Effects of intensive water deficit regulation on yield,quality and water productivity of drip-irrigated winter wheat in desert oases
Liu Pei
Kuang Naikun
Zhou Yunpeng
Wang Zhenhua
Li Yunkai
Abstract：[Objective]Water scarcity is a main limiting factor for agriculture in desert oases in southern Xinjiang.Implementing intensive yet rational water-saving irrigation is critical to sustaining grain production and improving crop quality in this region.This study experimentally investigated the effects of intensive water saving on grain yield,quality and water productivity(WP)of drip-irrigated winter wheat in local desert oases.[Method]A two-year experiment was conducted from 2021 to 2023 in a wheat field using the cultivar Xindong 20 as the model crop.The experiment included seven treatments:sufficient irrigation(CK),moderate water stress(FM)and severe water stress(FS)during the entire growing season,mild water stress(VL)and moderate water stress(VM)during the regreening–jointing stage,and mild water stress(RL)and moderate water stress(RM)during the heading–maturity stage.During the experiment,we measured the yield,grain quality and water productivity of the wheat.The optimal irrigation method was determined using the TOPSIS method.[Result]With increasing water stress,grain yield,water productivity(WP),irrigation water productivity(IWP),grain protein content and water adsorption first increased and then decreased,while the gluten index,wet gluten content and sedimentation value increasing continuously accompanied by a continuous decrease in flour yield.Compared with CK,the FM increased grain yield,grain protein content,and water productivity by 1.4%,6.4%and 8.5%,respectively.The TOPSIS analysis showed that the FM was the optimal water-saving irrigation for wheat production in the study region.[Conclusion]Applying moderate water stress throughout the entire growing season is the optimal water-saving irrigation strategy for drip-irrigated winter wheat in desert oases of Southern Xinjiang;it achieves a coordinated balance among grain yield,grain quality,and water productivity.
Keywords：winter wheatwater managementyieldgrain qualitycomprehensive evaluation
Publication Date：2026-07-31
Online Publishing Date：2026-09-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：9( 1-9 )