Abstract: Calculations on water balance show that the amount of water consumption in a rainedwheat field is respectively 435.5,326.0,293.8,277.2 and 365.9mm in five experimentalseasons, which can represent the water consumption of wheat in Fengqiu region under theexcessive, moderate and defective hydrological conditions. The correlation between wheatbiomass (grain + straw) and total water consumption is not significant (r=0.67).About 50% of the water consumed comes from the water stored in soil before sowing. Inyears less in rainfall during growing season but abundant in water stored in soil, this percentage would be up to 60%, showing that soil water is an important water source forwheat growth. Under optimum fertilization, the water use efficiency is more than 11.25kg·ha^-1·mm^-1, which indicates that the increase of fertilizer supply can increase the water use efficiency of farmland.

Key words: Fengqiu region, Water consumption, Water use efficiency