Effects of sowing methods and nitrogen rates on photosynthetic characteristics, yield, and quality of winter wheat

Sustainability of winter wheat yield under dryland conditions depends on improvements in crop photosynthetic characteristics and crop yield. Therefore, studying the effects of different sowing methods and nitrogen rates on photosynthetic characteristics of flag leaves, nitrogen translocation, and yield could be an effective strategy to improve the crop yield. In this study, four nitrogen application concentrations and two sowing methods were used. The results showed that the photosynthetic rates were the highest at different stages of wide-space sowing (WSS) after flowering. Nitrogen concentration of 240 kg ha-1 improved the photosynthetic characteristics and significantly increased the net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate after flowering and significantly reduced the intercellular CO2 concentration compaired to other nitrogen concentrations. Our overall findings suggested that WSS nitrogen treatment with 240 kg ha-1 enhanced photosynthetic characteristics of flag leaves and nitrogen content of the plants leading to high yield under dryland conditions.