Pathways to Synchronously Improving Crop Productivity and Field Water Use Efficiency in the North China Plain

The North China Plain(NCP),one of the most important agricultural regions in China,is facing a major water-resource crisis.Improving cultivar water use efficiency(WUE),to reduce water use while maintaining high production level,is of great significance for national food and water security.In this review,strategies for crop yield enhancing and water saving in the NCP,and the theoretical and technological problems need to be currently resolved were proposed,referring to the advances in the relevant studies achieved all over the world.The main points include theories and the specific methods for controlling luxurious transpiration of crop population;theories and pathways for reducing field non-productive water consumption;the mechanism and pathways for sustainable utilization of unconventional water that may mitigate regional water crisis;the mechanism and pathways for gaining a balanced improvement of regional water productivity based on the balance between water resources supply and requirement.Finally,the main challenges in basic studies on efficient field water use in the NCP were proposed,and the fields in which important breakthrough may be achieved in the future were also prospected.