Abstract
Achieving greater crop yield per unit of rainfall is one of the most important challenges for wheat production in dryland environments. Efficient use of limited water resources may be one means of achieving this goal. This chapter reviews the physiological adaptation to water deficit under variable environmental conditions in wheat. In addition, it reveals the compensatory effect of limited irrigation and fertilizer supplementation on wheat water-use efficiency (WUE) and highlights the breeding of new varieties for high WUE that could improve wheat productivity under water-limited environments. Considerable potential for further improvement in wheat productivity in semiarid areas seems to depend on effective conservation of moisture and efficient use of limited water. Different crops, soil and water management strategies should be adjusted according to the conditions that prevail in the various semiarid areas. Wheat productivity can be significantly improved by integrating the soil and water conservation approach and the regulated cropping system with cultivating drought-tolerance and water-saving cultivars.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the 111 Project of Chinese Education Ministry (No. B12007), the Major State Basic Research Development Program of People’s Republic of China (2009CB118604) and International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (2010DFA91930).
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Deng, XP. (2014). Enhancing Drought Resistance of Plants Using Wheat as a Test Crop. In: Tsunekawa, A., Liu, G., Yamanaka, N., Du, S. (eds) Restoration and Development of the Degraded Loess Plateau, China. Ecological Research Monographs. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54481-4_16
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