Effects of rate and timing of nitrogen dressings on grain yield formation of winter wheat (T. aestivum L.)

Abstract

A field experiment with the winter wheat cultivar Donata was carried out on a fine-textured river clay soil in 1978. The rates of nitrogen dressing ranged from 0 to 160 kg N per ha and were split over from one up to three application times: autumn, early spring and late spring. Total above-ground dry matter and grain dry-weight yields ranged from 9.1 to 13.7 tons per ha and from 4.17 to 6.35 tons per ha, respectively. Late top-dressings increased the harvest-index, whereas an autumn dressing had the opposite effect. Number of culms per m2, grain weight (mg) and grain number per m2 increased from 350 to 430, from 35.5 to 36.8 and from 11 680 to 16 980, respectively, as the nitrogen dosage was raised from 0 to 160 kg N per ha. The linear rate of grain growth ranged from 111 to 172 kg dry matter per ha per day with nitrogen doses from 0 to 160 kg N per ha. Differences in rate of grain growth per unit area were mainly related to number of grains per m2. The association between grain number and grain yield was reflected by a correlation coefficient of 0.97 (n = 32). A higher level of nitrogen dressing enhanced the leaf area index and leaf area duration. However, we could not derive an effect of nitrogen on the duration of grain growth. Total nitrogen yield ranged from 71 to 166 kg N per ha and grain nitrogen yield from 54 to 122 kg N per ha with nitrogen dosages of 0 and 160 kg N per ha, respectively. The nitrogen concentration of the grains varied between 1.3 and 2.0 N. An autumn dressing of 40 kg N per ha generally showed only minor effects on yield and yield components. Top dressings during spring resulted in a higher recovery and efficiency of the applied nitrogen. Therefore, it may be concluded from this experiment and literature that on fertile soils an autumn dressing of nitrogen will not be economical, but split-dressings in spring are very beneficial. In particular, a late nitrogen application during the boot stage increased grain number, harvest-index and grain yield as well as protein concentration of the grain.