Effect of nitrogen nutrition on water use efficiency of wheat cultivars under well-watered and drought conditions

Abstract

Optimal nitrogen (N) nutrition has been shown to alleviate the negative effects of drought stress (DS) on plants. In this study, the effects of different ratios of N nutrition on the water use efficiency (WUE) of ten wheat cultivars were investigated under DS and non-DS conditions. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse with four growth conditions: 1, Well watered (60% field capacity) in the presence of sufficient N (60 mg N kg-1 soil) 2. Well watered (60% field capacity) in the presence of low N (3-4 mg N kg-1 soil) 3. Water limited (20% field capacity) in the presence of sufficient N (60 mg N kg-1 soil) 4. Water limited (20% field capacity) in the presence of low N (3-4 mg N kg-1 soil).