A B S T R A C TNitrogen use efficiency in wheat biomass and grain yields can be favored by the biopolymer hydrogel. The objective of the study was to analyze the use of the biopolymer hydrogel applied to the seed in the optimization of fertilizer-N on wheat biomass and grain yields, under different conditions of agricultural year and succession systems of high and reduced release of residual-N. In the study, two experiments were conducted, with different farming systems, soybean/wheat and maize/wheat, one to quantify the biomass yield rate and the other to determine grain yield. The experiments were conducted in the years 2014 and 2015, in a randomized block design with four replicates in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme, corresponding to hydrogel doses (0, 30, 60 and 120 kg ha ), applied as top-dressing. It is possible to improve the fertilizer-N efficiency by wheat using the biopolymer hydrogel for the production of biomass and grains. The highest wheat yield per kilogram of N supplied is obtained with 30 and 60 kg ha -1 of hydrogel, regardless of the year and succession system.Eficiência do nitrogênio na produtividade do trigo pelo biopolímero hidrogel ) aplicadas em cobertura, respectivamente, no sistema de sucessão soja/trigo e milho/trigo. É possível melhorar a eficiência de N-fertilizante pelo trigo com o uso do biopolímero hidrogel à produção de biomassa e grãos. A maior produtividade de trigo por quilograma de nitrogênio fornecido é obtida com 30 e 60 kg ha -1 de hidrogel, independente do ano e do sistema de sucessão.
R E S U M O
IntroductionWheat is one of the most produced cereals in the world (Arenhardt et al., 2015;Brezolin et al., 2017). Nitrogen (N) is essential to guarantee high yield of the wheat crop (Teixeira Filho et al., 2010;Prando et al., 2013), but is easily leached in rainy years (Teixeira Filho et al., 2010; Mantai et al., 2015) or volatilized in dry years (Rojas et al., 2012;Arenhardt et al., 2015). Thus, N use efficiency by wheat is eventually compromised, decreasing the yield and increasing the losses to the environment (Prando et al., 2013. Technologies that allow to improve yield with greater sustainability are necessary, especially in the increase of N use efficiency in the agricultural processes (Pinnow et al., 2013; Mantai et al., 2015).One of the ways to improve N absorption by plants is the maintenance of soil moisture, since the N supply depends, among other factors, on moisture, aeration and temperature, which interact in the cultivation systems (Rocha et al., 2008;Silva et al., 2015). The use of the biopolymer hydrogel may represent a technology to regulate soil water availability to crops, which would favor the efficiency of absorption of nutrients and improve the yield (Azevedo et al., 2008;Mendonça et al., 2013). Hydrogels are biodegradable threedimensional polymeric networks that retain water in their structure, forming a gel, which is capable of hydrating and releasing water over time (Kaewpirom & Boonsang, 2006;Venturoli & Venturoli, 2011).The objective of the study was t...