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New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts

Effect of water control and plastic-film mulch on growth and the range of size inequalities in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) populations

Yan-jun Du1,2
Zi-zhen Li1,*
Wen-long Li1

1The State Key Laboratory of Arid Agroecology
Lanzhou University
Lanzhou 730000
People’s Republic of China
email: zizhenlee@lzu.edu.cn

2College of Economics and Management
Northwest Normal University
Lanzhou 730070
People’s Republic of China
email: duyanjun@nwnu.edu.cn

Abstract  This study was conducted to determine the effect of water supply regimes and plastic-film mulching on the harvest index (HI), reproductive allocation (RA), and the range of size inequalities in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) populations, and to explore the mechanisms causing them. Grain yield, biological yield, HI, and RA of spring wheat decreased significantly (P < 0.001) along the irrigation gradient (applied water decreased from 0.35 to 0.175 to 0 m3 m–2). Either mulched or non-mulched, the range of size inequalities always increased. HI and RA in the mulched treatment were significantly lower than in the non-mulched treatment (P < 0.05). Results suggest that the range of size inequalities in spring wheat populations are closely correlated with the water regime in the field, and that under greater drought stress there are relatively smaller plants with lower HI. A greater range of size inequalities may result in growth redundancy. Appreciable growth redundancy occurred in spring wheat populations mulched with plastic film, which may result from the exacerbated interplant competition and self-thinning. Thus, spring wheat cultivation with plastic-film mulching was not the best method, although grain yields increased 38.5% in mulched treatments compared with non-mulched control plots.

Keywords  spring wheat; irrigation; plastic-film mulching; size inequalities; harvest index; growth redundancy

H03113; Online publication date 15 July 2005 Received 16 December 2003; accepted 23 March 2005
New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2005, Vol. 33: 251-260
0014-0671/05/3303-0251 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2005

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