Impact of Nitrogen Rate in Conventional and Organic Production Systems on Yield and Bread Baking Quality of Soft Red Winter Wheat

Ammar Al-Zubade,Krista Jacobsen,David Van Sanford,Timothy Phillips,Mark A Williams

doi:10.3390/agronomy11091683

Ammar Al-Zubade, Krista Jacobsen + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11091683

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Journal: Agronomy	Publication Date: Aug 24, 2021
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Kentucky, University of Baghdad

Abstract

Soft red winter wheat (SRW) is characterized by high yield and relatively low protein content. In Kentucky, there is growing demand from local artisan bread bakers for regionally produced flour, requiring production of grain with increased protein content and/or strength. The objective of this two-year field experiment was to evaluate the effect of nitrogen (N) management on five cultivars of winter wheat on yield and bread baking quality traits of modern and landrace SRW cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.). All five cultivars were evaluated using two N application rates in conventional and organic production systems. All traits measured were significantly affected by the agricultural production system and N rate, although plant height and other quality traits varied by study year. Significantly higher yields were achieved in the conventional system at a relatively low N rate (67.2 kg ha−1) in both study years (2017–2019) (p < 0.01). Results were variable by cultivar and a locally bred, high-yielding cultivar (Pembroke 2014) had the highest lactic acid solvent retention capacity score and thousand kernel weight of the cultivars evaluated. In addition, a landrace cultivar (Purple Straw) had the highest grain N and plant height. A French soft wheat, Soissons, had the highest sedimentation value and Pembroke 2016 achieved the highest yield. The findings from this study suggest the possibility of attaining a desirable grain with quality traits of SRW wheat that meets the needs of local bread wheat production in Kentucky through improving the optimization of cultivar selection, N management and specific considerations for conventional and organic systems.

Highlights

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the third most economically important grain crop in Kentucky [1] and is considered the fourth most valuable cash crop in the state [2]
As a first step in screening cultivars and management techniques for this emerging market, this study investigates the interactions of cultivar selection and N fertilizer management on yield and baking quality traits in conventional and organic production systems
Plants in the CONV system grown with the High N rate were taller by 3.2% than conventionally grown plants grown at the lower N rate

Summary

Introduction

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the third most economically important grain crop in Kentucky [1] and is considered the fourth most valuable cash crop in the state [2]. Recent efforts in the local food movement have emphasized the opportunities for the use of regionally produced grains, including interest from artisan bakers to use bread flour from locally grown wheat [5]. This requires increasing grain N and/or gluten strength for regionally produced wheats to be suitable for bread baking purposes. Such increases in quality for niche markets have been shown to provide price premiums for producers. By increasing the content of the protein by 1.5%, farmers can get up to 10 percent more income on their wheat [6]

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