Abstract
Irrigation is a critical practice for enhancing wheat productivity; however, its yield response is strongly influenced by the climate, soil properties, and management practices. Current knowledge insufficiently captures the complex interactions among these factors. To address this gap, a meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the combined effects on wheat grain yield, yield components, grain protein content, and water productivity, thereby supporting evidence-based irrigation strategies. Irrigation significantly increased the grain yield (32.47 %), spike number (19.02 %), grains per spike (12.05 %), thousand-kernel weight (3.46 %), and water productivity (2.28 %). Although irrigation affected GPC under specific conditions, there was no significant overall effect. The more modest increase in WP reflects the concurrent rise in crop water consumption (evapotranspiration) under irrigation, which partially offsets the gain from higher yield. Higher irrigation volumes, dual applications, irrigation at the jointing–flowering stage, and water-saving irrigation practices collectively enhanced yield, grain protein content, and water productivity. Irrigation volumes of 75–150 mm were identified as optimal for maximizing yield components and WP. In soils with moderate bulk density and in regions with low annual precipitation (<500 mm), irrigation combined with nitrogen application produced greater yield gains. Moreover, when mean annual precipitation was < 500 mm, wheat yield responded more strongly to irrigation, whereas water productivity increased more under 500–600 mm precipitation. The synergistic application of conventional fertilization with post-anthesis irrigation further improved wheat yield and water productivity. Overall, these findings provide an empirical basis for irrigation management in China and inform context-specific policy design across heterogeneous agroecosystems. • Irrigation boosts wheat yield by 32.5% but raises water productivity by only 2.3%, revealing a key trade-off. • Dual applications, timing (jointing–flowering), and water-saving practices boost yield, grain protein, and water productivity. • An optimal irrigation volume of 75–150 mm maximizes yield and water productivity.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation significantly increased wheat grain yield by 32.47 %.
- Taxon
- wheat
Triticum aestivumt0 - Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 32.47 %e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e0“Irrigation significantly increased the grain yield (32.47 %), spike number (19.02 %), grains per spike (12.05 %), thousand-kernel weight (3.46 %), and water productivity (2.28 %)”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation significantly increased spike number by 19.02 %.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- spike numbere0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 19.02 %e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e0“Irrigation significantly increased the grain yield (32.47 %), spike number (19.02 %), grains per spike (12.05 %), thousand-kernel weight (3.46 %), and water productivity (2.28 %)”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation significantly increased grains per spike by 12.05 %.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- grains per spikee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 12.05 %e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e0“Irrigation significantly increased the grain yield (32.47 %), spike number (19.02 %), grains per spike (12.05 %), thousand-kernel weight (3.46 %), and water productivity (2.28 %)”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation significantly increased thousand-kernel weight by 3.46 %.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- thousand-kernel weighte0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 3.46 %e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e0“Irrigation significantly increased the grain yield (32.47 %), spike number (19.02 %), grains per spike (12.05 %), thousand-kernel weight (3.46 %), and water productivity (2.28 %)”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation significantly increased water productivity by 2.28 %.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- water productivitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 2.28 %e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e0“Irrigation significantly increased the grain yield (32.47 %), spike number (19.02 %), grains per spike (12.05 %), thousand-kernel weight (3.46 %), and water productivity (2.28 %)”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation had no significant overall effect on grain protein content.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- irrigatione1
- Outcome
- GPCe1
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede1
- Qualifier
- under specific conditionse1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e1“Although irrigation affected GPC under specific conditions, there was no significant overall effect”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher irrigation volumes enhanced yield, grain protein content and water productivity.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Higher irrigation volumese2
- Outcome
- yield, grain protein content, and water productivitye2
- Direction
- enhancede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e2“Higher irrigation volumes, dual applications, irrigation at the jointing–flowering stage, and water-saving irrigation practices collectively enhanced yield, grain protein content, and water productivity”
Claim · model-written summary
Dual irrigation applications enhanced yield, grain protein content and water productivity.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- dual applicationse2
- Outcome
- yield, grain protein content, and water productivitye2
- Direction
- enhancede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e2“Higher irrigation volumes, dual applications, irrigation at the jointing–flowering stage, and water-saving irrigation practices collectively enhanced yield, grain protein content, and water productivity”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation at the jointing–flowering stage enhanced yield, grain protein content and water productivity.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- irrigation at the jointing–flowering stagee2
- Outcome
- yield, grain protein content, and water productivitye2
- Direction
- enhancede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e2“Higher irrigation volumes, dual applications, irrigation at the jointing–flowering stage, and water-saving irrigation practices collectively enhanced yield, grain protein content, and water productivity”
Claim · model-written summary
Water-saving irrigation practices enhanced yield, grain protein content and water productivity.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- water-saving irrigation practicese2
- Outcome
- yield, grain protein content, and water productivitye2
- Direction
- enhancede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e2“Higher irrigation volumes, dual applications, irrigation at the jointing–flowering stage, and water-saving irrigation practices collectively enhanced yield, grain protein content, and water productivity”
Claim · model-written summary
An irrigation volume of 75–150 mm is recommended for maximizing yield components and water productivity.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Irrigation volumes of 75–150 mme3
- Outcome
- maximizing yield components and WPe3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e3“Irrigation volumes of 75–150 mm were identified as optimal for maximizing yield components and WP”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation combined with nitrogen application gave greater yield gains in soils with moderate bulk density and in regions with annual precipitation below 500 mm.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- irrigation combined with nitrogen applicatione4
- Outcome
- yield gainse4
- Direction
- greatere4
- Qualifier
- In soils with moderate bulk densitye4
- Setting
- regions with low annual precipitation (<500 mm)e4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e4“In soils with moderate bulk density and in regions with low annual precipitation (<500 mm), irrigation combined with nitrogen application produced greater yield gains”
Claim · model-written summary
Wheat yield responded more strongly to irrigation when mean annual precipitation was below 500 mm.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- irrigatione5
- Outcome
- wheat yielde5
- Direction
- responded more stronglye5
- Setting
- mean annual precipitation was < 500 mme5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e5“when mean annual precipitation was < 500 mm, wheat yield responded more strongly to irrigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Water productivity increased more under 500–600 mm precipitation.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Outcome
- water productivitye6
- Direction
- increased moree6
- Setting
- 500–600 mm precipitatione6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e6“whereas water productivity increased more under 500–600 mm precipitation”
Claim · model-written summary
Conventional fertilization combined with post-anthesis irrigation further improved wheat yield and water productivity.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- conventional fertilization with post-anthesis irrigatione7
- Outcome
- wheat yield and water productivitye7
- Direction
- further improvede7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“wheat”
e7“The synergistic application of conventional fertilization with post-anthesis irrigation further improved wheat yield and water productivity”
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