Development of water-saving wheat cultivars to limit water shortagein North China— a case study of Hebei Province

Water is a critical crop production factor. This paper analyzed the state of water shortage in North China using Hebei Province as a case study. The study expatiates on modern water-saving agriculture and shows that agriculture is a key to water-saving. In North China, water-saving agriculture is determined by reducing water use for wheat production. In addition to engineering water-saving, greater attention should be paid to biological water-saving and agronomic water-saving. High water-use-efficient wheat cultivars combined with water-saving cultivation technology is important in reducing water consumption in wheat production. Consequently, that is most important mode of limiting water shortage in the region. Water-saving cultivation of “Shimai 15” and “Shijiazhuang No. 8” bred by Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hebei Province is used as an example to illustrate the feasibility of breeding of water-saving wheat cultivars, and the potential of water-saving wheat cultivars in water-saving agriculture.