Carbon emission and water use efficiency response to tillage methods and planting patterns of winter wheat in the North China Plain.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Implementing sustainable farming practices for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the North China Plain may be a way to reduce carbon emissions. No tillage generally results in less net CO₂ loss from farmland, but no tillage also reduces the grain yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of winter wheat. Wide-precision planting of winter wheat may enhance the grain yield and WUE; however, it is not known precisely how tillage and planting patterns affect CO₂ exchange, grain yield and WUE.

Methods

In this study, two tillage methods (conventional tillage, T and no tillage, NT) and two planting patterns (conventional planting, C and wide-precision planting, W) were used in two consecutive winter wheat growing seasons.

Results

Compared with the T treatments, the NT treatments had significantly lower cumulative net CO₂ emissions in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 (30.8 and 21.3%, respectively), and had lower grain yields (9.0 and 9.4%, respectively) and WUE (6.0 and 7.2%, respectively). The W treatments had a compensating effect on grain yield failure and reduced cumulative net CO₂ emissions more than C treatments, thereby increasing WUE, reducing carbon emissions per unit water consumption, and increasing the yield carbon utilization efficiency (YCUE). The lowest cumulative CO₂ emissions and highest YCUE were observed for NT with W treatment. Results from this analogous tillage experiment indicated that NT and W farming practices provide an option for reducing carbon emissions and enhancing WUE and YCUE for sustainable winter wheat development.

SUBMITTER: Ma Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7500349 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature