Agronomy Journal 95:335-338 (2003)
© 2003 American Society of Agronomy
PRODUCTION PAPER
Foliar Nitrogen Application Timing Influence on Grain Yield and Protein Concentration of Hard Red Winter and Spring Wheat
Anthony G. Bly* and
Howard J. Woodard
Plant Sci. Dep., South Dakota State Univ., Box 2207A, Brookings, SD 57007
* Corresponding author (anthony_bly{at}sdstate.edu)
Received for publication December 13, 2001.
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ABSTRACT
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Foliar N applications on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) have increased grain protein. Foliar N timing evaluations have been minimal. The objectives were (i) determine the optimal timing of foliar N for increased grain protein of hard red winter wheat (HRWW) and spring wheat (HRSW), (ii) evaluate effect of foliar N on grain yield, and (iii) determine relationship of grain protein to foliar N application and grain yield. Foliar N was applied at Feekes stage 10.0 (boot) or 10.8 (postpollination) on two cultivars of HRWW and HRSW each year from 1995 to 2000. The foliar N rate (33.7 kg N ha-1) was applied as 1:1 solution of urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) and water. Fertilizer N for a 3360 kg ha-1 grain yield goal was broadcast as UAN after planting. Soil type was Estelline silt loam (fine-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcic Hapludoll). Postpollination foliar N gave the highest grain protein during all years. Grain yield was significantly reduced 5% by boot stage foliar N for HRSW. Neither timing application significantly reduced HRWW grain yield. All wheat data were pooled to relate grain yield level and protein response to foliar N. Grain protein and yield from plots without foliar N were inversely related (r2 = 0.57). Postpollination foliar N increased protein 70% of the time when yield goal was exceeded compared with only 23% when it was not. These results show that postpollination foliar N gave higher grain protein and was most effective when planned yield goal was exceeded.
Abbreviations: HRSW, hard red spring wheat • HRWW, hard red winter wheat • UAN, urea ammonium nitrate
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INTRODUCTION
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WHEAT GROWERS CAN ADD VALUE to hard red wheat by increasing grain protein concentration. Price deductions that are incurred from selling wheat grain with protein concentration that is lower than market standard can be greater than premiums paid for grain protein concentration higher than the standard. Price deductions and premiums vary by year. Standard market grain protein concentrations for hard red wheat in the Upper Midwest of the USA have been 12 and 14% for HRWW and HRSW, respectively.
Nitrogen is the major nutrient that influences wheat grain yield and protein concentration. When the amount of available soil N limits yield potential, additions of N fertilizers can substantially increase grain yield. However, grain protein concentration can decrease if the amount of added N is not adequate for potential yield (McNeal and Davis, 1954; Terman et al., 1969; Olson et al., 1976; Grant et al., 1985). Many researchers have found that late-season topdress N additions as dry fertilizer materials were the most effective in attaining higher grain protein concentration (Fowler and Brydon, 1989; Vaughan et al., 1990; Stark and Tindall, 1992; Wuest and Cassman, 1992; Knowles et al., 1994). Other researchers have measured increases in grain protein concentration from applications of late-season N either as foliar sprays or dry topdress fertilizers even though early-season N applications were more than sufficient for potential grain yield (Pushman and Bingham, 1976; Westcott, 1998).
Research reports investigating the influence of foliar-applied N on wheat grain protein concentration are not common. A foliar N application applied as a liquid spray resulted in higher grain protein concentration levels than when N was broadcast as dry granular fertilizer at later growth stages on wheat not grown after fallow (Alkier et al., 1972; Strong, 1982). Evaluating rates of foliar N on ‘Butte-86’ HRSW in North Dakota, Endres and Schatz (1993) found that grain protein concentration increased as foliar N rate was increased. However, the 33.7 kg N ha-1 rate provided the greatest incremental increase in grain protein concentration. Finney et al. (1957) evaluated the application timing of foliar N on ‘Pawnee’ HRWW in Kansas. They found that grain protein concentration increased over the control treatment with each foliar N rate increment and was maximized with an application timing after anthesis (Feekes 10.5) (Simmons et al., 1995).
Wheat growers need to know when grain protein concentration will most likely be increased by foliar N application on modern cultivars. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to determine the optimal timing of foliar N application on HRWW and HRSW for increased grain protein concentration, the effect of foliar N on grain yield, and the relationship of grain protein concentration to foliar N application and grain yield.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS
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Separate field experiments for HRWW and HRSW were conducted in each of 6 yr from 1995 to 2000 on the Crop Improvement Research Farm near the campus of South Dakota State University in Brookings. The soil type was Estelline silt loam (fine-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcic Hapludoll). For all site years, the previous crop was soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] to which no fertilizer nutrients were applied. Two cultivars of HRWW (Rose and Redland) and HRSW (Butte-86 and Sharp) were used throughout the study. No-till management practices were used each year. Seeds were planted in rows with 17.8-cm spacing at 3 million pure live seeds ha-1. Preplant composite soil samples were obtained from each study location for determining required nutrient recommendations for N, P, K, and Cl for a 3360 kg ha-1 yield goal (Gerwing and Gelderman, 2001). The recommended rate of N was applied immediately after planting as broadcast UAN and ranged between 56 and 150 kg ha-1 (Table 1). Pests and diseases were controlled chemically.
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Table 1. Soil test N and fertilizer N rate applied to hard red winter and spring wheat foliar N timing projects at Brookings, SD, for 1995 to 2000.
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The foliar N timing treatments were applied at boot and postpollination growth stages. A check treatment without foliar N application was also included in each replication. The foliar N (33.7 kg N ha-1) solution was a 1:1 mixture of UAN and H2O. Conditions were predisposed toward worst-case scenario leaf burn by applying the foliar N on days when precipitation was not expected within 24 h and when daily air temperature was highest. The foliar N solution was applied to treatment plots with a spray hood to prevent contamination of adjacent plots.
Plot size was 1.5 by 10.7 m, and all treatments were randomized in complete blocks and replicated four times. Grain was harvested with a plot combine (SPC-20, Almaco, Nevada, IA), and yields were calculated from the weight of the grain from each plot. Grain protein concentration was determined with near-infrared spectroscopy (1995–1997: Technicon InfraAnalyzer 300, Bran + Luebbe, New York; 1998–2000: INFRATEC 1229 Grain Analyzer, Foss Tecator AB, Hoganas, Sweden). Grain moisture was adjusted to 13% for yield and protein concentration calculations. Dependent-variable statistics were determined with SAS (SAS Inst., 1996). Regression and figures were completed with Excel 97 (Microsoft Corp., 1997).
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RESULTS
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Grain Yield
Foliar N timing, year, and year x cultivar sources of variation significantly influenced HRSW grain yields (Table 2). The significant influences of the year and year x cultivar sources of variation on grain yield were expected due to differences in growing season conditions from year to year. Grain yield of HRWW was significantly influenced by year, cultivar, and the year x cultivar interaction (Table 3). As with HRSW, these sources of variation were expected to be significant.
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Table 2. Analysis of variance for effects of year, cultivar, and foliar N timing on hard red spring wheat grain yield and protein concentration at Brookings, SD, during years 1995 to 2000.
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Table 3. Analysis of variance for effects of year, cultivar, and foliar N timing on hard red winter wheat grain yield and protein concentration at Brookings, SD, during years 1995 to 2000.
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Across all years for HRSW, the yield from plots in which foliar N was applied at the boot stage was significantly lower compared with the check treatment (2701 vs. 2856 kg ha-1, respectively) (Table 4). However, with the postpollination foliar N application, HRSW mean grain yield was significantly reduced in only 1 (1997) of the 6 yr (Table 4). Leaf burn occurred after all foliar N applications. Leaf burn measurements were not taken, but it is speculated that leaf burn was the probable cause for the slight grain yield reductions that were found with the foliar N treatments.
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Table 4. Hard red spring wheat grain yield and protein concentration means as influenced by foliar N timing at Brookings, SD, for 1995 to 2000.
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Foliar N timing did not influence HRWW grain yield (Table 5). Mean HRWW grain yields were very similar, indicating that the added N from the foliar N application did not have an influence on grain dry matter accumulation. Leaf burn was also observed but appeared to be less than for the HRSW. Air temperatures were generally cooler when foliar N was applied to the HRWW compared with the foliar N timings for the HRSW. This probably resulted in less leaf burn and therefore less influence on grain yield in HRWW.
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Table 5. Hard red winter wheat grain yield and protein concentration means as influenced by foliar N timing at Brookings, SD, for 1995 to 2000.
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Grain Protein Concentration
Foliar N timing significantly influenced grain protein concentration for both HRWW and HRSW (Tables 2 and 3). Year and cultivar had a significant influence on grain protein concentration and can be explained by the year-to-year variation in growing conditions and genetic variation between cultivars. The cultivar x timing interaction was nonsignificant for both HRWW and HRSW, indicating that these cultivars respond similarly to the same foliar N application.
Grain protein concentration was greatest when foliar N was applied at the postpollination growth stage for HRSW and HRWW (14.7 and 12.6%, respectively) (Tables 4 and 5). Foliar N applied at the boot growth stage also significantly increased mean grain protein concentration compared with the check (14.4 vs. 14.2% for HRSW and 12.2 vs. 11.8% for HRWW) but produced less of an increase than foliar N applied at postpollination (Tables 4 and 5). This agreed with research by Finney et al. (1957), who observed that foliar N applied after flowering resulted in highest grain protein concentration levels. Analysis by year indicated that foliar N applied at the postpollination growth stage resulted in the significantly highest grain protein concentration during 2 of the 6 yr for HRSW and 3 of the 6 yr for HRWW (Tables 4 and 5).
Grain Protein Concentration and Yield Relationship
Grain protein concentration increases from foliar N application occurred quite frequently even though adequate N (soil and fertilizer) was provided for the planned yield goal. Nine of the 12 site years in this study had significant grain protein concentration responses to foliar N application. An increase in grain protein concentration could prevent price deductions and possibly could result in premiums returned to the producer in favorable years. The ability to predict a possible grain protein concentration increase from a foliar N application would be helpful for wheat producers. The decision to apply foliar N should be made during the growing season. Information is required to assist wheat producers in deciding if grain protein concentration will be enhanced. Estimation of potential grain yield during the growing season and/or plant N analysis as an indicator of plant N sufficiency could be these sources of information.
Potential grain yield predictions could be used because N is a major component of dry matter production and accumulation in the grain. If grain yield is predicted to exceed the planned yield goal, N available for grain protein concentration partitioning could be less than required for desirable grain protein levels. In this study, grain yield and protein concentrations of the check plots were inversely related. This trend is consistent with other research (Partridge and Shaykewich, 1972; Pushman and Bingham, 1976; Grant et al., 1985; Peltonen, 1992). The relationship between grain yield and protein concentration was good (Fig. 1)
. This regression equation was determined from the check plots only, for the purpose of evaluating the influence that grain yield level had on grain protein concentration without any influence from foliar N application. The HRSW had higher protein concentration and lower yields while the HRWW had higher grain yield had lower protein. A majority of the plot yields exceeded the planned yield goal of 3360 kg ha-1 (Fig. 1). The planned yield goal for the HRWW was probably too low.
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Fig. 1. Grain yield and protein relationship of hard red winter wheat (HRWW) and hard red spring wheat (HRSW) plots without foliar N application from studies during 1995–2000 at Brookings, SD.
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Foliar N application increased grain protein concentration on 70% (III/(III + IV) x 100) of the plots that exceeded the planned yield goal. However, only 23% (I/(I + II) x 100) of plots with yields lower than the planned yield goal had increased grain protein concentration (Fig. 2)
. The relationship between relative grain yield and protein concentration was derived from the postpollination foliar N treatment because it gave the greatest increase in grain protein concentration. Despite the separation of the HRWW and HRSW plots in Fig. 2, the need of foliar N to increase grain protein concentration is required in grain yield environments that exceed the planned yield goal.
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Fig. 2. Relative grain yield and protein concentration of hard red spring wheat (HRSW) and hard red winter wheat (HRWW) plots with foliar N applied postpollination from studies during 1995–2000 at Brookings, SD.
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CONCLUSIONS
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The data from this research would suggest that foliar N be applied to growing wheat at the postpollination growth stage if the following requirements are met:- Grain yield is predicted to exceed planned yield goal.
- Grain protein premiums from increasing protein or deductions from low protein are expected to be greater than the economic investment in the foliar N application.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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This research was partially funded by the South Dakota Wheat Commission and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. The authors thank Dwayne Winther (Senior Agricultural Technician) for his dedicated assistance to this project and his design and construction of the spray hood used to apply the foliar N treatments and also Dr. Ron Gelderman for his advice and interest toward this research.
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REFERENCES
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- Alkier, A.C., G.J. Racz, and R.J. Soper. 1972. Effects of foliar- and soil-applied nitrogen and soil nitrate-nitrogen level on the protein content of Neepawa wheat. Can. J. Soil Sci. 52:301–309.
- Endres, G., and B. Schatz. 1993. Foliar N applied post-anthesis to enhance wheat grain protein. Misc. Publ. North Dakota State Univ., Carrington Res. Ext. Cent., Carrington, ND.
- Finney, K.F., J.W. Meyer, F.W. Smith, and H.C. Fryer. 1957. Effect of foliar spraying of Pawnee wheat with urea solutions on yield, protein content, and protein quality. Agron. J. 49:341–347.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
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- Gerwing, J., and R. Gelderman. 2001. Fertilizer recommendations guide. EC750. South Dakota State Univ., Coop. Ext. Serv., Brookings, SD.
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TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
