HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Zhang, X. Articles by Yang, Y. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Zhang, X. Articles by Yang, Y. Agricola Articles by Zhang, X. Articles by Yang, Y. Related Collections Water Management Water Use Crop Systems Irrigation Water Conservation

Production Papers

Performance of Double-Cropped Winter Wheat–Summer Maize under Minimum Irrigation in the North China Plain

The Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Rd., Shijiazhuang 050021, China

^* Corresponding author (xyzhang{at}ms.sjziam.ac.cn)

Received for publication December 28, 2005. The double cropping of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and summer maize (Zea mays L.) in the North China Plain (NCP) requires intensive irrigation that results in rapidly depleting aquifers and threatens the sustainable agricultural development in the region. This study investigated the possibility of growing winter wheat and maize with minimum irrigation (MI) by bringing soil moisture in the top root zone to field capacity at sowing with no further irrigation afterwards. Results over 8 yr (1997–2005) showed that grain yield of winter wheat was over 5000 kg ha^–1 and maize was over 6000 kg ha^–1 in most of the seasons under MI. The average yield was decreased by 14% for winter wheat and 13% for maize compared with the fully irrigated treatment (FI). Water use efficiency (WUE) under MI was increased by 15% for winter wheat and 10% for maize compared with that under FI. Average seasonal evapotranspiration (ET) was 335 mm under MI and 447 mm under FI for winter wheat, and 319 mm and 403 mm for maize, respectively. The annual irrigation requirement of MI was only half that of FI. Yield reduction in MI was negatively related to seasonal rainfall (significant at P < 0.05). The success of MI depended on the deeper root system of winter wheat using soil moisture that accumulated below the shallower rooted maize over the summer rainfall season. The results showed that an MI strategy that would be simple to implement for farmers would contribute significantly to the sustainability of the groundwater resource.

Abbreviations: ET, evapotranspiration • FI, full irrigation • MI, minimum irrigation • NCP, the North China Plain • SWD, soil water depletion • WUE, water use efficiency

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Binder, S. Graeff, J. Link, W. Claupein, M. Liu, M. Dai, and P. Wang Model-Based Approach to Quantify Production Potentials of Summer Maize and Spring Maize in the North China Plain Agron. J., May 7, 2008; 100(3): 862 - 873. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]