Effects Of Shading And Waterlogging On The Photosynthesis And Yield Performance Of Winter Wheat In Jiangsu Province, China

Jiangsu Province is one of major wheat-producing areas in China. In this region, winter wheat is often vulnerable to waterlogging stress in spring because of the cloudy and rainy weather. Moreover, the growth of winter wheat can be threatened simultaneously by inadequate sunlight. Waterlogging and inadequate sunlight have been thought to be common agricultural meteorological disasters in Jiangsu Province. However, little is known about the impact of the combined waterlogging and shading stress on the growth of winter wheat and the underlying mechanisms. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate the impacts of shading, waterlogging and combined stress on the photosynthetic ability and yield performance of winter wheat at the booting, flowering and grain-filling stages. The results showed that the photosynthetic ability of winter wheat was significantly influenced after treatment with shading, waterlogging and combined stress, and the impacts became more severe with the prolonged treatment. In terms of yield components, shading and waterlogging had the greatest impact on grain yield, followed by 1000-grain weight and grain number per spike. In conclusion, waterlogging and combined stress had more severe impact on the 1000-grain weight of winter wheat. The flowering and grain-filling stages were the sensitive stages at which winter wheat responded to shading and waterlogging. This study will be of great significance to enhance our understanding of the impact of shading and waterlogging on the growth of winter wheat and find ways to improve stress tolerance of winter wheat to adverse weather condition to further increase grain yield. (C) 2019 Friends Science Publishers