Dynamics of Structural Dry Matter, Water Soluble Carbohydrates and Leaf Senescence Mediate the Response of Winter Wheat Yield to Soil Cover and Water Availability
Runze Zhang,
Caiyun Zhang,
Tong Lei,
Jiaxing Xu,
Panxin Zhang,
Changlu Hu,
Victor Sadras,
Xueyun Yang,
Shulan Zhang
Affiliations
Runze Zhang
Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Caiyun Zhang
Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Tong Lei
Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Jiaxing Xu
Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Panxin Zhang
Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Changlu Hu
Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Victor Sadras
South Australian Research and Development Institute and School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
Xueyun Yang
Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Shulan Zhang
Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Plastic film mulching often increases the yield of winter wheat in the Loess Plateau of China, but the physiological mechanisms are unclear, especially in response to the interaction between mulch and water supply. In this study, we investigated the interactive effects of initial soil water (dry, moderate, and wet), soil cover (plastic mulch, bare soil), and seasonal conditions on the dynamics of dry matter partitioning, water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), and flag leaf senescence, and their relations with yield and its components. Plastic mulch increased dry matter accumulation at anthesis and maturity relative to bare soil, with no interaction with season or initial soil water. Allocation of dry matter to leaf, stem, and spike did not change with soil cover. Compared with bare soil, mulch increased WSC accumulation by 14% at anthesis and its translocation by 16%. Soil cover did not influence the senescence of flag leaf after anthesis as indicated by similar dynamics of the C:N ratio. Grain yield was higher under plastic mulch than bare soil in two out of three seasons, and was associated with a higher translocation amount of WSC and post-anthesis dry matter that linked grain weight, grain number, and harvest index.
