Response of Triticum Vulgare Growth and Nitrogen Allocation to Irrigation Methods and Regimes under Subsoiling Tillage

Abstract

Subsoiling tillage breaks up the shallow plow layer and thickened plow pan resulting from prolonged crop rotation, thus enhancing the soil tillage layer environment and fostering crop growth. However, these changes in tillage practices are not accompanied by corresponding advancements in irrigation technology. Therefore, this study compared drip irrigation (DI) and micro-sprinkler irrigation (MS) with three watering levels (H, M, L) based on soil water content (70%, 60%, 50% of field capacity) against traditional surface irrigation (CK, 70%FC) to find the most suitable irrigation approach for subsoiling wheat fields. This study found that adjusting irrigation methods and regimes significantly impacted wheat growth and yield. Drip irrigation boosts winter wheat grain yield, harvest index, biomass transfer amount, biomass transfer rate, nitrogen accumulation, nitrogen use efficiency, and nitrogen harvest index significantly compared to surface and micro-sprinkler methods. Drip irrigation, notably the DI-M treatment, significantly enhances winter wheat grain yield by 28.7% compared to CK. Drip irrigation produced optimal results when soil water levels decreased to 60% of the field capacity. This suggests adopting a combination of DI, with irrigation initiated at 60% of field capacity, for enhanced wheat production and resource efficiency.