Wide-precision planting pattern under different tillage methods affects photosynthesis and yield of winter wheat

Agricultural practices that are water-saving and high-yielding are vital to sustainable development. We investigated two planting patterns and two tillage methods in four winter wheat growing seasons in North China Plain (NCP). They're conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) under wide-precision planting (W) and conventional planting (C). Soil water content, dry matter accumulation (DM), grain yield (GY), chlorophyll content index (CCI), photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) interception were determined. We found W significantly increased the CCI, PAR interception, DM, and spikes number compared with C. The soil water content in 20-90 cm soil layer under NT was higher than that under CT. Both maximum water use efficiency of leaves (WUEL) and radiation use efficiency (RUE) were significantly greater under W compared with C, resulting in a higher GY. Furthermore, the Pn and spikes number were significantly higher under CT than under NT, with crop GY being higher under CT than under NT. However, the combination of NT and W showed higher WUEL and RUE that were not significantly different among treatments from NT to CT. Furthermore, the highest DM and RUE were observed in NTW treatment, with W compensating for the adverse effect of NT.