Russell S. Karow

Effect of Nitrogen Topdressing at Anthesis and the Association of Flag-Leaf Nitrogen with Grain Protein Concentration in Irrigated Spring Wheat

ABSTRACT Grain protein is an important component affecting the market value of hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum). In high-yielding irrigated environments, consistently attaining desired protein levels is a chronic problem. Nitrogen (N) management has a strong effect on protein concentration. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the robustness of using flag-leaf N concentration as a tool for guiding in-season N application in order to obtain high-protein wheat. Three on-farm trials were conducted (each location using a cultivar of the farmers choice) where N rates were varied. Nitrogen rates evaluated were 0, 79, 157, 236, and 314 kg ha−1. To evaluate the benefit of topdressing, all N was applied basally, or 45 kg ha−1 N was reserved from the basal dose for application at heading. Yield and protein response to applied N were variable across the three sites. This study postulated that this response was a function of initial soil-N availability. Where there was a yield response to N, it appeared that reserving a portion of N for topdressing increased protein but tended to decrease yield. At levels of N where yield was not limited, reserving a portion of N for topdressing did not appear to affect yield or protein. Although a linear relationship between grain protein and flag-leaf N was obtained by pooling data across sites, there was enough variation in this relationship to limit its utility as a tool for guiding in-season N application.