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Article

Performance of Winter-Seeded Spring Wheat in Inner Mongolia

1
College of Agricultural, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010019, China
2
Agriculture Technology and Popularization Center, Linxi County Agricultural Bureau, Chifeng 025250, China
3
College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010019, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2019, 9(9), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9090507
Submission received: 22 July 2019 / Revised: 28 August 2019 / Accepted: 29 August 2019 / Published: 3 September 2019
(This article belongs to the Section Innovative Cropping Systems)

Abstract

:
Growing spring wheat in Inner Mongolia is challenging because of the short growing period, dry-hot winds, and heat-forced maturity. There are also problems with growing winter wheat varieties, such as frost damage, spring droughts, and “late spring cold”. These factors have restricted efforts to increase yields. In order to address these challenges, this study adopted a “spring wheat winter-sowing” planting model for growing wheat in the Hetao Plain Irrigation District in Inner Mongolia and studied wheat varieties with different vernalization requirements through three consecutive field trials. The effects of different sowing dates were analyzed on seed germination and seedling emergence, growth, material accumulation, and yield formation, and the differences were characterized from traditional spring wheat. The results indicated that delaying the sowing date increased the spring emergence rate of the wheat varieties. The winter-seeded spring wheat germinated and ripened after three and seven days, respectively, earlier than the spring-seeded. The grain yield for the winter-seeded wheat was parallel to the spring-seeded wheat. Compared with the spring-seeded wheat, the winter-seeded wheat displayed less panicles, but greater grains per spike, and a 1000-grain weight. When seeded in winter, Yongliang 4 performed better than Ningdong 11 and Henong 7106 in terms of the emergence rate, material accumulation, and grain yield. The best seeding time for the winter-seeded spring wheat in the Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia is early November.

1. Introduction

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is one of the most important areas for spring wheat production in China, accounting for more than one-third of the spring wheat produced [1]. However, the spring wheat production in Inner Mongolia is restricted by: A long seedling stage; short tillering stage; short spike differentiation period; short filling period; dry-hot wind; and heat-forced maturity [2]. Generally, there are still more than 50 frost-free days after the spring wheat harvest. Thus, the light and temperature resources are wasted. Compared with spring wheat, winter wheat has a longer growing period, which allows for more photosynthetic products to be accumulated and more spikelets to be produced because of a longer period of spike differentiation and tillering. Winter wheat matures earlier than spring wheat, and therefore can escape the damage of dry-hot wind and high temperatures. The studies of winter wheat in the Hetao Plain Irrigation District in Inner Mongolia indicate that the optimal seeding date for winter wheat was mid-September [2,3,4]. However, corn and sunflowers, the major crops in this area, have not yet matured by that time. Therefore, the optimal seeding date for winter wheat is not guaranteed. Late seeding would cause a low seedling vigor winter survival rate [5]. Due to these reasons, winter wheat has not been widely grown in Inner Mongolia. In the 1950s, the winter-seeded spring wheat became common in the traditional spring wheat planting areas. In this production system, spring wheat is seeded in autumn or early winter, and the seeds emerge in next spring. This strategy is applied to both winter wheat varieties and spring wheat varieties. This measure has its own unique significance from a wheat ecology point of view [6]. Of course, there are additional factors limiting wheat survival during the winter, such as an appropriate sowing date, the sowing method, sowing depth, and soil temperature during the winter and water conditions [7,8,9,10,11,12].
At present, there are several reports about the late sowing of winter wheat [13,14,15,16], while research on the sowing of wheat during the winter in the traditional spring wheat region in China is still rare. This study performed a “spring wheat winter-sowing” in the Hetao Irrigation District and evaluated the effects of different winter sowing dates on seed germination, growth, material accumulation, and yield formation of both winter and traditional spring wheat varieties. Our findings help to define the appropriate winter sowing dates for obtaining high yields and provide the basis for popularizing the winter sowing of wheat in the Hetao Irrigation District.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Experimental Field and Meteorological Conditions

This research consisted of three experiments conducted at different locations from 2014 to 2016, respectively. In 2013–2014, the field experiment was conducted at the Yuanziqu Experiment Station of Bayannaoer Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Field 1, 40.48′ N, 107.09′ E), while from 2014 to 2016, the experiments were carried out at the Wuyuan Agricultural Technology Extension Center Research Field (Field 2, 41°10′ N, 108°13′ E), Bayannaoer City, Inner Mongolia, China. The soil was clay loam. Wheat was the previous crop. The initial soil properties in the top 20-cm layer are shown in Table 1. The changes in precipitation and temperature over the growing season are shown in Figure 1. The meteorological data came from the Meteorological Bureau of Bayannaoer City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. The types of meteorological stations are the national general weather stations.

2.2. Experimental Design

These experimental designs were split-plot designs. In 2013–2014, this study set up two main plots that were considered treatment (variety) plots. Each main plot was subdivided into four replication plots, each of 7 × 4 m2, containing all of the four sowing dates assorted randomly (Table 2). Two wheat cultivars, Yongliang 4 (spring) and Ningdong 11 (winter), were used for the experiments, and were sown on 11 October, 26 October and 10 November 2013, and 15 March 2014. The seeding rate for this experiment was 375 kg ha−1. In 2014–2015, the two wheat cultivars, Yongliang 4 (spring) and Ningdong 11 (winter), were used for the experiment. The seeds were sown on 13 October, 20 October, 27 October, 3 November, 10 November 2014, and 21 March 2015 (Table 3). The seeding rate for this experiment was 375 kg ha−1. The varieties tested in 2015–2016 were Yongliang 4 (spring) and Henong 7106 (semi-winter), and the experiment had six sowing date treatments, which included 21 October, 28 October, 4 November, 11 November, 18 November 2015, and 20 March 2016 (Table 4). The seeding rate for this experiment was 450 kg ha−1. A basal dose of diammonium phosphate (300 kg ha−1) was added to the soil during field preparation, and before seeding, urea (375 kg ha−1) was applied at Zadoks 31 with irrigation. 1 g of tribenuron-methyl 10% WP (Shandong Vicome Greenland Chem. Co. Ltd.) per 1 L of water was mixed evenly. The mixture was sprayed before Zadoks 31 at the amount of 300 kg·ha−1.

2.3. Data Acquisition and Statistical Analysis

After emergence, the samples were collected from three rows of 1 m in length, and the number of seedlings were recorded and the emergence rate was calculated.
Emergence rate = number seedlings germinated/number of seeds sown × 100%.
From the time of wheat sowing until Zadoks 92 in the following year, the HZR-8T multi-channel soil temperature tester produced by Beijing Huize Agricultural Science and Technology Co. Ltd. (BHASTC, Beijing, China) was used to automatically record the temperature of the 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm soil layers. The temperature was recorded four times each day (0:00, 6:00, 12:00 and 18:00).
Each growth stage was recorded according to the standard of the reported wheat growing period [17]. The samples were collected from the six growth stages, namely, Zadoks 21, Zadoks 31, Zadoks 55, Zadoks 65, Zadoks 71, and Zadoks 92. From each treatment plot, three rows of 1 m in length were selected, and the number of plants and stalks in the subplots were counted and weighed. The samples were dried at 80 °C to a constant weight and were weighed. The grain yield per 2 m2 (avoiding border rows) was weighed after drying the grains to a safe storage moisture content, that is, 13%, and were used to estimate the total yield per hectare.
All of the data were analyzed with the MIXED procedure of SAS. The variety–replicate (variety × replicate combinations) and the replicate effects were considered random, whereas the variety, sowing date, and variety–sowing date (variety × sowing date combinations) effect were considered fixed. Duncan’s multiple range test was used to compare the mean differences among the treatments at a 5% probability level. The statistical analysis was performed with the SAS software package (SAS 9.0). The mean values are reported in the tables and figures.

3. Results

3.1. Spring Emergence Rate

A notable response of the seeding dates to the spring emergence rate was observed (Table 5). As expected, the spring emergence rates of the two tested varieties were the highest for the wheat seeded in spring, the least for those seeded in October, and intermediate for those seeded in November in the 2014/2015 growing season. The wheat seeded in October displayed the highest pre-winter emergence rate, but a zero-winter survival rate because of its lower biomass (data not shown). The one seeded in November did not emerge in the winter. Consistent with the results in the 2014–2015 season, the wheat seeded in spring displayed the highest spring emergence rate. The wheat seeded at the first two seeding dates had great pre-winter emergence rates, but zero winter survival rates. The same as in the 2014–2015 season, the wheat seeded in November did not germinate before spring, but it displayed good spring emergence rates. The effects of the sowing date and interaction of the sowing date and the variety on the emergence rate were apparent, indicating that the sowing date and the variety are very important for the spring emergence rate of winter-seeded wheat.

3.2. Growth Stages

In 2013–2014, the seedlings of both varieties sown on the first sowing dates all emerged before the winter and died before spring (Table 6). Due to the low soil temperature at the time of sowing, the varieties sown on the second and third sowing dates did not germinate before spring. For Yongliang 4, the winter-seeded plants at Zadoks 10 were two to three days earlier than the spring-seeded plants, and at Zadoks 92, they were five days ahead of the spring-seeded plants. However, for Ningdong 11, when compared with the spring-seeded wheat, the winter-seeded plants at Zadoks 10 were three days earlier, at Zadoks 31 and Zadoks 71, they were 10 to 16 days earlier, and at Zadoks 92, they were 24 days earlier. In the 2014–2015 season, the first three sowing dates of the two varieties emerged before winter and died during winter, while the fourth and fifth sowing dates of the wheat overwintered as seed. For Yongliang 4, the winter-seeded plants at Zadoks 10 and Zadoks 92 were two to four days and four to five days, respectively, ahead of the spring-seeded plants. For Ningdong 11, when compared to the spring-seeded plants, the winter-seeded plants at Zadoks 10 were two to three days earlier, at Zadoks 31 and Zadoks 71, they were 10 to 15 days earlier, and at Zadoks 92, they were 25 days earlier (Table 7). In 2015–2016, except for the first sowing date, both the varieties overwintered as seed (Table 8). The Zadoks 10 of Yongliang 4 in the winter-seeded were three to four days earlier than the spring-seeded plants, and at Zadoks 92 were four to six days earlier. The Zadoks 10, Zadoks 21, and Zadoks 31 of the winter-seeded Henong 7106 were three to five days ahead of the spring-seeded plants and from Zadoks 55 to Zadoks 92, they were 8 to 15 days earlier than the spring-seeded plants.
In general, the growing process of Ningdong 11 and the semi-winter cultivar Henong 7106 sown in the spring were significantly delayed. However, when these cultivars overwintered as seed, they had earlier and better growth than when sown in the spring. As the accumulated temperature required from sowing to emergence is constant, this overwinter as seeds can fully utilize the accumulated temperature in early spring to germinate earlier and accelerate growth.

3.3. Dry Matter Accumulation

The dry matter accumulation (DMA) followed a slow–fast–slow or S-shaped curve for all of the sowing dates (Figure 2 and Figure 3). The DMA increased slowly before Zadoks 31, and rapidly from Zadoks 31 to Zadoks 71. The difference of DMA between the sowing dates was small before Zadoks 31, and enlarged from Zadoks 31 to Zadoks 71. For the two varieties in 2014–2015, the spring-seeded and winter-seeded displayed the highest DMA before Zadoks 55 and after Zadoks 65, respectively. Compared to Ningdong 11, Yongliang 4 displayed a greater DMA. In 2015–2016, the DMA increased with a delay in the sowing date. The spring-seeded plants had the highest DMA before Zadoks 55 (Henong 7106) or before Zadoks 65 (Yongliang 4), while after these periods, both of the varieties in the winter-seeded plants (B5) exhibited more than the spring-seeded. The DMA of Yongliang 4 was greater than Henong 7106. On the whole, compared with the spring-seeded, the superiority of DMA was observed in the winter-seeded plants after Zadoks 65, and the superiority was different among the varieties. The DMA of spring variety Yongliang 4 performed better than the winter variety Ningdong 11 and semi-winter variety Henong 7106 when seeded in the winter.

3.4. Yield and Yield Components

The analysis of variance indicated notable responses for the sowing dates, varieties, and their interaction to grain yield and yield components (Table 9, Table 10 and Table 11). In 2013–2014, the grain yield of Yongliang 4 seeded on 10 November was the highest, followed by those seeded on 15 March and 26 October. In 2014–2015, the grain yield of Yongliang 4 was the highest, least, and intermediate for those seeded on 10 November, 21 March and 3 November, respectively. Yongliang 4 seeded on 10 November and 21 March displayed the among the highest grain yields. In the 2015–2016 season, the grain yield increased with the delay of the sowing dates. The wheat seeded on 18 November and 20 March displayed among the highest grain yield for both Yongliang 4 and Henong 7106. With the delay of sowing dates, the number of effective panicles increased, while the number of grains per panicle and the grain weight decreased. Compared with the spring seeded plants, the winter-seeded wheat displayed fewer panicles, but higher grains per spike and 1000-grain weights. The Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed a highly positive correlation between the number of panicles and the yield of wheat seeded on different dates, but the correlation between the yield and the number of spikes, and between the yield and 1000-grain weight, was not notable (Table 9, Table 10 and Table 11). Spring variety Yongliang 4 performed better than the winter variety Ningdong 11 and semi-winter variety Henong 7106 when seeded in the winter.

4. Discussion

In the spring wheat-producing region of northern China, the waste of light and temperature resources after the wheat harvest is serious, and it is difficult to increase the total yearly grain output. Numerous studies have shown that growing winter wheat instead of spring wheat, and changing the sowing date from spring to winter can make full use of the natural resources in the “less than two seasons, more than one season” region in northern China, and can maintain the wheat area, increase yields, and improve quality. At the same time, the land use efficiency can be improved, and the multiple crop index can be increased [18,19]. In Inner Mongolia, which is the largest spring wheat producing area in the country, spring wheat production has entered an era of high costs, and it is difficult to increase production. Therefore, the wheat planting pattern must be improved strategically. Changing from spring-sowing to winter-sowing is one direction for the further development of wheat production. However, the cultivation of winter wheat in Inner Mongolia is problematic because of the lack of cold-resistant varieties, the effect of spring drought or late spring cold affects turning green, the restriction of the preceding crop, and the utilization of succeeding crops [3]. Collectively, these factors severely limit the application and sustainable development of winter wheat cultivation in large areas. For this reason, spring-wheat winter-sowing in the northern wheat region has begun to receive attention. Several advantages of spring wheat winter-sowing have been reported by previous studies. Firstly, it reduced the degree of farm planting concentration in the spring, and evenly distributed annual productivity. Secondly, it led to earlier maturation and an increased wheat yield. Thirdly, it enhanced the resistance to drought, cold, and lodging. Finally, wheat produced larger spikes with more and heavier grains that are of higher quality [20].To achieve a high yield with spring wheat winter-sowing, the limitation of the overwintering emergence rate needs to be overcome. The sowing date is the primary factor affecting this rate and the seeding rate is the second-most important one [12,21,22]. In these three-year experiments, this study found that the emergence rate of the wheat sown in the winter increased with the delay in sowing, with the highest emergence rate (60%) observed for the wheat planted on the last sowing date in the winter (B5). If sown too early, the wheat seeds germinate before winter, but do not accumulate enough biomass for over the winter [23]. The seeds also cannot be sown too late, because of soil freezing. Overall, the number of seedlings that emerge in the spring is largely dependent on the changes in soil temperature and moisture during the winter [24,25,26]. The soil temperature and moisture are the key factors determining the germination of winter-sowing wheat. Wheat sown before 26 October died during the wintering period. The combined measured soil temperature and moisture data (Figure S1 and Table S1) may be caused by the higher average daily temperature (>4 °C) of the 5 cm soil layer after sowing, and the suitable soil moisture for germination at 0–20 cm depth (>18%). For these treatments, wheat seedlings emerged before winter, but with a zero-winter survival rate because of its lower biomass. Wheat sown from 26 October to 10 November also had different degrees of germination, resulting in lower spring emergence rates. However, due to the high soil temperature (10 °C) and soil moisture (>16% in 0–20 cm soil layer), the wheat sown on 27 October 2014 also sprouted before winter and died during the wintering period. The wheat sown after November 10 basically overwintered as seed. At this time, the soil average daily temperature of the 5 cm layer dropped to 1 °C, and the soil moisture content of the 0–20 cm layer was about 11%. Frozen ground occurs when the ground contains water, and the temperature of the ground goes below 0 °C. The soil moisture content did not change clearly during the overwintering. After the emergence of the “over-wintered as seed” wheat, the growth process was basically the same, and there was no difference in soil temperature among the treatments. Our analysis showed that the soil moisture status in the Hetao Irrigation Area was an important factor affecting the emergence of the winter-seeded wheat. If appropriate measures can be taken to regulate the soil moisture content, then the over-wintered as seed wheat may have the potential to emerge and mature early. It is entirely possible to further increase the seedling emergence rate of the over-wintered as seed wheat by controlling the sowing date, sowing depth, number of seeds sown, and the amount of fertilizer applied. The emergence of wheat that over-wintered as a seed was earlier than the spring sowing wheat by approximately three days, and the ripening period was more than seven days in advance. This is because the wheat sown in the winter could fully utilize the accumulated temperature in early spring and germinate and mature earlier. These results were consistent with those reported by Dai Zhenwu et al. [27].
The reasons for spring wheat winter-sowing increasing production were as follows: (1) The early development and vigorous growth of wheat was conducive to the evasion of pests and disease resistance; (2) the plants showed early spike differentiation, long differentiation times, and produced large spikes with more and heavier grains; (3) the early-rooted, well-developed root systems were able to use more soil moisture, which mitigates the effects of drought [27,28,29,30,31]. The results of this study indicated that the sowing date and variety significantly affected the grain yield and yield components of winter-seeded wheat. Sowing at the appropriate date (i.e., B5) can achieve the same level of yield observed for the wheat sown in the spring, because of the accumulation of dry matter in winter-seeded wheat was higher than spring-seeded wheat after flowering. From the analysis of the yield components, for the wheat that over wintered as seed, the number of spikelets reduced because of the lower seedling emergence rate, but the number of grains per spike and the 1000-grain weight were significantly higher than the wheat sown in the spring. The spring variety Yongliang 4 was superior to the winter cultivar Ningdong 11 and the semi-winter cultivar Henong 7106 in terms of the seedling rate, fertility, resistance, and yield when sown in the winter (some data are not shown). Some researchers have pointed out that the germinated wheat seeds showed significantly increased cold resistance after a certain period of vernalization treatment at a low temperature, which may be that spring wheat winter-sowing has certain advantages [32,33]. Thus, spring and winter wheat varieties each have their own strengths. If the appropriate sowing time and the key measures for maintaining seedling growth in the spring can be determined, this kind of “spring wheat autumn sown” and “winter wheat spring grow” can show each other’s good traits, to some extent [6].
Precipitation also has impact on the over wintering rate and growth of winter-sowing wheat. In general, excessive precipitation before winter leads to an increase in soil moisture content. If the soil temperature was suitable at this time, these conditions were beneficial for germination of wheat seeds. These wheat seedlings suffered from cold-frozen and were unable to overwinter (for example, the 2014–2015 experiment year). However, in our experimental area, recently the accumulated precipitation during the winter period was less (1.2–4.5 mm), which had a limited effect on the over wintered as seed wheat. Overall, the precipitation had more influence on wheat growth at the second year. For example, most of precipitation appeared during the Zadoks 21, and less in late growth period in 2015. While the precipitation mainly distributed in the Zadoks 65 and Zadoks 71 in 2016, contributing to improve the wheat growth and yield.
In addition to the sowing date, there are still many factors affecting the ability of plants to overwinter, such as the variety, seeding rate, sowing depth, amount of chemical fertilizer applied, excessive water, and soil temperature and moisture. The above factors affect the winter emergence rate of wheat and the subsequent morphological establishment, which ultimately determines the level of wheat production. Evaluating these factors will also be a key focus of our research program in the future.

5. Conclusions

Delaying the sowing date increased the spring emergence rate of wheat in the following year, and the emergence rate for winter-seeded wheat averaged 60%. Before Zadoks 31, no notable difference was observed in the dry matter accumulation between winter-seeded and spring-seeded plants, but after Zadoks 65, the dry matter accumulation of the winter-seeded plants was superior to that of the spring-seeded plants. The winter-seeded spring wheat germinated and ripened three and seven days, respectively, earlier than the spring-seeded. Compared with the spring-seeded plants, the winter-seeded displayed less panicles but greater grains per spike and 1000-grain weight, and the grain yield for the winter-seeded was parallel to the spring-seeded plants. Based on the results of our experiment and the meteorological data for many years in the experimental area, we believe that the suitable sowing period for spring wheat winter-sowing in the Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia is in early November, which is around when winter begins in the lunar calendar. During this period, the average daily temperature of the 5-cm soil layer is approximately 1 °C. This study also concluded that Yongliang 4 is a suitable variety for winter sowing.

Supplementary Materials

The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/9/9/507/s1, Figure S1: Changes in soil temperature during the three years of the experiment, Table S1: Variation of soil moisture content (%) at 0–20 cm during the experiment.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, Y.D. and Y.Z. (Yongping Zhang); data curation, Y.D., B.W., and L.W.; formal analysis, Y.D.; investigation, Y.D., B.W., and L.W.; methodology, Y.D.; project administration, Y.Z. (Yongping Zhang); resources, L.W. and Y.Z. (Yuhan Zhang); software, Y.D. and H.Z.; supervision, Y.Z. (Yongping Zhang); validation, Y.D. and Y.Z. (Yuhan Zhang); visualization, B.W. and Y.Z. (Yuhan Zhang); writing (original draft), Y.D.; writing (review and editing), H.Z. and Y.Z. (Yongping Zhang).

Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, grant number 31560365.

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Brian Beres, Research Scientist of AAFC, for his careful and constructive reviews of this manuscript and invaluable suggestions for the revision. We also truly appreciate the assistance from the Wuyuan Agricultural Technology Extension Center at Bayannaoer, Inner Mongolia, China.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Figure 1. In temperature and rainfall during the three years of the experiment.
Figure 1. In temperature and rainfall during the three years of the experiment.
Agronomy 09 00507 g001
Figure 2. The change in dry matter accumulation (DMA) of wheat sown on different dates (2014–2015).
Figure 2. The change in dry matter accumulation (DMA) of wheat sown on different dates (2014–2015).
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Figure 3. The differences in dry matter accumulation (DMA) of wheat sown on different dates (2015–2016).
Figure 3. The differences in dry matter accumulation (DMA) of wheat sown on different dates (2015–2016).
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Table 1. Initial soil properties along the root zone profile in the top 20-cm layer.
Table 1. Initial soil properties along the root zone profile in the top 20-cm layer.
FieldpHOrganic Matter (%)Available N (mg kg−1)Available P (mg kg−1)Available K (mg kg−1)
Field 17.231.937.9416.31100.22
Field 27.842.348.5722.94121.39
Table 2. Experimental design scheme for 2013–2014.
Table 2. Experimental design scheme for 2013–2014.
Variety (A)Sowing Date (Day/Month(B))
11/10
(B1)
26/10
(B2)
10/11
(B3)
15/3
(B4)
Ningdong 11 (A1)A1B1A1B2A1B3A1B4
Yongliang 4 (A2)A2B1A2B2A2B3A2B4
Table 3. Experimental design scheme for 2014–2015.
Table 3. Experimental design scheme for 2014–2015.
Variety (A)Sowing Date (Day/Month(B))
13/10
(B1)
20/10
(B2)
27/10
(B3)
3/11
(B4)
10/11
(B5)
21/3
(B6)
Ningdong 11 (A1)A1B1A1B2A1B3A1B4A1B5A1B6
Yongliang 4 (A2)A2B1A2B2A2B3A2B4A2B5A2B6
Table 4. Experimental design scheme for 2015–2016.
Table 4. Experimental design scheme for 2015–2016.
Variety (A)Sowing Date (Day/Month(B))
21/10
(B1)
28/10
(B2)
4/11
(B3)
11/11
(B4)
18/11
(B5)
20/3
(B6)
Henong 7106 (A1)A1B1A1B2A1B3A1B4A1B5A1B6
Yongliang 4 (A2)A2B1A2B2A2B3A2B4A2B5A2B6
Table 5. Spring emergence rates of wheat with different sowing dates.
Table 5. Spring emergence rates of wheat with different sowing dates.
TreatmentEmergence Rate (%)
2014/20152015/2016
A1B10.0 ± 0.0 (f) 10.0 ± 0.0 (g)
A1B20.0 ± 0.0 (f)23.7 ± 6.9 (e)
A1B30.0 ± 0.0 (f)36.4 ± 0.6 (d)
A1B438.6 ± 2.0 (e)45.5 ± 2.4 (c)
A1B555.0 ± 0.9 (c)56.6 ± 3.9 (b)
A1B687.8 ± 1.8 (a)86.0 ± 4.5 (a)
A2B10.0 ± 0.0 (f)0.0 ± 0.0 (g)
A2B20.0 ± 0.0 (f)13.5 ± 3.0 (f)
A2B30.0 ± 0.0 (f)22.5 ± 1.5 (e)
A2B442.1 ± 1.9 (d)57.8 ± 8.9 (b)
A2B559.9 ± 1.7 (b)58.8 ± 3.7 (b)
A2B686.8 ± 0.6 (a)86.4 ± 6.7 (a)
Sowing date (S)<0.0001<0.0001
Variety (V)0.00610.3161
S × V0.02000.0012
1 Alphabets within columns followed by the same letter are statistically insignificant at the 0.05 level.
Table 6. The differences in the growth of winter wheat sown on different dates (2013–2014).
Table 6. The differences in the growth of winter wheat sown on different dates (2013–2014).
TreatmentGrowth Period (Month/Day)
Zadoks 1 10Zadoks 21Zadoks 31Zadoks 55Zadoks 65Zadoks 71Zadoks 92
A1B110/30------
A1B204/1204/2705/1405/2406/0206/1607/11
A1B304/1204/2805/1305/2306/0206/1607/13
A1B404/1505/0105/2406/0606/1807/0208/04
A2B110/30------
A2B204/1304/2805/1205/2306/0206/1607/12
A2B304/1204/2805/1305/2306/0206/1607/12
A2B404/1504/3005/1605/2706/0606/2107/17
1 Zadoks 10: First leaf through coleoptiles, Zadoks 21: Main shoot and 1 tiller, Zadoks 31: 1st node detectable, Zadoks 55: 1/2 of inflorescence emerged, Zadoks 65: Anthesis half-way, Zadoks 71: Caryopsis water ripe, Zadoks 92: Caryopsis hard (can no longer be dented by thumb-nail), the same below.
Table 7. The differences in the growth of winter wheat sown on different dates (2014–2015).
Table 7. The differences in the growth of winter wheat sown on different dates (2014–2015).
TreatmentGrowth Period (Month/Day)
Zadoks 10Zadoks 21Zadoks 31Zadoks 55Zadoks 65Zadoks 71Zadoks 92
A1B110/23------
A1B211/03------
A1B311/10------
A1B404/1705/0405/1905/3106/0806/2207/15
A1B504/1805/0505/1905/3106/0806/2207/16
A1B604/2005/0705/2906/1206/2407/0708/10
A2B110/23------
A2B211/03------
A2B311/10------
A2B404/1805/0505/1805/3106/0806/2207/15
A2B504/1705/0405/1905/3106/0806/2207/16
A2B604/2005/0705/2106/0206/1206/2507/20
Table 8. The differences in the growth of winter wheat sown on different dates (2015–2016).
Table 8. The differences in the growth of winter wheat sown on different dates (2015–2016).
TreatmentGrowth Period (Month/Day)
Zadoks 10Zadoks 21Zadoks 31Zadoks 55Zadoks 65Zadoks 71Zadoks 92
A1B1-------
A1B204/1905/0705/2006/0106/0806/2307/18
A1B304/1905/0705/2006/0106/0806/2307/18
A1B404/1905/0605/2006/0106/0806/2307/17
A1B504/1905/0605/2006/0106/0806/2307/17
A1B604/2205/1005/2506/0806/2007/0208/02
A2B1-------
A2B204/1805/0705/2006/0106/0806/2307/16
A2B304/1805/0605/2106/0106/0806/2307/15
A2B404/1805/0605/2005/3106/0706/2207/16
A2B504/1805/0605/2006/0106/0806/2207/16
A2B604/2205/1005/2206/0406/1206/2607/22
Table 9. Wheat yield and yield component for different sowing dates (2013–2014).
Table 9. Wheat yield and yield component for different sowing dates (2013–2014).
TreatmentSpikes (104·ha−1)Grains Per Spike1000-Grain Weigh (g)Yield (kg·ha−1)
A1B1----
A1B2192.1 ± 3.7 (d) 137.4 ± 0.6 (b)45.82 ± 0.43 (a)2501 ± 79 (d)
A1B3582.0 ± 18.0 (b)35.1 ± 0.2 (c,d)44.31 ± 0.08 (b)6878 ± 111 (b)
A1B4224.0 ± 11.0 (c)35.2 ± 0.4 (c)41.87 ± 0.52 (c)2511 ± 220 (d)
A2B1----
A2B2210.4 ± 19.7 (c,d)38.8 ± 0.7 (a)46.02 ± 0.41 (a)2853 ± 172 (c)
A2B3595.5 ± 22.5 (b)37.9 ± 0.4 (a,b)45.84 ± 0.61 (a)7856 ± 315 (a)
A2B4708.0 ± 25.4 (a)34.1 ± 0.8 (d)42.18 ± 0.24 (c)7743 ± 207 (a)
2R0.984 **−0.684−0.115
Sowing date (S)<0.0001<0.0001<0.0001<0.0001
Variety (V)0.00210.05480.05750.0015
S × V<0.00010.00070.0232<0.0001
1 Alphabets within columns followed by the same letter are statistically insignificant at the 0.05 level.; 2 R indicates the correlation coefficient for the index and yield. ** Significant at a p < 0.01 level.
Table 10. Wheat yield and yield component for different sowing dates (2014–2015).
Table 10. Wheat yield and yield component for different sowing dates (2014–2015).
TreatmentSpikes (104·ha−1)Grains Per Spike1000-Grain Weight (g)Yield (kg·ha−1)
A1B1----
A1B2----
A1B3----
A1B4402.3 ± 7.4 (d) 135.9 ± 0.2 (b)44.57 ± 0.25 (b)3986 ± 369 (c)
A1B5511.7 ± 6.0 (c)35.4 ± 0.3 (b,c)43.97 ± 0.14 (c)5141 ± 379 (b)
A1B6220.2 ± 3.1 (e)34.9 ± 0.4 (c,d)40.28 ± 0.15 (e)2388 ± 215 (d)
A2B1----
A2B2----
A2B3----
A2B4514.8 ± 3.7 (c)38.0 ± 0.5 (a)46.88 ± 0.26 (a)4430 ± 236 (c)
A2B5657.8 ± 10.0 (b)37.7 ± 0.3 (a)46.75 ± 0.15 (a)5909 ± 427 (a)
A2B6786.5 ± 10.2 (a)34.6 ± 0.4 (d)43.18 ± 0.16 (d)5973 ± 411 (a)
2R0.922 **0.1210.526
Sowing date (S)<0.0001<0.0001<0.00010.0002
Variety (V)0.00010.01340.00070.0156
S × V<0.00010.00030.0246<0.0001
1 Alphabets within columns followed by the same letter are statistically insignificant at the 0.05 level.; 2 R indicates the correlation coefficient for the index and yield. ** Significant at a p < 0.01 level.
Table 11. Wheat yield and yield components for different sowing dates (2015–2016).
Table 11. Wheat yield and yield components for different sowing dates (2015–2016).
TreatmentSpikes (104·ha−1)Grains per Spike1000-Grain Weight (g)Yield (kg·ha−1)
A1B1----
A1B2237.3 ± 5.5 (h) 129.6 ± 0.6 (d)37.03 ± 0.20 (c,d)2229 ± 310 (f)
A1B3264.5 ± 7.8 (g)28.9 ± 0.6 (d,e)36.81 ± 0.26 (d,e)2466 ± 283 (f)
A1B4485.6 ± 8.0 (f)28.5 ± 0.3 (e,f)36.32 ± 0.31 (e,f)3297 ± 287 (d)
A1B5597.5 ± 9.2 (c)28.3 ± 0.5 (f)36.28 ± 0.35 (f)4166 ± 322 (c)
A1B6561.6 ± 5.2 (d)27.8 ± 0.5 (f)35.23 ± 0.18 (g)4082 ± 279 (c)
A2B1----
A2B2133.7 ± 10.2 (i)39.9 ± 0.5 (a)39.05 ± 0.32 (a)1701 ± 317 (g)
A2B3227.0 ± 5.5 (h)39.6 ± 0.3 (a)38.31 ± 0.34 (b)2904 ± 404 (e)
A2B4542.7 ± 10.5 (e)38.9 ± 0.6 (a,b)37.52 ± 0.43 (c)5289 ± 537 (b)
A2B5702.9 ± 4.5 (b)38.2 ± 0.6 (b)37.44 ± 0.36 (c)5969 ± 241 (a)
A2B6828.8 ± 7.6 (a)36.0 ± 0.7 (c)36.42 ± 0.39 (e,f)6036 ± 427 (a)
2R0.940 **0.254−0.341
Sowing date (S)<0.0001<0.0001<0.0001<0.0001
Variety (V)0.00170.00050.00500.0027
S × V<0.00010.00080.0702<0.0001
1 Alphabets within columns followed by the same letter are statistically insignificant at the 0.05 level.; 2 R indicates the correlation coefficient for the index and yield. ** Significant at a p < 0.01 level.

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Dong, Y.; Wei, B.; Wang, L.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, Y. Performance of Winter-Seeded Spring Wheat in Inner Mongolia. Agronomy 2019, 9, 507. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9090507

AMA Style

Dong Y, Wei B, Wang L, Zhang Y, Zhang H, Zhang Y. Performance of Winter-Seeded Spring Wheat in Inner Mongolia. Agronomy. 2019; 9(9):507. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9090507

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dong, Yuxin, Bingqi Wei, Lixue Wang, Yuhan Zhang, Huaying Zhang, and Yongping Zhang. 2019. "Performance of Winter-Seeded Spring Wheat in Inner Mongolia" Agronomy 9, no. 9: 507. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9090507

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