Modelling Net Photosynthetic Rate of Winter Wheat in Elevated Air CO2 Concentrations

Winter wheat plants were grown in open top chambers either at 365 µmol mol^–1 (AC) or at 700 µmol mol^–1 (EC) air CO₂ concentrations. The photosynthetic response of flag leaves at the beginning of flowering and on four vertical leaf levels at the beginning of grain filling were measured. Net photosynthetic rates (P _N) were higher at both developmental phases in plants grown at EC coupled with larger leaf area and photosynthetic pigment contents. The widely accepted Farquhar net photosynthesis model was parameterised and tested using several observed data. After parameterisation the test results corresponded satisfactorily with observed values under several environmental conditions.     

Biotic, Abiotic, and Management Controls on the Net Ecosystem CO2 Exchange of European Mountain Grassland Ecosystems

The net ecosystem carbon dioxide (CO₂) exchange (NEE) of nine European mountain grassland ecosystems was measured during 2002–2004 using the eddy covariance method. Overall, the availability of photosynthetically active radiation (PPFD) was the single most important abiotic influence factor for NEE. Its role changed markedly during the course of the season, PPFD being a better predictor for NEE during periods favorable for CO₂ uptake, which was spring and autumn for the sites characterized by summer droughts (southern sites) and (peak) summer for the Alpine and northern study sites. This general pattern was interrupted by grassland management practices, that is, mowing and grazing, when the variability in NEE explained by PPFD decreased in concert with the amount of aboveground biomass (BM_ag). Temperature was the abiotic influence factor that explained most of the variability in ecosystem respiration at the Alpine and northern study sites, but not at the southern sites characterized by a pronounced summer drought, where soil water availability and the amount of aboveground biomass were more or equally important. The amount of assimilating plant area was the single most important biotic variable determining the maximum ecosystem carbon uptake potential, that is, the NEE at saturating PPFD. Good correspondence, in terms of the magnitude of NEE, was observed with many (semi-) natural grasslands around the world, but not with grasslands sown on fertile soils in lowland locations, which exhibited higher maximum carbon gains at lower respiratory costs. It is concluded that, through triggering rapid changes in the amount and area of the aboveground plant matter, the timing and frequency of land management practices is crucial for the short-term sensitivity of the NEE of the investigated mountain grassland ecosystems to climatic drivers.     

Response of CH4 and N2O Emissions and Wheat Yields to Tillage Method Changes in the North China Plain

The objective of this study was to quantify soil methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions when converting from minimum and no-tillage systems to subsoiling (tilled soil to a depth of 40 cm to 45 cm) in the North China Plain. The relationships between CH₄ and N₂O flux and soil temperature, moisture, NH₄ ⁺-N, organic carbon (SOC) and pH were investigated over 18 months using a split-plot design. The soil absorption of CH₄ appeared to increase after conversion from no-tillage (NT) to subsoiling (NTS), from harrow tillage (HT) to subsoiling (HTS) and from rotary tillage (RT) to subsoiling (RTS). N₂O emissions also increased after conversion. Furthermore, after conversion to subsoiling, the combined global warming potential (GWP) of CH₄ and N₂O increased by approximately 0.05 kg CO₂ ha⁻¹ for HTS, 0.02 kg CO₂ ha⁻¹ for RTS and 0.23 kg CO₂ ha⁻¹ for NTS. Soil temperature, moisture, SOC, NH₄ ⁺-N and pH also changed after conversion to subsoiling. These changes were correlated with CH₄ uptake and N₂O emissions. However, there was no significant correlation between N₂O emissions and soil temperature in this study. The grain yields of wheat improved after conversion to subsoiling. Under HTS, RTS and NTS, the average grain yield was elevated by approximately 42.5%, 27.8% and 60.3% respectively. Our findings indicate that RTS and HTS would be ideal rotation tillage systems to balance GWP decreases and grain yield improvements in the North China Plain region.     

Grain Yield and Water Use Efficiency in Extremely-Late Sown Winter Wheat Cultivars under Two Irrigation Regimes in the North China Plain

Wheat production is threatened by water shortages and groundwater over-draft in the North China Plain (NCP). In recent years, winter wheat has been increasingly sown extremely late in early to mid-November after harvesting cotton or pepper. To improve water use efficiency (WUE) and guide the extremely late sowing practices, a 3-year field experiment was conducted under two irrigation regimes (W1, one-irrigation, 75 mm at jointing; W2, two-irrigation, 75 mm at jointing and 75 mm at anthesis) in 3 cultivars differing in spike size (HS4399, small spike; JM22, medium spike; WM8, large spike). Wheat was sown in early to mid-November at a high seeding rate of 800–850 seeds m⁻². Average yields of 7.42 t ha⁻¹ and WUE of 1.84 kg m⁻³ were achieved with an average seasonal evapotranspiration (ET) of 404 mm. Compared with W2, wheat under W1 did not have yield penalty in 2 of 3 years, and had 7.9% lower seasonal ET and 7.5% higher WUE. The higher WUE and stable yield under W1 was associated with higher 1000-grain weight (TGW) and harvest index (HI). Among the 3 cultivars, JM22 had 5.9%–8.9% higher yield and 4.2%–9.3% higher WUE than WM8 and HS4399. The higher yield in JM22 was attributed mainly to higher HI and TGW due to increased post-anthesis biomass and deeper seasonal soil water extraction. In conclusion, one-irrigation with a medium-sized spike cultivar JM22 could be a useful strategy to maintain yield and high WUE in extremely late-sown winter wheat at a high seeding rate in the NCP.     

CO(2) Exchange and Dinitrogen Fixation of Subterranean Clover in Response to Light Level

Small swards of nodulated subterranean clover plants were grown in pots to a common dry weight under controlled conditions. The rooting medium was a porous calcined clay. All mineral nutrients except nitrogen were supplied daily in solution. Pots then were placed in an assimilation chamber for 3 days for the measurement of net CO₂ exchange at light levels ranging from 0.1 to 2.0 millieinsteins per square meter per second. N₂-fixation (acetylene reduction) of each pot was measured subsequently. H₂-evolution and N₂-fixation were measured for similar treatments in separate experiments using smaller pots.     

华北平原土地利用/覆盖对CO空间分布的调控作用

CO不仅是中国主要的空气污染物之一,还是温室效应的贡献者。农业用地每年消耗了大量的CO通量,土地利用/覆盖格局对于调控CO空间分布发挥了较大的作用。针对土地利用/覆盖调控CO空间分布开展研究,以华北平原为例揭示人类活动对CO空间异质性的影响。研究发现2010至2020年华北平原CO排放量由4964×10⁴ t降低至2683×10⁴ t,大部分耕地CO浓度由90 t/km²下降至45 t/km²以下。CO浓度空间集聚程度呈现先降低后升高趋势,Moran′s I指数由0.25增加至0.41。经济发展迅速的地区CO污染较为严重,北京和周边城市形成了CO污染高-高集聚区,周口和淮北等城市则形成了低-低集聚区。总体来看,CO浓度呈低-低集聚分布的区域不断扩大,反映出CO减排措施已经初见效果。研究表明土地利用/覆盖在类型与结构方面的差异影响了CO的排放、扩散以及氧化消耗,增加了大气CO收支的不确定性,对CO空间分布具有一定的调控作用。通过分析土地利用/覆盖与CO空间分布的关联性,探究土地利用/覆盖及景观格局对区...     

Identification and Pathogenicity of Fungal Pathogens Causing Black Point in Wheat on the North China Plain

Fungi associated with black point were isolated from three highly susceptible wheat genotypes in the North China Plain. The 21 isolates represented 11 fungal genera. The most prevalent genera were Alternaria (isolation frequency of 56.7%), Bipolaris (16.1%), and Fusarium (6.0%). The other eight genera were Curvularia, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Exserohilum, Epicoccum, Nigrospora, Penicillium, and Ulocladium; their isolation frequencies ranged from 0.8 to 4.8%. The pathogenicity of the isolates was individually assessed in the greenhouse by inoculating wheat plants with spore suspensions. Ten of the 21 isolates caused significantly higher incidences of black point than that the controls. These isolates belonged to eight fungal species (A. alternata, B. sorokiniana, B. crotonis, B. cynodontis, C. spicifera, F. equiseti, E. rostratum, and E. sorghinum) based on morphological traits and phylogenetic analysis. The average incidences of black point in the eight fungal species were 32.4, 54.3, 43.0, 41.9, 37.2, 38.8, 50.1, and 34.1%, respectively. B. sorokiniana and A. alternata were determined to be the most important pathogens in the North China Plain based on fungal prevalence and symptom severity. This study is the first to identify E. rostratum as a major pathogen causing black point in wheat.     

Gas Exchange Responses to CO2 Concentration Instantaneously Elevated in Flag Leaves of Winter Wheat Cultivars Released in Different Years

Three winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, representatives of those widely cultivated in Beijing over the past six decades, were grown in the same environmental conditions. Net photosynthetic rate (P _N) per unit leaf area and instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE) of flag leaves increased with elevated CO₂ concentration. With an increase in CO₂ concentration from 360 to 720 µmol mol^–1, P _N and WUE of Jingdong 8 (released in 1990s and having the highest yield) increased by 173 and 81 %, while those of Nongda 139 (released in 1970s) increased by 88 and 66 %, and Yanda 1817 (released in 1945, with lowest yield) by 76 and 65 %. Jingdong 8 had the highest P _N and WUE values under high CO₂ concentration, but Yanda 1817 showed the lowest P _N. Stomatal conductance (g _s) of Nongda 139 and Yanda 1817 declined with increasing CO₂ concentration, but g _s of Jingdong 8 firstly went down and then up as the CO₂ concentration further increased. Intercellular CO₂ concentration (C _i) of Jingdong 8 and Nongda 139 increased when CO₂ concentration elevated, while that of Yanda 139 increased at the first stage and then declined. Jingdong 8 had the lowest C _i of the three wheat cultivars, and Yanda 1817 had the highest C _i value under lower CO₂ concentrations. However, Jingdong 8 had the highest P _N and lowest C _i at the highest CO₂ concentration which indicates that its photosynthetic potential may be high.     

Assessment of the AquaCrop Model for Use in Simulation of Irrigated Winter Wheat Canopy Cover,Biomass, and Grain Yield in the North China Plain

Improving winter wheat water use efficiency in the North China Plain (NCP), China is essential in light of current irrigation water shortages. In this study, the AquaCrop model was used to calibrate, and validate winter wheat crop performance under various planting dates and irrigation application rates. All experiments were conducted at the Xiaotangshan experimental site in Beijing, China, during seasons of 2008/2009, 2009/2010, 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. This model was first calibrated using data from 2008/2009 and 2009/2010, and subsequently validated using data from 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. The results showed that the simulated canopy cover (CC), biomass yield (BY) and grain yield (GY) were consistent with the measured CC, BY and GY, with corresponding coefficients of determination (R²) of 0.93, 0.91 and 0.93, respectively. In addition, relationships between BY, GY and transpiration (T), (R² = 0.57 and 0.71, respectively) was observed. These results suggest that frequent irrigation with a small amount of water significantly improved BY and GY. Collectively, these results indicate that the AquaCrop model can be used in the evaluation of various winter wheat irrigation strategies. The AquaCrop model predicted winter wheat CC, BY and GY with acceptable accuracy. Therefore, we concluded that AquaCrop is a useful decision-making tool for use in efforts to optimize wheat winter planting dates, and irrigation strategies.     

华北平原冬小麦农田生态系统CO_2通量特征及其影响因素

利用2014—2015年中国科学院封丘农业生态实验站涡度相关系统观测的冬小麦农田生态系统CO_2通量数据,结合试验地常规气象观测系统的气象数据,分析冬小麦4个生育期(分蘖期、越冬期、拔节期和灌浆期)内CO_2通量的日变化,研究净生态系统碳交换(NEE)的季节变化及其与气象要素的关系.结果表明:冬小麦整个生育期内NEE为-360.15g C·m^-2,总初级生产力总量为1920.01 g C·m^-2,冬小麦农田生态系统具有较强的固碳能力.冬小麦农田生态系统CO_2通量具有明显的日变化和季节变化特征,分蘖期表现为碳源,越冬期、拔节期和灌浆期表现为碳汇.表观初始光能利用率平均值为0.03 mg CO_2·μmol^-1,光饱和时的生态系统生产量平均值为1.53 mg CO_2·m^-2·s^-1,月平均生态系统呼吸为193.92g C·m^-2·month^-1.冬小麦农田生态系统4个生育期NEE与光合有效辐射的相关关系均达到极显著水平.分蘖期、拔节期和灌浆期NEE与饱和水汽压差的相关关系极显著,越冬期达显著水平.冬小麦分蘖期、越冬期和灌浆期NEE日总量与土壤温度呈正相关,拔节期呈负相关关系.     

Control of Photosynthesis in Wheat by CO2, O2 and Light Intensity

The regulation of photosynthesis in wheat leaves under varyingO₂, CO₂, and light was studied by analyzing certain metabolitepools and enzyme activities. Under high light when the rateof photosynthesis was limited by low intercellular levels ofCO₂ (C₁) there was a high level of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate(RuBP) (about 100 nmols per mg chlorophyll). As C, increased,there was a parallel decrease in the ratios of RuBP/3-phosphoglycerate(PGA) (from 0.18 to 0.08 under 21% O₂) and triose-phosphate/PGA(from 0.16 to 0.07 under 21% O₂). The results suggest carboxylationis limited at low C_i, and that there is high carboxylation andlimited assimilatory power at high C_i. As photosynthesis increasedwith increasing Jight intensity under atmospheric levels ofCO₂ the ratios of RuBP/PGA and triosephosphate/PGA remainednearly constant (near 0.12 to 0.13) suggesting there may bea coordinate regulation by light of the different phases ofthe cycle. There was increasing activation of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphatecarboxylase oxygenase (Rubisco) and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase(FBPase) with increasing light intensity. The ways in whichthe light activation of the enzymes Rubisco and FBPase may regulatecarbon metabolism in the cycle are discussed. ¹ Current address: Biological Sciences Center, Desert ResearchInstitute, PO Box 60220, Reno, Nevada 89506, U.S.A. (Received March 24, 1987; Accepted June 23, 1987)     

Gas Exchange of Carrot Leaves in Response to Elevated CO2 Concentration

Short-term responses of four carrot (Daucus carota) cultivars: Cascade, Caro Choice (CC), Oranza, and Red Core Chantenay (RCC) to CO₂ concentrations (C _a) were studied in a controlled environment. Leaf net photosynthetic rate (P _N), intercellular CO₂ (C _i), stomatal conductance (g _s), and transpiration rate (E) were measured at C _a from 50 to 1 050 mol mol^–1. The cultivars responded similarly to C _a and did not differ in all the variables measured. The P _N increased with C _a until saturation at 650 mol mol^–1 (C _i= 350–400 mol mol^–1), thereafter P _N increased slightly. On average, increasing C _a from 350 to 650 and from 350 to 1 050 mol mol^–1 increased P _N by 43 and 52 %, respectively. The P _N vs. C _i curves were fitted to a non-rectangular hyperbola model. The cultivars did not differ in the parameters estimated from the model. Carboxylation efficiencies ranged from 68 to 91 mol m^–2 s^–1 and maximum P _N were 15.50, 13.52, 13.31, and 14.96 mol m^–2 s^–1 for Cascade, CC, Oranza, and RCC, respectively. Dark respiration rate varied from 2.80 mol m^–2 s^–1 for Oranza to 3.96 mol m^–2 s^–1 for Cascade and the CO₂ compensation concentration was between 42 and 46 mol mol^–1. The g _s and E increased to a peak at C _a= 350 mol mol^–1 and then decreased by 17 and 15 %, respectively when C _a was increased to 650 mol mol^–1. An increase from 350 to 1 050 mol mol^–1 reduced g _s and E by 53 and 47 %, respectively. Changes in g _s and P _N maintained the C _i:C _a ratio. The water use efficiency increased linearly with C _a due to increases in P _N in addition to the decline in E at high C _a. Hence CO₂ enrichment increases P _N and decreases g _s, and can improve carrot productivity and water conservation.     

Translocation from the Flag Leaf of Winter Wheat in the Field

Translocation of assimilate from the flag leaf of winter wheat(Triticum aestivum cv. Maris Huntsman) was studied in the fieldby monitoring the export of photo-assimilated [^l4C]carbon dioxidewith a Geiger-Miiller counter placed under the fed area of leaf.The resulting export curve was analysed as a sum of two exponentialterms, and interpreted as a two-pool compartmental system. Therate constant for export from the leaf increased slightly frommaximum elongation to anthesis, then declined to almost halfits peak value just before the leaf lost all visible chlorophyll.The inter-pool transfer rate constants did not change significantlyover the same period, but all rate constants varied with timeof day. Short-term changes in the environment of the flag leaf had nodiscernible influence on translocation in the field. The timeconstants of the two pools of assimilate agreed with those forother species reported in the literature. These results areconsistent with the suggestion that sucrose is stored in thevacuole of mesophyll cells. The variations in rate constants with time of day, and deviationsof the export data from the two-pool model, suggest that exportand inter-pool transport have saturation kinetics. A model withMichaelis-Menten kinetics was formulated, and simulations ofthis model showed similar deviations from a simple two-poolsystem to those seen in our data.     

Leaf Gas Exchange and Fluorescence of Two Winter Wheat Varieties in Response to Drought Stress and Nitrogen Supply

Water and nitrogen supply are the two primary factors limiting productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In our study, two winter wheat varieties, Xinong 979 and large-spike wheat, were evaluated for their physiological responses to different levels of nitrogen and water status during their seedling stage grown in a phytotron. Our results indicated that drought stress greatly reduced the net photosynthetic rate (P_n), transpiration rate (E), and stomatal conductance (G_s), but with a greater increase in instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE). At the meantime, the nitrogen (N) supply improved photosynthetic efficiency under water deficit. Parameters inferred from chlorophyll a measurements, i.e., photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), the maximum photochemical efficiency (F_v/F_m), the quantum yield of photosystemII(Φ_PSII), and the apparent photosynthetic electron transport rate (ETR) decreased under water stress at all nitrogen levels and declined in N-deficient plants. The root–shoot ratio (R/S) increased slightly with water stress at a low N level; the smallest root–shoot ratio was found at a high N level and moderate drought stress treatment. These results suggest that an appropriate nitrogen supply may be necessary to enhance drought resistance in wheat by improving photosynthetic efficiency and relieving photoinhibition under drought stress. However, an excessive N supply had no effect on drought resistance, which even showed an adverse effect on plant growth. Comparing the two cultivars, Xinong 979 has a stronger drought resistance compared with large-spike wheat under N deficiency.     

Effects of Light and CO2 on Net Photosynthesis Rates of Stands of Aubergine and Amaranthus

Net photosynthetic rates per unit ground area for plant standsof Solanum melongena L. var. esculentum (aubergine) and Amaranthuscaudatus L. var. edulis (grain amaranth) were measured over10 min intervals in an airtight, glass, controlled-environmentcabinet for a range of light flux densities provided by thediurnal variation in daylight. Light response curves for photosynthesisof stands, grown at ambient CO₂ concentration, were definedat 400, 800 and 1200 vpm CO₂. Light compensation points for these stands were around 20-30J m^-2 s^-1 and decreased slightly at higher CO₂ concentrations.For aubergine, a C₃ species, the short-term effects of CO₂ enrichmentwere to increase the initial slope as well as the asymptoteof the light response curve, reducing light saturation at moderateto high light flux densities; but for amaranthus, a C₄ species,saturation was less apparent and CO₂ enrichment scarcely increasedphotosynthesis except at light flux densities above 150 J m^-2s^-1. The canopies intercepted 93-98% of incident light. The efficiencyof utilization of intercepted light in photosynthesis (µgCO₂ J^-1) increased from zero at the light compensation pointto a maximum at an optimum light flux density of about 100 Jm^-2 s^-1 (the optimum rose a little with CO₂ enrichment) anddecreased slightly with further increase in light. Maximum utilizationefficiencies at 400 vpm CO₂ were 8-9 µg CO₂ J^-1. Enrichmentto 1200 vpm did not affect the peak utilization efficiency ofthe C₄ amaranthus, but increased that aubergine to 12·2µg CO₂ J^-1 (equivalent to some 14% when using the heatof combustion of plant dry matter to convert to the dimensionlessform). This is among the highest recorded efficiencies of lightutilization for stands, and relates to the exceptionally favourableenvironment, with optimal control of CO₂ concentration, humidity,temperature, water supply and mineral nutrition.Copyright 1993,1999 Academic Press Amaranthus caudatus L. var. edulis, Solanum melongena L. var. esculentum, canopy photosynthesis, CO₂ enrichment, light interception, light utilization, photosynthetic efficiency     

Diversity of Bacterial Communities in a Profile of a Winter Wheat Field: Known and Unknown Members

In soils, bacteria are very abundant and diverse. They are involved in various agro-ecosystem processes such as the nitrogen cycle, organic matter degradation, and soil formation. Yet, little is known about the distribution and composition of bacterial communities through the soil profile, particularly in agricultural soils, as most studies have focused only on topsoils or forest and grassland soils. In the present work, we have used bar-coded pyrosequencing analysis of the V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene to analyze bacterial diversity in a profile (depths 10, 25, and 45 cm) of a well-characterized field of winter wheat. Taxonomic assignment was carried out with the Ribosomal Database Project (RDP) Classifier program with three bootstrap scores: a main run at 0.80, a confirmation run at 0.99, and a run at 0 to gain information on the unknown bacteria. Our results show that biomass and bacterial quantity and diversity decreased greatly with depth. Depth also had an impact, in terms of relative sequence abundance, on 81 % of the most represented taxonomic ranks, notably the ranks Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteridae, and Acidobacteria. Bacterial community composition differed more strongly between the topsoil (10 and 25 cm) and subsoil (45 cm) than between levels in the topsoil, mainly because of shifts in the carbon, nitrogen, and potassium contents. The subsoil also contained more unknown bacteria, 53.96 % on the average, than did the topsoil, with 42.06 % at 10 cm and 45.59 % at 25 cm. Most of these unknown bacteria seem to belong to Deltaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Rhizobiales, and Acidobacteria.     

Landscape and Ecosystem-Level Controls on Net Carbon Dioxide Exchange along a Natural Moisture Gradient in Canadian Low Arctic Tundra

Our understanding of the controls and magnitudes of regional CO₂ exchanges in the Arctic are limited by uncertainties due to spatial heterogeneity in vegetation across the landscape and temporal variation in environmental conditions through the seasons. We measured daytime net ecosystem CO₂ exchange and each of its component fluxes in the three major tundra ecosystem-types that typically occur along natural moisture gradients in the Canadian Low Arctic biweekly during the full snow-free season of 2004. In addition, we used a plant-removal treatment to compare the contribution of bulk soil organic matter to total respiratory CO₂ loss among these ecosystems. Net CO₂ exchange rates varied strongly, but not consistently, among ecosystems in the spring and summer phases as a result of ecosystem-specific and differing responses of gross photosynthesis and respiration to temporal variation in environmental conditions. Overall, net carbon gain was largest in the wet sedge ecosystem and smallest in the dry heath. Our measures of CO₂ flux variation within each ecosystem were frequently most closely correlated with air or soil temperatures during each seasonal phase. Nevertheless, a particularly large rainfall event in early August rapidly decreased respiration rates and stimulated gross photosynthetic rates, resulting in peak rates of net carbon gain in all ecosystems. Finally, the bulk soil carbon contribution to total respiration was relatively high in the birch hummock ecosystem. Together, these results demonstrate that the relative influences of moisture and temperature as primary controls on daytime net ecosystem CO₂ exchange and its component fluxes differ in fundamental ways between the landscape and ecosystem scales. Furthermore, they strongly suggest that carbon cycling responses to environmental change are likely to be highly ecosystem-specific, and thus to vary substantially across the low arctic landscape. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

A Study on the Model for Estimation Winter Wheat Yield Using Spectral Data of Wheat Field

A new dynamic vegetation index (VI)-yield model, that is, the leaf area duration (LAD)-yield model was structured for estimating winter wheat yield according to the measured reflection spectral data on the wheat field, and the relationship between wheat yield and LAI. The model had the information on the photosynthetic area and time during the later period of wheat growth, i. e., the period from the heading stage to the end of filling stage. The accuracy of the estimated wheat yield arrived up to 98% .In addition, the winter wheat yield was also estimated by a VI-yield model in a given wheat growing stage, and the VI in several main wheat growing stages were used for this purpose. The results suggested that the best season for estimating wheat yield using the VI-yield model was in the middle of wheat filling stage for the case study in Yucheng, Shandong province. The accuracy of the estimation could arrive at 96%.