Carbon emission and water use efficiency response to tillage methods and planting patterns of winter wheat in the North China Plain

BACKGROUND: Implementing sustainable farming practices for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the North China Plain may be a way to reduce carbon emissions. No tillage generally results in less net CO(2) loss from farmland, but no tillage also reduces the grain yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of winter wheat. Wide-precision planting of winter wheat may enhance the grain yield and WUE; however, it is not known precisely how tillage and planting patterns affect CO(2) exchange, grain yield and WUE. METHODS: In this study, two tillage methods (conventional tillage, T and no tillage, NT) and two planting patterns (conventional planting, C and wide-precision planting, W) were used in two consecutive winter wheat growing seasons. RESULTS: Compared with the T treatments, the NT treatments had significantly lower cumulative net CO(2) emissions in 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 (30.8 and 21.3%, respectively), and had lower grain yields (9.0 and 9.4%, respectively) and WUE (6.0 and 7.2%, respectively). The W treatments had a compensating effect on grain yield failure and reduced cumulative net CO(2) emissions more than C treatments, thereby increasing WUE, reducing carbon emissions per unit water consumption, and increasing the yield carbon utilization efficiency (YCUE). The lowest cumulative CO(2) emissions and highest YCUE were observed for NT with W treatment. Results from this analogous tillage experiment indicated that NT and W farming practices provide an option for reducing carbon emissions and enhancing WUE and YCUE for sustainable winter wheat development.