Climate warming outweighed agricultural managements in affecting wheat phenology across China during 1981–2018

•Wheat phenological observations with the longest time period at the most stations were applied.•Climate warming impacts increased for winter wheat but declined for spring wheat.•Growing periods were more sensitive to mean and maximum than minimum temperature.•Cultivar shifts only partly offset the negative effects of climate warming.•Changes in sowing date shortened growing periods on average by <0.5 days/decade.