Nitrogen availability affects the yield of winter wheat subjected to water stress during grain filling.

摘要

The effects of irrigation regimes (full irrigation and water-withholding at anthesis) and postanthesis nitrogen (N) supplies (LN, 0; MN 20; and HN, 40 kg N ha-1) on grain yield and its components in winter wheat were studied, with attention to biomass gain by assimilation and its loss by respiration. Fully irrigated wheat responded to N fertilization with increased grain number (GN) and decreased grain weight (GW), whereas drought-stressed wheat responded with greater GN without significant changes in GW. Apparent whole-plant respiration (R_A) was not influenced by increased postanthesis N fertilizer. Thus, in drought-stressed wheat, the total biomass and stem reserves at maturity were increased by increasing N supply. These results suggest that high N supply at anthesis satisfied the grains' increased demand for N by increasing postfloral assimilation, and the surplus assimilates not only compensated for the low-N-induced biomass loss by respiration but also may have increased the stem reserves.