Wheat Growth, Yield, and Quality Under Water Deficit and Reduced Nitrogen Supply. A Review

This review summarizes wheat crop growth, yield, and quality response to moisture stress and nitrogen availability in the rhizosphere. The high nitrogen demand of wheat crop enhances grain protein accumulation, which is a key factor for baking quality. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for increasing wheat production, but there is still a need to economize the optimum nitrogen rate under water-deficit conditions. Water stress is the most important abiotic stress adversely affecting crop productivity. Soil moisture significantly affects nitrogen nutrition through its effect on nitrogen uptake, mineralization, and losses through leaching, denitrification, and volatilization. This colimitation of nitrogen and water underpins an approach for improving water and nitrogen-use efficiency concurrently, thereby enhancing wheat productivity and quality.