Abstract
Low grain protein often restricts the use of grain lots for milling in Finland. Nitrogen availability during grain-filling may restrict grain protein accumulation, particularly in high yielding environments. Slow-release fertilizers could potentially sustain nitrogen availability during the grain-filling period. The aim of this study was to increase plant nitrogen uptake, grain yield and grain protein response of spring wheat cultivar ‘Amaretto’, using combinations of a regular and slow-release compound NPK fertilizer. Fertilizer treatment effects on grain yield was modest, however, slow-release fertilizer treatments lowered grain protein content as well as grain, straw and total plant N compared with control treatment. The total plant N was 10 to 27 kg ha-1 lower following application of slow-release fertilizer. The results clearly indicate that the release of N by the slow-release fertilizer tested in this trial was too slow for cool Finnish growing conditions.
Highlights
Grain protein content and falling number are key traits that characterize spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) quality in Finland
Finnish farmers tend to prefer high yielding cultivars and wheat is becoming a popular crop in the northern regions, which previously were considered to represent too high a risk for meeting yield and quality requirements (Peltonen-Sainio and Niemi 2012)
Slow-release fertilizer associated with reduced grain N
Summary
Grain protein content and falling number are key traits that characterize spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) quality in Finland. In spite of an extremely short growing season, and wheat being the latest maturing cereal grown in northernmost Europe, represented by Finland, cultivars differ in earliness: their requirement for cumulated degree-days from sowing to ripeness ranges from 930 to 1050 °Cd (Peltonen-Sainio et al 2013) Even with such a modest variation in earliness, late maturing cultivars with high yield potential tend to produce lower grain protein content (Peltonen-Sainio et al 2012), which is often too low to meet milling requirements (Kangas et al 2012, Peltonen-Sainio et al 2012). Climatic conditions during the 2000s have often favored wheat cultivation (Peltonen-Sainio et al 2013)
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