Walley, F. L., Kyei-Boahen, S., Hnatowich, G. and Stevenson, C. 2005. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertility management for desi and kabuli chickpea. Can. J. Plant Sci. 85: 73-79. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a relatively new crop in Saskatchewan and acreage has undergone a rapid expansion during the past decade. However, uncertainty remains regarding growth and yield responses of this grain legume to N and P fertilization under the semiarid environment of Saskatchewan. Field experiments were conducted at various locations in Saskatchewan to investigate chickpea response to starter N (0, 15, 30, and 45 kg N ha -1 ) and P (0, 20 and 40 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 ) using desi cv. Myles and kabuli cv. Sanford. Starter N was side banded (2.5 cm to the side and 4 cm below the seed) and the P was placed in the seed row or side banded. Starter N promoted early vegetative growth of both desi and kabuli chickpea, but kabuli seed yield was unaffected by N application. Application of 30 or 45 kg N ha -1 enhanced desi yield by as much as 221 kg ha -1 . Starter N reduced N 2 fixation by kabuli chickpea whereas N 2 fixation by desi apparently was not as sensitive to inorganic N. Phosphorus (40 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 ) enhanced chickpea vegetative growth, although only desi seed yield was significantly enhanced (121 kg ha -1 ). Shoot N and P accumulation in both chickpea types generally increased with P application, but N 2 fixation was unaffected. The results suggest that although N and P application had no effect on kabuli seed yield, desi yields may be optimized by the application of low rates of starter N (i.e., 30 kg N ha -1 ) and P (20 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 ). L'engrais de démarrage azoté a été appliqué latéralement (bandes de 2,5 cm, à 4 cm sous la semence) alors que l'engrais P a été appliqué avec la semence ou sur le côté. L'engrais de démarrage azoté accélère la croissance des deux types de pois chiche en début de saison, mais le rendement grainier du cultivar kabuli n'est pas affecté par ce traitement. L'application de 30 ou de 45 kg de N par hectare accroît le rendement du pois chiche desi de jusqu'à 221 kg par hectare. L'engrais de démarrage azoté ralentit la fixation de N 2 par le pois chiche kabuli, mais la fixation de cet élément par le pois chiche desi n'est apparemment pas aussi sensible à l'azote minéral. Le phosphore (40 kg de P 2 O 5 par hectare) favorise la croissance végétative du pois chiche, quoique le rendement du pois desi soit le seul à connaître une hausse significative (121 kg par hectare). L'accumulation de N et de P dans les pousses des deux types de pois chiche est généralement plus élevée après l'application d'un engrais phosphaté, sans que la fixation de N 2 en soit touchée. Bien que les engrais N et P ne semblent pas modifier le rendement grainier du pois kabuli, les résultats indiquent qu'on pourrait optimiser celui du pois desi en appliquant une petite quantité d'engrais de démarrage azoté (à savoir, 30 kg de N par hectare) et d'engrais phosphaté (20 kg de P 2 O 5 par hectare).

The effect of topographical position on the yield response of canola (Brassica rapa var. Maverick) to N fertilizer was evaluated in a 3‐yr field study in Saskatchewan, Canada. The hummocky, glacial till research site was stratified into three topographically defined landform complexes (convex, linear, and concave). Five N treatments (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2 times the recommended soil test rates; treatments will be referred to as 0×N, 0.5×N, 1×N, 1.5×N, and 2×N, respectively) were randomized in replicated blocks, and each block spanned the three landform complexes. Substantial yield differences occurred among the study years and were associated with year‐to‐year differences in spring soil moisture. Canola seed yields (averaged across years and treatments) increased from 0.53 Mg ha−1 in convex complexes to 0.95 Mg ha−1 in linear, and 1.42 Mg ha−1 in concave landform complexes. The greatest yield responses to N occurred in the concave landform units in years where spring soil moisture was high. The N fertilizer rate required to achieve the economically optimum yield was significantly correlated to spring available moisture (required N rate [kilogram per hectare] = 40.9 + 14.87 [spring available water {in centimeters} water to 60‐cm depth], R2 = 0.73, sig. = 0.003) but was not significantly related to spring (i.e., preseeding) available soil N. The results confirm earlier studies indicating the importance of spring available water for crop production in the northern Great Plains, and suggest that intensive spring sampling for soil moisture conditions may be the most useful diagnostic tool for the implementation of a variable rate N program in this region.

Walley, F., Pennock, D., Solohub, M. and Hnatowich, G. 2001. Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) yield and grain protein responses to N fertilizer in topographically defined landscape positions. Can. J. Soil Sci. 81: 505-514. A 3-yr field study was initiated in 1996 to examine the different grain yield and grain protein responses of wheat to varied N fertilizer rates in a typical glacial till landscape in Saskatchewan, Canada. Our objective was to assess the agronomic and economic feasibility of variable rate fertilizer (VRF) N application for wheat. Results suggest that spring soil water status largely determined the yield and the protein content of wheat both within different years of the study and between different landscape positions within a given year. Although grain yield was strongly related to spring soil water and was predictable on that basis, the grain yield response of wheat to fertilizer N additions was highly variable due, in part, to the dual role that N played in determining both grain yield and grain protein content. As a consequence of the unpredictable nature of the varied response of wheat to N fertilizer additions, there was little economic rationale for using VRF strategies in the 3 yr of this study. However, in the long-term, we believe that VRF N application strategies can be employed to manage N inputs from the perspective of managing and replacing harvested N. En 1996, les auteurs ont entrepris un projet de trois ans visant à évaluer la variation du rendement grainier et de la concentration de protéines dans le grain après application d'une quantité variable d'engrais azoté sur un till glaciaire caractéristique aux terrains de la Saskatchewan, au Canada. L'idée était de vérifier la faisabilité agronomique et économique d'un taux variable de fertilisation (TVF) azotée pour le blé. Dans le cas du blé, les résultats donnent à penser que le bilan hydrique du sol au printemps détermine largement le rendement et la concentration de protéines du grain, tant d'une année à l'autre que d'un endroit à l'autre, la même année. Bien qu'il présente une forte corrélation avec la teneur en eau du sol au printemps, et qu'on puisse se servir de ce paramètre pour le prévoir, le rendement grainier du blé varie considérablement avec l'addition d'un engrais azoté, en partie parce que le N intervient doublement, soit dans le rendement grainier et dans la concentration de protéines du grain. À cause de la nature imprévisible de cette réaction, un TVF s'est avéré relativement peu indiqué sur le plan économique au cours des trois années de l'étude. À plus longue échéance cependant, les auteurs croient qu'un régime de fertilisation à taux variable pour le N faciliterait la gestion des apports d'azote lorsqu'on souhaite réduire ou remplacer l'azote perdu à la récolte.

. 2001. Spring wheat and canola response to nitrogen placement with no-till side band openers. Can. J. Plant Sci. 81: [191][192][193][194][195][196][197][198]. The development of successful no-till crop production systems has led to the practice of applying all the seed and fertilizer in a single field operation. This study was initiated to assist producers in the selection of commercially available bolt-on side banding openers. Field trials were conducted at 10 locations in Saskatchewan over a 2-yr period (1995 and 1996) to evaluate the performance of five bolt-on side band openers on the establishment and yield of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and canola (Brasica rapa L.). Trial locations were selected to provide a range of soil and environmental conditions. The openers tested included the Flexi-coil Stealth™, Dutch-Vern Eaglebuster™, Swede SW470™, GEN 200 and Morris Edge-On™. Fertilizer nitrogen (N) as urea was applied in the side band at rates of 0, 40, 80 and 120 kg N ha -1 with a side banded starter fertilizer blend of phosphorus, potassium and sulphur. When properly adjusted for individual site soil conditions at seeding, no difference was recorded between the side band openers tested in the establishment and grain yield of spring wheat. Averaged across all N rates, three of the five openers showed poor canola seedling emergence, indicating inadequate seed-fertilizer separation. However, the ability of the canola crop to branch and compensate for poor crop establishment prevented any significant grain yield loss in this study. In cases where differences between openers were observed, the Flexi-Coil Stealth™ and GEN 200™ openers provided the best crop establishment. Given the importance of crop establishment to achieving optimum grain yields, the bolt-on side band openers that provided good crop establishment should be recommended to producers.

. 2003. Opener, packer wheel and packing force effects on crop emergence and yield of direct seeded wheat, canola and field peas. Can. J. Plant Sci. 83: 129-139. An understanding of the effects of different opener designs and on-row packing force would help producers in their selection of appropriate direct seeding implement options for their soil conditions. A field trial was conducted at three locations (Indian Head, Sylvania and Watrous) in Saskatchewan from 1997 to 1999 to evaluate the effect of opener-packer design (spoon-steel V packer; spoon-flat rubber packer; paired row-steel V packer; paired row-flat rubber packer; sweep-pneumatic tire) in combination with a range of on-row packing forces [0, 333, 549, 746, and 1000 Newton (N) per press wheel] on crop emergence and grain yield with direct seeding. The differences observed between opener-packer combinations in this study varied by less than 10% for grain yield, and were almost always associated with the opener design and not the packer type. Despite the variable results, there was a tendency for higher pea and wheat emergence with the sweep + tire compared with other opener types at those locations that tended to be drier in the spring. Also, grain yield tended to be greater for the sweep + tire in 1999 at Indian Head, when the heavy-textured soil at this site had high soil moisture conditions at seeding. The responses to packing force varied with different years and among the crops. Generally, 333 N per press wheel provided adequate emergence and grain yield across the environmental conditions encountered in this study, regardless of the opener-packer combination. In 1997, 5% more pea seedlings emerged with some amount of packing compared with no packing. Relative to the check, some packing resulted in wheat grain yield that was 13% greater at three of the location-by-year combinations, and wheat emergence that was 9% greater in 1998. However, with canola excessive packing force (i.e., the two highest vs. lower packing forces) resulted in 11 fewer seedlings m -2 in 1999. A packing pressure of 333 N per press wheel provided adequate emergence and grain yield across varied environmental conditions, with higher packing force only negatively influencing emergence in canola, and not yield. L'écart entre les diverses combinaisons d'organes relevé dans le cadre de cette étude était inférieur à 10 % pour le rendement grainier et on l'a presque toujours associé au type d'organe ouvreur plutôt qu'au rouleau. Malgré la variabilité des résultats, le pois et le blé ont tendance à lever davantage avec la combinaison soc à ailes ouvertes + pneumatique qu'avec les autres organes ouvreurs aux endroits plus secs au printemps. Le rendement grainier a également eu tendance à être plus élevé avec cette combinaison, en 1999 à Indian Head, où le sol lourd était très humide au moment des semis. La réaction à la pression varie avec l'année et la culture. En général, une force de 333 N par roue plombeuse permet une germination et un rendement grainier adéquats dans les conditi...