In a three-year experiment on winter wheat in North China Plain, sprinkler irrigation was compared to surface irrigation. The study found that sprinkler irrigation led to lower soil moisture swings during watering and fewer tillers but similar spikes compared to surface irrigation. It also showed that winter wheat grew taller with sprinkler irrigation during growth but not at harvest. At earlier stages, leaf area was similar, but later on, it increased more with sprinkler irrigation. Biomass of individual stems was similar initially but increased more with sprinkler irrigation. Overall, winter wheat yield was higher with sprinkler irrigation than with surface irrigation.