Wheat nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur uptake dynamics under different management practices

Abstract

Information is limited on the effect of intensified management on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) nutrient uptake dynamics. Our goal was to evaluate the effect of agronomic practices on wheat yield and uptake of N, P, K, and S by evaluating the (a) nutrient utilization and uptake at varying yield levels, (b) variation in nutrient concentration as function of biomass, and (c) plant nutritional status. The genotype 'Everest' was grown under standard (SM) and intensive (IM) management. Treatments (i.e., N, Cl, and S fertilizers, fungicide, plant density, and growth regulator) were individually added to the SM or removed from the IM controls. The IM control increased yield by as much as 0.9 Mg ha −1 and uptake of N, K, and S by 37, 30, and 60%, respectively, relative to the SM control, with no changes in P uptake. Fungicide was the main treatment limiting yield and nutrient uptake, and its removal from the IM control reduced yield by 1 Mg ha −1 and nutrient uptake in high diseasepressure seasons. Across all treatments and nutrients, 20% of the uptake at maturity was accumulated by stem elongation, 50% at flag leaf, and 70% at heading. The IM control maintained higher shoot nutrient concentration relative to the SM control during the season, increasing nutrition indices for N and S, and indicating possible luxury uptake under IM. Intensification strategies may increase nutrient demand but it does not seem to affect the overall timing and rate of uptake during the season.

Modulation of Wheat Yield Components in Response to Management Intensification to Reduce Yield Gaps

“…Thus, matching N availability with the time when the potential number of kernels m –2 is determined (i.e., early stem elongation) results in yield increases as grain number is the dominant driver of yield ( Borrás et al, 2004 ; Slafer et al, 2014 ). We also note that this developmental stage coincides with the greatest N uptake rate by the crop, which increases under intensive management ( de Oliveira Silva et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Foliar fungicides maintain the yield potential at time of application by protecting the upper canopy and spikes, which supply a large portion of the carbohydrates that determine yield ( Rawson et al, 1983 ) and can increase kernels m –2 ( Brinkman et al, 2014 ). The prolonged green leaf area maintained through fungicides also allows for longer duration of active photosynthesis, ultimately increasing N uptake ( de Oliveira Silva et al, 2021 ) and grain yield ( Joshi et al, 2019 ; Nehe et al, 2020 ). This was shown in the current research as a more negative slope of the green canopy cover dynamics and a lower cumulative radiation interception after anthesis in the treatments not receiving foliar fungicides ( Figure 7 ).…”

“…Others attempted to quantify wheat yield response to intensified management, combining the prophylactic use of a number of inputs to minimize yield gaps ( Mohamed et al, 1990 ; Jaenisch et al, 2019 ; Quinn and Steinke, 2019 ; de Oliveira Silva et al, 2020b ; Herrera et al, 2020 ; Roth et al, 2021 ; Steinke et al, 2021 ). However, with few exceptions ( de Oliveira Silva et al, 2020b , 2021 ), these efforts mostly overlooked the mechanisms behind the yield responses and simply quantified the magnitude of yield improvements. Because organogenesis is linked to crop developmental stages ( Slafer et al, 2021 ), we argue that it is relevant to maximize yield within the time frame of yield component determination.…”

Intensive management simultaneously reduces yield gaps and improves milling and baking properties of bread wheat

“…Another important management impacting wheat yield is the use of foliar fungicides (Cruppe et al., 2021; Sassenrath et al., 2019). Combining higher N rates with foliar fungicide can maintain GP despite improvements in yield (de Oliveira Silva et al., 2020; Fleitas et al., 2018) due to an increased leaf area duration and prolonged N uptake and translocation (de Oliveira Silva et al., 2021; Schierenbeck et al., 2019).…”

Evaluation of temporal variability on tissue nutrient concentrations of canola

“…Studies have shown that time of day in which tissue samples are collected impacts different nutrient concentrations inconsistently (Mundorf et al., 2015). Nutrient uptake can be different throughout the growth stages, which can impact concentrations found in plant tissue (de Oliviera Silva et al., 2021). Environmental effects that can change throughout the day have been shown to also impact nutrient concentrations (Andrews et al., 2001).…”