Characteristics of the Water Consumption Components of Winter Wheat Fields and Their Effects on the Loess Plateau under Climate Change: An Example at Xifeng Station, Gansu, China

Jianying Jia (), Junfang Zhao (), Heling Wang, Feng Fang, Lanying Han and Funian Zhao
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Jianying Jia: Lanzhou Regional Climate Center, Lanzhou 730020, China
Junfang Zhao: Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Heling Wang: Key Laboratory of Arid Climatic Change and Disaster Reducing of Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Arid Climatic Change and Disaster Reducing of China Meteorological Administration, Institute of Arid Meteorology China Meteorological Administration, Lanzhou 730020, China
Feng Fang: Lanzhou Regional Climate Center, Lanzhou 730020, China
Lanying Han: Lanzhou Regional Climate Center, Lanzhou 730020, China
Funian Zhao: Key Laboratory of Arid Climatic Change and Disaster Reducing of Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Arid Climatic Change and Disaster Reducing of China Meteorological Administration, Institute of Arid Meteorology China Meteorological Administration, Lanzhou 730020, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-11

Abstract: Understanding the components of water consumption plays a critical role in agricultural management in arid regions. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of the components of the water consumption of winter wheat on the Loess Plateau in China to investigate their effects on yield and water use efficiency (WUE). Winter wheat observation data were collected from 1981 to 2020 at the Xifeng Agrometeorological Station on the Loess Plateau. The results show that over the past 40 years, the average water consumption of the winter wheat fields was 315 mm, but there were large differences between years. The soil water was first converted from precipitation ( P ) during the growing season, accounting for 69.4%, and then consumed via soil water storage (Δ W ) in the fallow period, accounting for 30.6%. The yield of winter wheat varied from 1057 to 6914 kg·ha −1 . The correlation between winter wheat yield and P during the growth period was stronger than the correlation between winter wheat yield and Δ W . The average WUE was 11.0 kg·ha −1 ·mm −1 from 1981 to 2020, with the highest value of 13.7 kg·ha −1 ·mm −1 occurring in the 2010s and the lowest value of 9.6 kg·ha −1 ·mm −1 occurring in the 2000s. The WUE was positively correlated with P ( p < 0.01) during the growth period and negatively correlated with Δ W ( p < 0.05). Therefore, P can increase yield and WUE more effectively than Δ W . These findings provide a theoretical basis for the efficient utilization of water resources on the Loess Plateau and the sustainable development of dry farming.

Keywords: precipitation during the growing period; soil water storage; fallow period; Loess Plateau (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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