Vegetative nitrogen stress decreases lodging risk and increases yield of irrigated spring wheat in the subtropics

Abstract

In-crop nitrogen (N) application is used widely in rainfed winter wheat production to reduce lodging risk; however, uncertainty exists as to its ability to reduce lodging risk in subtropical irrigated wheat production without simultaneously reducing yield potential. The objective of this study was therefore to determine whether in-crop N application reduces lodging risk without reducing yield of irrigated spring wheat in a subtropical environment. Irrigated small-plot experiments were conducted to compare the effect of alternative N timing on lodging and yield in two cultivars. Variable N regimes were imposed during the vegetative growth phase, after which additional N was applied to ensure that total season N application was uniform across N-timing treatments. Treatments with low N at sowing had significantly less lodging and were the highest yielding, exhibiting yield increases of up to 0.8 t ha–1 compared to treatments with high N at sowing. Increased leaf area index, biomass and tiller count at the end of the vegetative growth phase were correlated with increased lodging in both cultivars, although the strength of the correlation varied with cultivar and season. We conclude that canopy-management techniques can be used to simultaneously increase yield and decrease lodging in irrigated spring wheat in the subtropics, but require different implementation from techniques used in temperate regions of Australia.

Effect of nitrogen levels and nitrogen ratios on lodging resistance and yield potential of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

“…Berry et al [ 7 ] suggested that delay nitrogen fertilizer applications decrease the likelihood of lodging. Similar findings were reported by Peake et al [ 28 ].…”

“…So splitting nitrogen fertilization increased lodging and brought no benefit to grain yield. Several studies have reported that lodging reductions have been achieved with sacrificing yield potential by decreasing nitrogen level and delaying nitrogen fertilizer applications [ 7 , 27 – 28 ]. But it remained unclear whether nitrogen management could reduce lodging risk without reducing yield potential.…”

Improving Lodging Resistance: Using Wheat and Rice as Classical Examples

“…Plant cell wall components including lignin and cellulose contents enhanced at first and then reduced progressively with the increasing N amounts in wheat [224]. Numerous studies have shown that lodging reduction has been attained at the cost of sacrificing yield potential by reducing N concentration and delaying N fertilizer applications [77,228].…”

Influence of Nitrogen Fertilization on Traits Related to Lodging and Yield in Bread Wheat Genotypes

“…Beside choosing lodging resistance varieties, husbandry practices also have a significant effect on lodging. Nitrogen management is one of the most common and efficient methods that were used widely in rainfed winter wheat production to reduce lodging risk (Can et al, 2015, Peake et al, 2016and Zhang et al, 2017. Supply the optimum dose of N helps to reduce lodging losses (Telkar et al, 2017).…”