Abstract
The effect of water supply during grain growth on grain nitrogen concentration (GNC) and grain nitrogen yield (GNY) of winter wheat (<I>Triticum aestivum</I> L.) was studied in the field experiment on fertile loamy-clay soil in years 2004–2007. The water regime was differentiated using mobile rain shelter (water shortage, treatment S) and drip irrigation (ample water supply, treatment W); rain-fed crop served as the control treatment (R). Wheat was grown without addition of nitrogen and with 200 kg N/ha (N0 and N1, resp.). The effect of water supply on GNC was highly significant (<I>P</I> < 0.001) in fertilized wheat and not significant in N0. Drought significantly increased GNC in comparison with irrigated and rain-fed crop in N1. Average grain nitrogen concentrations in respective treatments S, R and W were 1.52, 1.54 and 1.56% in N0 and 2.50, 2.24 and 2.07% in N1. Water availability also significantly affected grain nitrogen yield (<I>P</I> < 0.01). The GNY of fertilized wheat under water shortage was significantly lower (139 kg/ha) than GNY in treatments R (174 kg/ha) and W (182 kg/ha) while under N0 the differences were not significant. Unlike GNC, the GNY was positively associated with mineral N supply (N<sub>min</sub>) in 0–90 cm depth in early spring (<I>r </I> = 0.98–0.99 and 0.83–0.97 for N0 and N1, resp.). Several weather and related characteristics showed relations to GNY and GNC, often opposite under N0 and N1. N<sub>min</sub> together with nitrogen fertilization rate, indicators of water regime and temperature during grain growth period explained 78–97% of observed variability of GNC and GNY in the experiment.
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