Water-use efficiency and water use effectiveness: A stomatal perspective using stable isotopes

Rainfall is stochastic in Australia and always appears an uneven distribution. As in the North China Plain (NCP), water shortage is the key limiting factor for the food production and crop yield. Agricultural water usage accounts for the largest proportion in the total water consumption. It is meaningful to improve the water-use efficiency and water use effectiveness of the plant/crop for the sustainable development of water resources and agricultural production. Based on the conditions of agricultural production and water shortage in Australia and the NCP, this research concerned the following three aspects from a stomatal perspective: first, the conception of water-use efficiency and water use effectiveness; secondly, research on the water-use efficiency in the stomatal scale; thirdly, the varieties differences of carbon stable isotope discrimination and transpiration rate. In addition, this paper also gave some advices on the agricultural water use in the NCP.