Zhang et al. (2026) Winter wheat enhances water productivity by reducing shallow root investment and improving deep root activity after anthesis in the Haihe Plain

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Water Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-06-24
• Authors: Xuecheng Zhang, Ruirui Du, Yang Yu, Qiancheng Zhao, Li Wang, Xiaoli Liu, Wenchao Zhen, Yandong Wang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110561

Research Groups

• College of Agronomy, Hebei Agricultural University
• State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation
• Key Laboratory of North China Water-saving Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Short Summary

This study investigated the changes in root traits and their relationship with grain yield and water productivity (WPc) in winter wheat cultivars released between 1950 and 2021. The results showed that cultivar replacement led to a reduction in shallow-root investment and an increase in deep-root activity, resulting in improved WPc.

Objective

• To investigate the changes in root traits of winter wheat cultivars released between 1950 and 2021
• To examine the relationship between root traits and grain yield and water productivity (WPc)

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field experiments were conducted at the Malan Experimental Station, located in the central Haihe Plain, Hebei Province, China.
• Temporal Scale: The study spanned three winter wheat growing seasons (2021–2022, 2022–2023, and 2023–2024).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Mixed-effects models and generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were employed to analyze the data.
• Data sources: Field experiments and tube experiments were conducted using winter wheat cultivars released between 1950 and 2021.

Main Results

• Cultivar replacement led to a reduction in shallow-root investment and an increase in deep-root activity, resulting in improved WPc.
• The proportion of roots below 0.4 m increased with cultivar replacement, while the proportion of roots in the 0–0.4 m soil layer decreased.
• Root mass density (RMD) and root length density (RLD) in the 1.2–1.6 m soil layer increased significantly with cultivar replacement.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the changes in root traits of winter wheat cultivars released between 1950 and 2021.
• The results highlight the importance of deep-root activity for improving WPc under water-limited conditions.

Funding

• This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31571544) and the Hebei Provincial Key Research and Development Program (Grant No. 192102).
• Additional funding was provided by the State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation.

Citation

@article{Zhang2026Winter,
  author = {Zhang, Xuecheng and Du, Ruirui and Yu, Yang and Zhao, Qiancheng and Wang, Li and Liu, Xiaoli and Zhen, Wenchao and Wang, Yandong},
  title = {Winter wheat enhances water productivity by reducing shallow root investment and improving deep root activity after anthesis in the Haihe Plain},
  journal = {Agricultural Water Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110561},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110561}
}