Late Sowing and Nitrogen Application to Optimize Canopy Structure and Grain Yield of Bread Wheat in a Fluctuating Climate

Abstract

Adjustment of sowing date and nitrogen (N) use help alleviate farmland contradiction under fluctuating climate in Jianghuai region of China. In this study, two wheat varieties were used to study the interactive effect between two sowing dates and two basal to topdressing ratios of N fertilizer, each treatment of eight combinations arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications was conducted in two consecutive growth seasons of bread wheat. As results of two years of investigation, wheat plants with an excessively delayed sowing date showed a significant reduction in flag leaf angle, flag leaf area, main stem spike length and photosynthesis rate, yet a increased basic seedling number and transpiration rate, which corresponded to a notable loss in thousand kernel weight and grain yield. An increase in the proportion of topdressed N led to an increase in flag leaf angle and leaf area index, and a lower spike number per unit and thousand kernel weight, to indicate a loss of grain yield. These findings suggest that excessively delayed sowing date and high N topdressing ratios severely affected the canopy structure and thousand kernel weight of bread wheat, and subsequently reduced grain yield. Based on membership function analysis, a sowing date of 25 October coupled with the N topdressing ratio of 7:3 (the basal to topdressing ratios of N fertilizer) was the ideal combination to optimize the wheat industry in Jianghuai region of China.

The Quality of Winter Wheat Grain by Different Sowing Strategies and Nitrogen Fertilizer Rates: A Case Study in Northeastern Poland

“…In a study by Meena et al [112], the grain of early sown wheat was characterized by the highest flour recovery (63-68%), and delayed sowing decreased flour recovery by 3%p. A similar relationship between the sowing date and flour yield was reported by Gaire et al [163] and Zheng et al [164]. It should also be noted that milling yield is strongly correlated with kernel size, and the value of this parameter is highest in large and well-filled grain [13,165].…”

“…An increase in the early spring N rate with a simultaneous decrease in the N rate at the beginning of stem elongation (100 + 40 kg ha −1 ) decreased the milling yield by 1.8%p. In turn, in the work of Zheng et al [164], the flour yield was 1%p higher when N fertilizer was applied at a 6:4 ratio (BBCH stages 00 and 31) than a 7:3 ratio. In a study by Wu et al [166], the application of the total N rate of 180 kg ha −1 in three splits (before sowing and during tillering and stem elongation at a ratio of 5:1:4, 7:1:2, and 5:4:1, respectively) had no effect on flour yield.…”

Resistance identification and nitrogen management of wheat under late spring coldness

“…The calculation of FLA refers to the method of Zheng et al (2015). Principal component analysis (PCA) of agronomic traits under different nitrogen treatments was conducted using SPSS 18.0 to obtain principal component coefficients and extract comprehensive index values and membership function values of the principal component for each treatment, then to calculate the weight of the comprehensive index and the comprehensive effect (D) of each treatment on wheat agronomic traits (Zheng et al, 2021). Microsoft Excel 2010 was used for all data processing and chart drawing, and SPSS 18.0 was used for variance analysis and significance statistics of survey data.…”

“…A well‐executed fertilizer approach plays a pivotal role in fostering an optimal population structure, thereby facilitating the synchronized development of yield‐related components. Numerous studies have underscored the significance of nitrogen fertilizer management in improving wheat population structure, enhancing wheat resistance to abiotic stress, and stabilizing wheat yield (Zheng et al., 2021). However, it is noted that optimal nitrogen fertilizer management strategies for attaining high wheat yield and quality in different ecological regions may exhibit variations under low temperature stress, and the implementation of existing mitigation measures may lack feasibility and result in substantial costs.…”

Response of Winter Wheat to Delayed Sowing and Varied Nitrogen Fertilization

“…However, they believed that excessive nitrogen application was economically unjustified and detrimental to the environment. Zheng et al [21] shared a similar perspective, considering that an excessively delayed sowing date combined with high nitrogen doses was unfounded, including economic aspects.…”