Abstract: Taking the high-yielding winter wheat variety Jimai 22 as test material, a field experiment was conducted in 2010—2012 to study the effects of irrigation with different length microsprinkling hoses on the soil water distribution in winter wheat growth period and the water consumption characteristics and grain yield of winter wheat. Three microsprinkling hose lengths were designed, i.e., 40 m (T₄₀), 60 m (T₆₀) and 80 m (T₈₀). Under the microsprinkling irrigation at jointing  and anthesis stages, the uniformity of the horizontal distribution of irrigation water in soil increased significantly with the decrease of hose length from 80 to 40 m. When irrigated at jointing stage, the water content of 0-200 cm soil layer in each space of wheat rows had no significant difference within the 0-40 m distanced from the border initial in treatments T₄₀ and T₆₀. When measured at the 38-40 m, 58-60 m, and 78-80 m distanced from the border initial in treatment T₈₀ at jointing and anthesis stages, the water content in 0-200 cm soil layer had the same change pattern, i.e., decreased with the increasing distance from microsprinkling hose. The water consumption amounts in 40-60 cm soil layer from jointing
 to anthesis stages and in 20-80 cm soil layer from anthesis to maturing stages were higher in treatment T₄₀ than in treatments T₆₀ and T₈₀. However, the soil water consumption amount, irrigation amount at anthesis stage, total irrigation amount, and total water consumption amount were significantly lower in treatment T₄₀ than in treatments T₆₀ and T₈₀. The grain yield, yield water use efficiency increased with the hose length decreased from 80 to 40 m, but the flow decreased. Therefore, the effective irrigation area per unit time decreased with the same irrigation amounts. Considering the grain yield, water use efficiency, and the flow through micro-sprinkling hose, 40 and 60 m were considered to be the appropriate microsprinkling hose lengths under this experimental condition.

Key words: micro-sprinkling irrigation, hose length, soil water distribution, water consumption characteristics, grain yield, winter wheat.