Drought is the most important factor limiting winter wheat yield in the North China Plain (NCP). Choosing high-yielding cultivars is an important measure to minimize the negative effects of drought stress. Field studies were conducted with 10 cultivars in the 2020–2022 seasons under three irrigation treatments (I0, without irrigation; I1, irrigated at jointing stage; I2, irrigated at jointing and anthesis stages) in the NCP to examine the water use strategies and root and shoot traits of high-yielding cultivars under different water supply conditions. The results showed that yield variation among cultivars was 21.2–24.6%, 23.7–25.9% and 11.6–15.3% for the I0, I1 and I2 treatments, respectively. Under water deficit conditions (I0 and I1), high-yielding cultivars reduced water use during vegetative stages and increased soil water use during reproductive stages, especially water use from deeper soil layers. Those cultivars with higher root length density (RLD) in deep soil layers exhibited higher water uptake. Each additional millimeter of water used after anthesis from the 100–200 cm soil layers increased grain yield by 23.6–29.6 kg/ha and 16.4–28.5 kg/ha under I0 and I1, respectively. This water use strategy enhanced dry matter accumulation after anthesis, decreased canopy temperature (CT) and increased relative leaf water contents (RLWC), which ultimately improved grain yield. For winter wheat grown under I2, cultivars that decreased water use after anthesis had higher water productivity (WP). Root length (RL), root weight (RW) and root:shoot ratio were each negatively correlated with grain yield, while above-ground biomass was positively correlated with grain yield. Therefore, higher dry matter accumulation and smaller root systems are two important traits of high-yielding cultivars under sufficient water supply conditions (I2) in the NCP.

The lengths of leaves, leaf sheaths, and internodes are the main factors affecting individual plant types. An ideotype is a basis for developing a high-yielding population structure. Water and nitrogen (N) fertilizer can directly affect the growth of a plant’s organs. To evaluate the effects of irrigation and nitrogen application on the length and growth of wheat leaves, leaf sheaths, and internodes, we carried out a 5 year field experiment in the high yield wheat fields of the North China Plain. Five treatments (T₂–T₆) were applied, and irrigation was carried out in springtime at the appearance of the second leaf (T₂), the third leaf (T₃), the fourth leaf (T₄), the fifth leaf (T₅) and the sixth leaf (T₆). The results showed that the irrigation and N topdressing periods had different effects on the leaves, leaf sheaths, and internodes. The lengths of the upper three leaves gradually increased with the progression of the irrigation and N topdressing. The increases in the lengths of the leaf sheath were similar and followed the irrigation and N topdressing pattern at four stages of leaves in the spring: n-1, n-2, n-3 and n-4. The most effective growth of the internodes was achieved by irrigation and N topdressing at the n + 2 and n + 3 stages. The vertical spacing among the upper three leaves increased with irrigation and N topdressing at the appearance of the top second (or flag) leaf. Differences in temperature and precipitation over the years either weakened or enhanced the differences in the plants’ organ lengths with the different treatments. However, the orders of treatments did not alter organ length in different years. Earlier irrigation and N topdressing treatments (T₂, T₃, and T₄) showed an inhibitory effect on the leaves and leaf sheaths during the early growth stage. The inhibitory effect was more evident in the later-emerged leaves and leaf sheaths than in those that emerged earlier. However, irrigation and N fertilization increased the final length of the organs by improving the growth rate during the rapid incremental phase (RIP) and the slow incremental phase (SIP). Although the most significant extensions of the lengths of leaves, leaf sheaths, and internodes were achieved by irrigation and N topdressing before the organs entered the RIP, the specific growth stages were different among the three organs. These results can provide a reference for directly regulating the development of wheat organs and constructing an ideotype.