Core Ideas Dividing a tillering N application into tillering and heading reduced wheat yield. Additional late‐season N application increased wheat protein concentration and dough quality. Late‐season N applications are economically unfit unless there is a reward for protein. Wheat yield and quality response to N management was similar across cultivars. There are opportunities to improve N management for wheat yield and quality in Southern Brazil. Nitrogen supply, environment, and cultivar determine yield and dough properties of hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.); however, the effects of broadcasting N fertilizer at heading, a growing practice in regions such as southern Brazil, have not been explored. The objectives of this study were to: (i) compare the current producer practice vs. alternative fertilizer N management strategies and (ii) quantify their interaction with cultivar and their effects on yield and its components and relevant dough properties. Field experiments were conducted using a complete factorial arrangement in a split‐plot design of three cultivars (main plots) and five N strategies (subplots) across three environments in southern Brazil. Overall, the current producer practice (all 70 kg N ha−1 applied at tillering) was appropriate to the targeted yield (3.5 Mg ha−1); splitting this fertilizer N rate into tillering and heading applications (either 35 kg N ha−1 on tillering + 35 kg N ha−1 on heading or 45 kg N ha−1 on tillering + 25 kg N ha−1 on heading) benefited protein concentration but reduced yield. Best N management resulted in the addition of one late‐season N application (70 kg N ha−1 on tillering + 23 kg N ha−1 on heading) positively impacting yield, protein concentration, dough extensibility, and alveogram index. In‐season N management is more relevant for grain quality than yield, more importantly if deductions from low protein are projected, or if premiums from increasing protein concentration exist, justifying a late‐season fertilizer N application.

A produção de sementes de alta qualidade fisiológica é um dos principais desafios para os produtores de sementes. Na busca de condicionadores de menor custo surge a possibilidade do uso de hidrocondicionamento, o qual consiste na hidratação controlada das sementes. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência do hidrocondicionamento em sementes de alface, repolho e tomate, submetidos a diferentes tempos de embebição em água. Foram utilizados oito períodos de hidrocondicionamento para as três espécies olerícolas, sendo que para cada uma das espécies foi conduzido um ensaio. Para a alface e repolho, os períodos testados foram 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 e 35 horas e para o tomate foram 0, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144 e 168 horas. As sementes de cada tratamento foram submetidas ao teste de germinação e vigor, para determinar o potencial fisiológico. Para a cultura do tomate, as melhores respostas para o tempo médio de germinação, índice de velocidade de emergência e emergência a campo foram encontradas com 72 horas de embebição. Já para a cultura do repolho as melhores respostas para essas variáveis foram obtidas com 20 horas de embebição. A alface não respondeu de forma positiva aos tempos de embebição. Palavras-chave: Embebição, índice de velocidade de emergência, vigor. A B S T R A C TThe production of high quality physiological seed is a major challenge for seed producers. In the search for lower cost conditioners arises the possibility of using hydropriming, which consists of a controlled hydration of seeds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of this technique on lettuce, cabbage and tomato seeds, submitted to different times of imbibition in water. Eight periods of hydropriming in three vegetable crops were used, wherein for each of these was conducted a separate experiment. For lettuce and cabbage, periods tested were 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 hours and for tomato were of the periods 0, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144 and 168 hours. The seeds of each treatment were submitted to the germination test and vigor to determine the physiological potential. For the tomato crop, the best answers to the average time of germination, emergence speed index and emergency field were found 72 hours of imbibition. As for the cabbage crop the best answers to these variables were obtained with 20 hours of imbibition. Lettuce did not respond positively to the imbibition times.

The study aimed to evaluate different sowing densities and row spacings on grain yield and biomass in the white lupine crop, cv. ‘Comum’. The experimental design was a randomized block in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme, with four row spacings (20, 40, 60 and 80 cm) and four sowing densities in the row (10, 15, 20 and 25 plants m-1), with four replicates. The evaluated variables were: grain yield, hundred-grain weight, fresh and dry matter and the contents of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the plant tissue. The highest grain yield was obtained with row spacing of 20 cm, regardless of plant density. The density of 25 plants m-1 and row spacing of 20 cm increased the fresh and dry matter yield. The adjustment of plant density and row spacing did not affect the content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in plant tissue.

Considering environmental conditions in the selection of soybean (Glycine max L.) varieties is a key strategy in ensuring high crop yield. Recently, the new technology of multihybrid planters has been making it more practical for farmers to plant different varieties together. However, there remains a gap in understanding how different varieties perform in terms of yield class; this knowledge is essential for technology adoption. The objectives of this study were to: (i) evaluate the agronomic performance of six soybean varieties at varying yield class (YC); (ii) quantify the economic return of within-field varieties arrangement; and (iii) propose guidelines for multi-variety soybean planting in Southern Brazil. The experimental design comprised a factorial split-plot set up in a randomized complete block design, with three YC [low (LY), medium (MY) and high yielding (HY)] and six varieties, replicated three times. The main findings were: (a) soybean variety performance differed according to YC; (b) the farmer-selected variety performed well for HY and MY; (c) varieties with high plant height (PH) should be placed in LY, where PH reduction and an increase in the number of pods and yield were recorded; (d) varieties with low PH should be placed in HY, avoiding excessive plant growth and yield penalty; (e) within-field variety arrangement increased yield by 2.10% and 11.50% and economic return by US$ 26 and 137 ha −1 for HY and LY, respectively. The results support the emergent concept of within-field multi-variety soybean planting in Southern Brazil.