Photosynthesis and growth of winter wheat in response to waterlogging at different growth stages

Abstract

A study on photosynthetic and yield effects of waterlogging of winter wheat at four stages of growth was conducted in specially designed experimental tanks during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 seasons. Compared with the control, waterlogging treatments at tillering and jointing-booting stages reduced photosynthetic rate (P N ) and transpiration (E) significantly, it also decreased average leaf water-use efficiency (WUE, defined as the ratio of P N to E) by 3.3% and 3.4% in both years. All parameters returned quickly to the control level after soil was drained. Damage to the photosynthetic apparatus during waterlogging resulted in a lower F v /F m ratio, especially at the first two stages. A strong reduction in root length, root mass, root/shoot ratio, total dry mass, and leaf area index were observed. The responses from vegetative plants at tillering and jointing-booting stages were greater than in generative plants at onset of flowering and at milky stages. The number of panicles per hectare at tillering stage and the spikelet per panicle at the stages of jointing-booting and at onset of flowering were also significantly reduced by waterlogging, giving 8.2-11.3% decrease of the grain yield relative to the control in both years. No significant difference in yield components and a grain yield was observed between the control and treatments applied at milky stages. These responses, modulated by the environmental conditions prevailing during and after waterlogging, included negative effects on the growth, photosynthetic apparatus, and the grain yield in winter wheat, but the effect was strongly stage-dependent.

Prairies Thrive Where Row Crops Drown: A Comparison of Yields in Upland and Lowland Topographies in the Upper Midwest US

“…Yield reductions of 7%-11% have been observed when winter wheat has been subjected to waterlogging at individual growth stages [33]. The larger crop yield reductions found in our study may be a function of greater soil clay content (Table 1) and a subsequent prolonged lack of drainage, as yield reductions have been observed to increase with waterlogging duration [34].…”

Seedling Growth and Recovery in Response to Waterlogging of Wheat Cultivars Grown in the Yangtze River Basin of China from Three Different Decades

“…Previous studies reported that after seedling waterlogging, the number of adventitious roots and tillers formed per plant decreased, and the length, surface area, and nitrogen concentration of leaves, as well as the root and shoot dry weight and root/shoot ratio, were reduced (Malik et al, 2002;Robertson et al, 2009;Haque, 2012;Shao et al, 2013;Tıryakıoğlu et al, 2015). The present study showed that seedling waterlogging from GS12 to GS14 significantly disrupted the leaf stage growth and decreased the number of tillers per plant, number of adventitious roots per plant, seedling height, leaf area, specific leaf dry weight, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and root/shoot ratio (Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4).…”

“…Robertson et al (2009) observed that waterlogging considerably inhibited the growth of the primary tillers anddelayed the productionof new tillers, thoughit did not affect the nitrogen concentration of the youngest expanded leaf after recovery. Shao et al (2013) found that photosynthetic rate and transpiration rapidly returned to control levels after the soil was drained. However, Malik et al (2001) demonstrated that the growth rates of the shoots and roots in intensified waterlogged treatments only partially recovered after a 14-day recovery period.…”

“…Moreover, a rice-wheat rotation system is generally conducted in the YR, resulting inwater-saturated soil because of frequent rainfalls and excessive irrigation during the rice-growing season (Wu et al, 2015). Because of the increase of extreme climate eventsin the recent years, the frequency of rainfall intensity has increased and this increases the frequency of waterlogging (Schumacher & Johnson, 2006;Shao et al, 2013).…”

“…At the agronomic level, typical responses to waterlogging include decreased plant height; inhibited antioxidant capacity of leaves and roots; relatively low levels of photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration; and reduced growth of the roots and shoots; and reduced tillers, kernel number, and grain yield (Brisson et al, 2002;Jiang et al, 2006;Olgun et al, 2008;Hossain & Uddin, 2011). In addition, the severity of waterlogging's unfavourable effectson wheat growth depends on several factors, such assoil and weather conditions (Setter & Waters, 2003), cultivars grown (Dickin et al, 2009;Haque et al, 2012), cultivation technologies (Wu et al, 2013), growth stage of the plants (Shao et al, 2013;Wu et al, 2015), depth of water levels (Malik et al, 2001), and severity and duration of waterlogging (Collaku & Harrison, 2002;Malik et al, 2002). …”