Nitrogen Management Strategies to Improve Yield and Dough Properties in Hard Red Spring Wheat

Abstract

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.

Optimized seeding rate and nitrogen topdressing ratio for simultaneous improvement of grain yield and bread‐making quality in bread wheat sown on different dates

“…42,49,50 However, GPC deviation in some genotypes is related to post-anthesis N uptake but not N remobilization regardless of total N at anthesis. [51][52][53][54] In the present study, GPC and N tot were positively correlated with both AGN an and PAN up , indicating that management practices may have affected GPC and N tot by modifying both N accumulated before anthesis and post-anthesis N uptake. AGN m , the sum of AGN an and PAN up , and NR decreased, PAN up increased, and NRE and NHI remained unchanged with delayed sowing.…”

Genotype‐specific nitrogen uptake dynamics and fertilizer management explain contrasting wheat protein concentration

“…Applying the entire N rate in the spring or applying a portion of the N at anthesis improved GPC. The potential for increasing wheat GPC with late season N applications has been demonstrated (Corassa et al., 2018; Cruppe, Edwards, & Lollato, 2017; Dick et al., 2016; Ma, Subedi, & Dwyer, 2006; Woolfolk et al., 2002; Wuest & Cassman, 1992; Xue, Rossmann, Schuster, Koehler, & Mühling, 2016), sometimes with the caveat of injury to the leaves (Cruppe et al., 2017). Leaf injury was not observed in the current study perhaps due to the slow‐release nature of the methylene urea applied late season and/or to the lower late‐season N rates than those of Cruppe et al.…”

Differential Nitrogen and Water Impacts on Yield and Quality of Wheat Classes

“…2B). High N application frequently focuses on grain protein increase (Corassa et al, 2018) rather than grain yield gains. Grain yield is more critical than protein for SWSW, leading to lower N requirement of this class.…”