Combined application of organic fertilizer and microbial inoculants stabilizes wheat grain filling and crop water productivity under saline water irrigation

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of saline water irrigation and fertilization regimes on soil water and salinity dynamics, grain-filling characteristics, yield formation, and crop water productivity. In a two-year field experiment in the North China Plain during the winter wheat growing season, irrigation water salinity (electrical conductivity, EC) above 7.9 dS m −1 increased soil EC and water content and reduced grain yield by as much as 52%. Compared with conventional chemical fertilization (F0), fertilization combined with organic fertilizer and microbial inoculants (F1) reduced soil EC and increased grain yield by up to 12%. Compared with F0, F1 strengthened the contribution of yield components to grain yield while reducing the influence of soil water-salinity conditions. The combined application of organic fertilizer and microbial inoculants improved wheat grain filling and crop water productivity under saline water irrigation when irrigation water EC ≤ 7.9 dS m −1 .