Raised bed planting reduces waterlogging and increases yield in wheat following rice

Waterlogging stress is a major problem for wheat production in rice-wheat double cropping systems on the Yangtze River Plain in China and might become more frequent and intense due to global warming. To alleviate the profound impacts of waterlogging stress on wheat production, a raised bed planting (RBP) pattern was developed. The results showed that RBP significantly increased soil water drainage and reduced the soil water content. The reduced waterlogging stress promoted wheat seedling establishment and root growth, accelerated stem and tiller development, and delayed late-season root and leaf senescence, resulting in 11.3 % and 14.1 % higher grain yields in Fengtai and Guohe, respectively. Furthermore, RBP required fewer inputs and produced more outputs, generating 63.1 % and 59.6 % more net income in Fengtai and Guohe, respectively. Based on this study, RBP can be considered an effective, sustainable soil tillage practice to reduce waterlogging stress and thereby increase wheat productivity and profitability under future waterlogging conditions.