, P < 0.05) difference between the regimes wherein irrigation was applied only once at jointing; 2 times at jointing and heading; and 3 times at jointing, heading, and milking. Compared with 1 and 3 times irrigation during the winter wheat growing season, 2 times irrigation increased grain yield and 2 times irrigation at jointing and heading produced the highest water-use efficiency (WUE). Combining the results obtained regarding grain yield and WUE, it can be concluded that irrigation at the jointing and heading stages results in high grain yield and WUE, which will offer a sound measurement for developing deficit irrigation regimes in North China.