Micro-sprinkling irrigation and topsoil compaction improve seedling quality of winter wheat in the Huaibei Plain of China

Drought events during the seedling stage of winter wheat are increasing in Huaibei Plain of China due to global warming, which lowers seedling quality and reduces crop productivity. This study aimed to explore the effect of irrigation methods and topsoil compaction on the seedling growth in this region.

We conducted a two-year filed experiment to evaluate the effect of three irrigation practices and topsoil compaction on the shoot and root growth of seedlings. The irrigation methods include rain-fed (RI), traditional flood irrigation (TI) and micro-sprinkling irrigation (MI). Topsoil compaction after wheat sowing was used under each irrigation method (RC, TC and MC). Various above-ground of plant, root traits and physiological data, and the dynamic of soil water content, were recorded.

The results demonstrated that MI maintained the highest water content in 0–20 cm soil profile at overwintering stage compared to TI, and TI was significantly higher than RI. MI had higher dry matter accumulation, the number of tillers and roots than TI and RI due to it obtained the highest leaf area index, chlorophyll content, root density and activity, while RI was the lowest levels. The relative growth rate, net assimilation rate and crop growth rate of seedlings were improved in MI than those of TI and RI. Topsoil compaction greatly promoted the growth of seedlings in RI at overwintering stage, and increased the dry matter accumulation in TI.

Micro-sprinkling irrigation and topsoil compaction can be used as effective measure to promote the growth of wheat seedling and improve its quality by increasing leaf production and strengthening the root system in the Huaibei Plain region.