Micro-sprinkler irrigation induces synergistic source–sink regulation: A promising strategy for boosting wheat grain weight in the Huaibei Plain, China

doi:10.1016/j.jia.2026.01.024

Journal of Integrative Agriculture

2026, Vol. 25

Issue (8): 3194-3207 DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2026.01.024

Crop Science

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Micro-sprinkler irrigation induces synergistic source–sink regulation: A promising strategy for boosting wheat grain weight in the Huaibei Plain, China

Siqi Wang¹, Mengyu Sun¹, Kaiyi Xing¹, Xin Cheng¹, Le Wang¹, Limeng Zhang¹, Chunsheng Yao¹, Yinghua Zhang², Zhimin Wang², He Song^1#, Jinpeng Li^1#

¹College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China

²College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

Highlights
● Micro-sprinkler irrigation (MI) increased the number of endosperm cells in grain by regulating hormone metabolism.
● MI enhanced sucrose synthesis capacity after anthesis, thereby promoting grain filling.
● MI improved the 1,000-grain weight and grain yield when it obtained the highest spike number and grain number per spike at maturity.

Abstract
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摘要

提高小麦粒重是促进淮北平原小麦增产的关键途径。然而，不同灌溉模式对该区域小麦籽粒建成的影响及调控机制尚不明确。本研究通过为期两年的田间试验，设置三种灌溉处理：雨养处理（RI，不灌溉，播前基施氮肥202.5 kg·hm⁻²）、传统漫灌处理（CI，拔节期灌溉 60 mm，播前基施氮肥112.5 kg·hm⁻²，灌溉时追施氮肥90 kg·hm⁻²）、微喷灌处理（MI，依据0~40 cm土层墒情亏缺状况，分别于拔节期、孕穗期和开花期灌溉；播前基施氮肥112.5 kg·hm⁻²，每次灌溉时追施氮肥30 kg·hm⁻²），探究不同灌溉模式对小麦源库关系及籽粒建成的调控效应。结果表明：与RI和CI相比，MI显著提高小麦花后4天（DAA 4）旗叶叶绿素含量和蔗糖磷酸合成酶活性，且CI的上述指标均高于RI。在DAA 4时，MI籽粒蔗糖和可溶性糖含量显著最高。此外，与RI相比，CI和MI均显著提高了该时期籽粒吲哚丙酸+玉米素核苷（IPA+ZR）和赤霉素（GA）含量，同时降低生长素（IAA）和脱落酸（ABA）含量，其中MI籽粒胚乳细胞数量最多。灌浆期时，MI处理小麦旗叶叶绿素降解速率最慢，核酮糖-1,5-二磷酸羧化酶/加氧酶（Rubisco）与蔗糖磷酸合成酶活性最高，促进叶片与籽粒的糖分积累；同时，MI籽粒中IAA含量最高、ABA含量最低，且淀粉合成酶活性维持在较高水平，有利于淀粉积累。两年试验结果显示，与CI和RI相比，MI处理的小麦千粒重分别显著提高4.99%~5.55%和7.33%~11.51%，籽粒产量分别显著提高4.99%~11.60%和15.60%~39.14%。综上，微喷灌能够优化小麦的水氮供应，有效增强籽粒发育早期源能力与在后期库能力，从而提高粒重，实现淮北平原小麦高产的目标。

Abstract

Enhancing wheat grain weight is a crucial strategy for improving yields in the Huaibei Plain (HP), China. However, the impacts and regulatory mechanisms of different irrigation regimes on wheat grain formation in the HP remained poorly understood. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was conducted to explore three treatments on wheat’s source–sink relationship and grain formation: rain-fed (RI, no irrigation, 202.5 kg ha^–1 N applied at sowing), conventional flood irrigation (CI, 60 mm irrigation at jointing stage, 112.5 kg ha^–1 N at sowing+90 kg ha^–1 N with irrigation), and micro-sprinkler irrigation (MI, irrigation based on 0–40 cm soil layer water deficit at jointing, booting and anthesis stages, 112.5 kg ha^–1 N at sowing+30 kg ha^–1 N at each irrigation). The results indicated that, compared with RI and CI, MI significantly increased chlorophyll content and enhanced sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) activity in the flag leaf at 4 days after anthesis (DAA 4), and these parameters in CI were higher than those in RI. The sucrose and soluble sugar content in the grain of MI were the highest at DAA 4. Additionally, at DAA 4, compared with RI, both CI and MI significantly elevated the content of indole propionic acid+zeatin nucleoside (IPA+ZR) and gibberellin (GA) in grain, while reducing the content of auxin (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA). And the highest number of endosperm cells was observed in MI. At the grain-filling stage, MI exhibited the slowest chlorophyll degradation rate and the highest activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and SPS in the flag leaf, resulting in more sugar accumulation in the leaf and grain. Moreover, MI showed the highest IAA and lowest ABA levels in grain and maintained the highest starch synthase activity during the filling stage, thereby promoting starch accumulation. Compared to CI and RI, MI significantly increased 1,000-grain weight by 4.99–5.55% and 7.33–11.51%, and grain yield by 4.99–11.60% and 15.60–39.14% over the two years, respectively. Overall, micro-sprinkler irrigation can optimize the water and nitrogen supply for wheat, effectively enhancing the source capacity in the early stage and the sink capacity in the late stage of grain development, thereby increasing grain weight and achieving high yield in the HP.

Keywords: irrigation regimes source–sink relationship grain formation starch accumulation grain yield

Received: 15 September 2025 Accepted: 22 December 2025 Online: 16 January 2026

Fund:

We sincerely appreciate the funding from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFD2301505), the Talent Introduction Project of Anhui Agricultural University, China (yj2019-01), and the Planting Project of Modern Industrial Technology System of the “14th Five-year Plan” of Anhui Province, China (340000222426000100009).

About author: #Correspondence Jinpeng Li, E-mail: jinpeng0103@126.com; He Song, E-mail: songhesonghe@foxmail.com

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Siqi Wang, Mengyu Sun, Kaiyi Xing, Xin Cheng, Le Wang, Limeng Zhang, Chunsheng Yao, Yinghua Zhang, Zhimin Wang, He Song, Jinpeng Li. 2026. Micro-sprinkler irrigation induces synergistic source–sink regulation: A promising strategy for boosting wheat grain weight in the Huaibei Plain, China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(8): 3194-3207.

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