| Appropriate irrigation regimes are important for improving the yield and quality of winter wheat in the Guanzhong region. A field experiment was conducted during 2023-2024 using ‘Xianmai 341’ as the experimental material to investigate the effects of different irrigation regimes on yield and quality-related traits of winter wheat. Five irrigation regimes were established: no irrigation throughout the whole growth period, irrigation at the overwintering stage, irrigation at the jointing stage, irrigation at both the overwintering and jointing stages, and irrigation at the overwintering, jointing, and grain-filling stages, with 75 mm applied at each irrigation event. The results showed that the irrigation regimes significantly affected spike number, 1,000-grain weight, and grain yield, but had relatively little effect on grain number per spike. Grain yield was mainly affected through changes in spike number and increased with the number of irritation. The irrigation regimes also significantly affected development time, stability time, protein content, wet gluten content, and water absorption, and overall these quality traits were positively correlated with one another, indicating that simultaneous improvement in multiple quality traits may be achieved through appropriate cultivation practices. Among the treatments, no irrigation throughout the whole growth period resulted in better quality but the lowest yield; irrigation at the overwintering stage resulted in poorer quality but the highest yield. Irrigation at the jointing stage produced relatively good quality and comparatively high yield, whereas irrigation at the overwintering plus jointing stages and irrigation at the overwintering plus jointing plus grain-filling stages resulted in poorer quality but relatively high yield. Considering the actual production conditions in the Guanzhong region, irrigation at the jointing stage is the most suitable irrigation regime, as it improves both yield and quality and provides better economic benefits. |
