Temporal-spatial distributions of water use and productivity of maize in China

The present study aim to explore temporal-spatial patterns of water use (WU) efficiency and its influencing factors of maize production in China during 1998-2010. WU and productivity (WP) were quantified by taking irrigation loss into account and the links between WP and nine selected indicators were revealed by the partial least squares regression (PLSR) model. Results showed that national WU and WP in maize production were 138.56 cubic gigametres (Gm(3); 0.755 green and 0.245 blue) and 1.079 kg/m(3), respectively. WP was enhanced in the present study due to an increase in irrigated crop yield. Provinces located in the middle-lower part of the Yellow River had high proportions of green water and WP, while high proportions of irrigation water and low WP were found in Northwest China. The dosage of pesticides per unit area, relative humidity, average temperature and precipitation were the dominant factors that affected WP. However, the relationships between WP and solar radiation, fertilizer, agricultural machinery power, irrigation proportion and irrigated efficiency were not significant. Findings of the present research may also provide a reference for regional agricultural water management.