Effectiveness of Mulching vs. Incorporation of Composted Cattle Manure in Soil Water Conservation for Wheat Based on Eco-Physiological Parameters

The objective was to study soil water conservation and physiological growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) using composted cattle manure applied either as mulch or incorporated with soil at 20 Mg ha⁻¹. Haruhikari, a relatively drought-sensitive and Hongmangmai, a relatively drought-tolerant wheat, were the cultivars studied under both adequate and deficit irrigation. Fourteen weeks after sowing (WAS), the number of tillers and leaves was significantly reduced by 19 % and 30 % respectively under deficit irrigation and Hongmangmai produced slightly (10 %) more tillers than Haruhikari. Unlike mulching, the incorporation of manure had favourable effects on plants in terms of shoot dry mass (SDM) by 36 % and number of tillers and leaves by 40 %. Haruhikari produced substantially (29 %) greater root mass under adequate irrigation but Hongmangmai produced slightly (2.7 %) more roots and responded much better to manure use whether under adequate or deficit irrigation. As a result, Hongmangmai suffered less severe reductions in tillers and biomass under water stress. In comparison, the mulched manure treatment saved 15 % and 64 % respectively more water than the control and the treatment incorporating manure, but this advantage in water-saving did not translate to superior plant growth. Leaf water potential (ψl) under adequate irrigation significantly exceeded that under deficit irrigation by 27 % and the ψl of Haruhikari exceeded that of Hongmangmai by 15 %. However, Hongmangmai may be considered more tolerant of dehydration since it maintained much higher net photosynthetic rates (PN) even with a lower leaf water potential. The reduction in the PN and intracellular carbon dioxide concentration (Ci) of the cultivars under deficit irrigation was on account of decreasing stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration rate but on average, the gs of Hongmangmai significantly exceeded that of Haruhikari by as much as 0.53 under adequate irrigation and 0.22 under deficit irrigation. In conclusion, we suggest that the drought tolerance of Hongmangmai was related to its superior root growth and greater ability than Haruhikari, to efficiently utilize incorporated manure for growth under water stress.