Effects of waterlogging at different stages of development on the growth and yield of winter wheat

The response of winter wheat to waterlogging at different stages of growth outdoors was studied for 3 years using lysimeters containing undisturbed monoliths of sandy loam and clay soils. The treatments were selected as the most extreme likely to occur in field conditions in Britain, i.e. waterlogging to the soil surface for up to 16 days in October, 42 days in January and February and 6 days in May. Waterlogging in midwinter was common to all experiments. Yield losses from mid‐winter waterlogging ranged from 15% when yields were heavy (10 t ha−1), to nil when yields were light (3‐4 t ha−1) after the plants had been affected by frost damage in late winter and by take‐all. Winter wheat was most sensitive to waterlogging after germination but before emergence. At this stage, 16 days waterlogging killed all seedlings and 6 days waterlogging depressed plant populations to 12% (clay) and 38% (sandy loam) of the control. However, there was vigorous compensatory growth in the remainder of the growing season and yield was only depressed to about 82% of the control. When the crop was waterlogged at any stage after emergence plant populations were not affected; however, winter waterlogging treatments usually depressed shoot numbers and, to a lesser extent, ear numbers at harvest. Shoot survival under waterlogged conditions seemed related to nitrogen availability in the soil. The amount of ‘take‐all’ (Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici) was increased by waterlogging.