Impact of deficit irrigation strategies on winter wheat in semi-arid climate of sindh

•Deficit irrigation strategies.•Reduce irrigation on wheat.•Climatically implication on wheat of Sindh. The scarcity of water for agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions increases the need for technologies to improve water use efficiency and also discover some means to increase the production from less and more reliable access to water. This research was conducted during 2017–18 and 2018–19 to assess the effect of deficit irrigation (DI), applied at appropriate critical growth stages of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by reducing 50 % of the water applied in control. The treatments were scheduled as, T1 = 100 % irrigation at all six growth stages (Ick 100), T2 = 50 % deficit irrigation at the initiation stage of the crown root (ICRS50), T3 50 % deficit irrigation at tillering stage (ITS 50), T4 = 50 % deficit irrigation at booting stage (IBS50), T5 = 50 % deficit irrigation at the heading stage (IHS 50), T6 = 50 % deficit irrigation at milky stage (IMS50), T7 = 50 % deficit irrigation at grain maturity stage (IGMS50). The highest grain yield (4558.8 kg ha−1) was achieved with full irrigation treatment Ick100. The statistical analysis conferred a significant change (p