Optimizing Center Pivot Irrigation to Regulate Field Microclimate and Wheat Physiology under Dry-Hot Wind Conditions in the North China Plain

Abstract

The dry-hot wind climate is one of the major agro-meteorological disasters associated with high temperature, low humidity, and specific wind forces, which seriously affects the yield of wheat in the North China Plain. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the field microclimate, net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content of flag leaves, grain filling rate, and wheat yield after sprinkler misting under the condition of a dry-hot wind climate in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Two travel speeds, full and half speed, and the corresponding irrigation amounts of 2.5 and 5 mm were used by a center pivot irrigation system during dry-hot wind conditions. A treatment without irrigation was applied as a control. The results showed that the air temperature and relative air humidity were greatly improved within 60 min after irrigation, especially in the upper part of the canopy. The net photosynthetic rate of flag leaves under 5 mm irrigation was higher than that under 2.5 mm irrigation during the middle and late grain filling periods. The adverse effects of dry-hot wind on the chlorophyll content of the flag leaves were mainly concentrated in the late grain filling stage. In the two years of the experiment, the average 1000-grain weights of 5 and 2.5 mm of irrigation treatments were 4.3 and 2.8% higher, and the grain yields were 5.8 and 3.3% higher, respectively, than those of the non-irrigated yields. Overall, applying a small amount of water between 12:00–14:00 with a center pivot before the occurrence of dry-hot wind is an effective means to regulate the field microclimate and produce more yield in the North China Plain.