Effect of Different Drip Irrigation Quotas on Water Consumption and Yield of Spring Wheat in Arid Region of Northwest China

Field experiment was conducted in an arid area of Northwest China to find the effect of five irrigation quotas(30,35,40,45,50mm)on water consumption and yield of spring wheat.Results showed that the total irrigation amount,water consumption and water consumption intensity during the growth stages and the whole growth season of spring wheat all increased with the increase of irrigation quota when it ranged from 30to 50millimeter.Water use efficiency(WUE)in the irrigation quota of 40mm reached to the highest,which was 1.91kg/m3.However,that treatment was still in water stress from flowering stage to maturity stage,which leaded to lower yield compared to W4and W5treatments.Yield of spring wheat also increased with the increase of irrigation quota,and the W5treatment reached to the maximum yield,which was 8 031kg/hm2.Taking into account factors such as water use efficiency and yield,when the irrigation quota was 45mm and the irrigation total was 350mm,yield of spring wheat under drip irrigation could increase 3%~14%and save water by 32%compared to local conventional irrigation.