Exploring the Impacts of Genotype-Management-Environment Interactions on Wheat Productivity, Water Use Efficiency, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency under Rainfed Conditions

Raheel Osman; Muhammad Naveed Tahir; Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim; Wajid Ishaque; Ming Xu

doi:10.3390/plants10112310

Exploring the Impacts of Genotype-Management-Environment Interactions on Wheat Productivity, Water Use Efficiency, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency under Rainfed Conditions

Plants (Basel). 2021 Oct 27;10(11):2310. doi: 10.3390/plants10112310.

Authors

Raheel Osman^{1

2

3}, Muhammad Naveed Tahir³, Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim⁴, Wajid Ishaque⁵, Ming Xu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Henan Key Laboratory of Earth System Observation and Modeling, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
² College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
³ Department of Agronomy, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46300, Pakistan.
⁴ Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
⁵ Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.

Abstract

Wheat production under rainfed conditions is restrained by water scarcity, elevated temperatures, and lower nutrient uptake due to possible drought. The complex genotype, management, and environment (G × M × E) interactions can obstruct the selection of suitable high yielding wheat cultivars and nitrogen (N) management practices prerequisite to ensure food security and environmental sustainability in arid regions. The agronomic traits, water use efficiency (WUE), and N use efficiencies were evaluated under favorable and unfavorable weather conditions to explore the impacts of G × M × E on wheat growth and productivity. The multi-N rate (0, 70, 140, 210, and 280 kg N ha^-1) field experiment was conducted under two weather conditions (favorable and unfavorable) using three wheat cultivars (AUR-809, CHK-50, and FSD-2008) in the Pothowar region of Pakistan. The experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD), with split plot arrangements having cultivars in the main plot and N levels in the subplot. The results revealed a significant decrease in aboveground biomass, grain yield, crop N-uptake, WUE, and N use efficiency (NUE) by 15%, 22%, 21%, 18%, and 8%, respectively in the unfavorable growing season (2014-2015) as compared to favorable growing season (2013-2014) as a consequence of less rainfall and heat stress during the vegetative and reproductive growth phases, respectively. FSD-2008 showed a significantly higher aboveground biomass, grain yield, crop N-uptake, WUE, and NUE as compared to other wheat cultivars in both years. Besides, N₁₄₀ appeared as the most suitable dose for wheat cultivars during the favorable growing season. However, any further increase in N application rates beyond N₁₄₀ showed a non-significant effect on yield and yield components. Conversely, the wheat yield increased significantly up to 74% from N₀ to N₇₀ during the unfavorable growing season, and there was no substantial difference between N₇₀-N₂₈₀. The findings provide opportunities for maximizing yield while avoiding excessive N loss by selecting suitable cultivars and N application rates for rainfed areas of Pothowar Plateau by using meteorological forecasting, amount of summer rainfall, and initial soil moisture content.

Keywords: N fertilization; agronomic traits; favorable growing season; heat stress; semi-arid region; unfavorable growing season.

Abstract

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