Coordinated uptake and utilization of water and nitrogen (N) is important for high-yield and high-efficiency cultivation of winter wheat. The relationship between soil water consumption and N uptake and utilization has not previously been widely investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the regulatory effects of different seeding rates with wide-space sowing on water consumption and N accumulation and translocation of winter wheat. A field experiment was conducted in the southeastern part of the Loess Plateau between 2016 and 2018, in which winter wheat was sown using the wide-space method (row spacing: 22–25 cm, and seedling bandwidth: 5–8 cm) and five seeding rates: 150, 225, 300, 375, and 450 kg seeds ha⁻¹. The results showed that soil water consumption increased significantly with an increase in the seeding rate from 150–300 kg seeds ha⁻¹, especially from the jointing to maturity stage of wheat growth. At 300 kg seeds ha⁻¹, N translocation from the leaf and stem + sheath to the grains was significantly enhanced, which increased grain N accumulation. The maximum tiller number, water use efficiency, N uptake efficiency, and partial factor productivity from applied N were all recorded at a seeding rate of 300 kg seeds ha⁻¹, thus, grain yield increased significantly by 6–18%. Correlation analysis showed that N accumulation from the sowing to anthesis stage, pre-anthesis N translocation, and the grain yield of winter wheat were closely related to total soil water consumption. Overall, the findings of this study have demonstrated that wide-space sowing of winter wheat at a 300 kg seeds ha⁻¹ seeding rate improved the water use efficiency and N uptake efficiency, which in turn increased the tiller number and grain yield.

水和氮（N）的协调吸收和利用对于冬小麦的高产高效栽培具有重要意义。土壤耗水量与氮素吸收利用之间的关系以前没有得到广泛研究。本研究的目的是考察不同播种量大行距播种对冬小麦耗水量和氮素积累和转运的调控作用。2016-2018年在黄土高原东南部进行大田试验，采用宽行距法（行距22-25 cm，苗宽5-8 cm）和5播种量：150、225、300、375 和 450 kg 种子 ha ^-1. 结果表明，土壤耗水量随着播种量的增加而显着增加，从 150-300 kg 种子 ha ^-1，特别是从小麦生长的拔节到成熟阶段。在 300 kg 种子 ha ^{-1 时}，N 从叶和茎 + 鞘到籽粒的转运显着增强，这增加了籽粒 N 的积累。最大分蘖数、水分利用效率、氮素吸收效率和施氮的部分要素生产力均在播种量为 300 kg 种子 ha ^{-1 时记录}，因此，谷物产量显着增加了 6-18%。相关分析表明，播种至开花期氮素积累、开花前氮素转运、冬小麦籽粒产量与土壤总耗水量密切相关。总体而言，这项研究的结果表明，以 300 kg 种子 ha ^-1播种率广播冬小麦提高了水分利用效率和氮吸收效率，进而增加了分蘖数和粮食产量。