Theory and application for the promotion of wheat production in China: past, present and future

Abstract

Food security is becoming a crucial concern worldwide. In this study, we focus on wheat - a staple crop in China - as a model to review its history, status quo and future scenarios, with regard to key production technologies and management practices for wheat production and associated food security issues since the new era in China: the post-1949 era. First, the dominant technologies and management practices over the past 60 years are reviewed. Secondly, we outline several key innovative technologies and their theoretical bases over the last decade, including (i) prohibiting excessively early senescence at a later growth stage to maintain viable leaves with higher photosynthetic capacity, (ii) postponing top dressing nitrogen application to balance carbon and nitrogen nutrition, and (iii) achieving both high yield and better grain quality mainly by increasing soil productivity and balancing the ratio of nutrient elements. Finally, concerns such as water shortages and excessive application of chemical fertilizers are presented. Nevertheless, under high negative conditions, including global warming, rapid population growth, decreasing amounts of arable land, increasing competition with cash crops and severe environmental pollution, we conclude that domestic food production will be able to meet Chinese demand in the mid to long term, because increasingly innovative technologies and improved management practices have been and may continue to be applied appropriately.

Manure Limits Wheat Yield Losses Due to Delayed Seeding

“…In NCP, the winter wheat–summer maize, double‐cropping system accounted for 60% of the irrigated area (Wang et al, 2009; Xu et al, 2013), targeting full crop productivity in existing arable land to meet increasing demands for foodstuffs (Zhang et al, 2012; Chen et al, 2014). This so‐called “winter wheat–summer maize rotation cropping system per year” involves winter wheat from October to June in the next year and summer maize from June to September, making it difficult for optimal timing of wheat sowing (Cui et al, 2008).…”

“…H igh wheat yield generally results from an optimal plant population that favors the coordinated development of yield components (Xu et al, 2013; Lu et al, 2014). In practice, sowing and fertilizer regimes are considered the primary management practices regulating stand development (Bassu et al, 2009; Lu et al, 2014).…”

Investigating Yield Variability and Inefficiency in Rice Production: A Case Study in Central China

“…From this perspective, stable grain production in China is of great importance both for domestic and global food security. However, Chinese grain production is facing unprecedented challenges to continue to produce more rice while being constrained by limited arable land, population growth pressure, environmental pollution, degradation of soil fertility, water scarcity, and climate change [6][7][8]. These problems pose a challenge to the sustainability of agricultural production, especially the country's ability to maintain a high level of crop productivity and stability in the long run [9][10][11].…”

Changes in Phosphorus Requirement with Increasing Grain Yield for Winter Wheat

“…Better vegetative growth during the stem‐elongation stage might lead to higher stem quality, and thus more stem would survive from stem elongation to anthesis. Furthermore, fertile floret differentiation development during this stage determines the number of kernels per spike and grains per spike, which are the two main yield components that determine the final grain yield (Xu et al, 2013). Shoot biomass accumulation was highest, at around 288 kg ha −1 d −1 , from GS30 to GS60, and then decreased with time.…”