Abstract:
Objectives This study aimed to elucidate the yield formation and nutrient utilization characteristics of high-yielding wheat cultivars grown in nitrogen and phosphorus limited fields, and to provide valuable insights and a theoretical framework for enhancing wheat productivity under nutrient-deficient conditions.
Methods Twelve widely cultivated wheat cultivars from the Huang-Huai-Hai region were selected, and field experiments were conducted in Hejian City, Hebei Province, China, from 2022 to 2024. Key growth parameters including tiller number, dry matter accumulation, leaf area index (LAI), and chlorophyll content were carefully measured throughout critical growth stages. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) accumulation were evaluated at flowering and maturity stages, and yield and its components were recorded at harvest.
Results Based on yield performance over two-year, cluster analysis classified the tested cultivars into three groups: high-yield types (yield range 8399−9525 kg/hm2, including Hengguan 35, Heng 4399, Shimai 26, and Malan No. 1), medium-yield types (yield range 7669−9099 kg/hm2, including Henong 128, Shiluan 02-1, and Yingbo 700), and low-yield types (yield range 6300−8467 kg/hm2, including Cangmai 6002). Compared with medium- and low-yielding cultivars, high-yielding cultivars increased average grain yield by 8.8% and 37.2%, respectively, in 2022–2023, and by 5.1% and 13.2%, respectively, in 2023–2024.The number of grains per ear increased by 11.4% and 41.1%, respectively, in 2022–2023, and by 10.5% and 18.7%, respectively, in 2023–2024. Dry matter accumulation at maturity increased by 12.0% and 25.7% respectively in 2022–2023, and by 12.1% and 16.8% respectively in 2023–2024. Nitrogen accumulation at the mature stage increased by 16.1% and 46.1% respectively in 2022–2023, and by 6.3% and 15.9% respectively in 2023–2024. Phosphorus accumulation in high-yielding cultivars was significantly than that in low-yielding cultivars, increasing by 32.9% at the flowering stage and 31.6% at the mature stage in 2022–2023, and by 14.6% and 13.7%, respectively, in 2023–2024. across all growth stages, leaf area index (LAI) followed the order high-yielding>medium-yielding>low-yielding cultivars, whereas tiller number peaked in medium-yielding cultivars. Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) revealed that grain number per spike was significantly positively correlated with yield (R2=0.750, P<0.05) and dry matter accumulation (R2=0.194, P<0.05), while dry matter accumulation was significantly positively correlated with phosphorus accumulation (R2=0.786, P<0.05).
Conclusions High-yield wheat cultivars exhibit superior post-anthesis chlorophyll content in the upper three leaves and a higher leaf area index, which sustained stronger photosynthetic performance and promoted dry matter accumulation and grain number formation. Moreover, these cultivars also showed higher nitrogen and phosphorus uptake efficiency, greater nutrient accumulation, and enhanced pre-anthesis nitrogen and phosphorus translocation to grains. With a relatively stable thousand-grain weight and moderate spike number, high-yielding cultivars achieved superior yield performance primarily through increased grain number per spike, making them well suited for improving wheat productivity in nitrogen- and phosphorus-limited medium- and low-yield fields.