Content and uptake of phosphorus and copper by spring wheat: Effect of environment, genotype, and management

Abstract

Copper (Cu) deficiency in grain crops grown on the Canadian Prairie has increased recently, while nearly 50% of the soils have low available phosphorus (P) levels. This study was conducted to quantify the variation in Cu and P uptake among some common Canadian wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars due to the effects of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and the environment. The effects of N fertilizer application at 0,50, and 100 kg N ha‐1 and seeding in early May or mid‐May on the P and Cu contents of four wheat cultivars were determined in an experiment conducted over two years at Fort Vermilion (58°24'N, 116°0’ W). Cultivar and N fertilizer produced similar variances in P concentration. Phosphorus uptake was increased by N fertilizer, but was not affected by the cultivars tested. Nitrogen fertilizer produced four times as much variability in Cu concentration and uptake as did the effect of genotypes. Date of sowing within the recommended time frame had no effect on plant P and Cu contents. There was no treatment interaction effect on plant P or Cu content. In a second experiment, situated near Grande Prairie (55°10'N, 118°48'W) and conducted over two years, P and Cu uptake and concentrations were determined for 10 agronomically diverse spring wheat cultivars. The range was 1.2‐ to 1.4‐fold for P and 1.5‐ to 1.7‐fold for Cu concentration. Plant Cu, but not plant P, was correlated with grain yield (r=0.64 to 0.86), suggesting that either varietal differences in Cu uptake may affect yield or prior selection for yield may have resulted in the selection for Cu‐efficient plants as well. Environmental, i.e., site‐year, effects on plant P, and particularly Cu concentrations, were larger than the varietal effects in both studies. These studies indicate that selection of Canadian wheat cultivars should be based on their yield potential rather than their efficiency in Cu or P uptake since crop nutrition can be more readily managed by optimal fertilization.