Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T05:14:54.920Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Early sowing increases nitrogen uptake and yields of winter wheat grown with cattle slurry or mineral fertilizers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2018

A. Suarez-Tapia ,
J. Rasmussen ,
I. K. Thomsen  and
B. T. Christensen
A. Suarez-Tapia
Affiliation:
Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, AU-Foulum, Tjele, Denmark
J. Rasmussen
Affiliation:
Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, AU-Foulum, Tjele, Denmark
I. K. Thomsen*
Affiliation:
Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, AU-Foulum, Tjele, Denmark
B. T. Christensen
Affiliation:
Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, AU-Foulum, Tjele, Denmark
*
Author for correspondence: I. K. Thomsen, ingrid.thomsen@agrsci.dk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The current study evaluated the effect of sowing date (early, mid-August or timely, mid-September) on two winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars (Hereford, Mariboss) with different rates of nitrogen (N) (0–225 kg total N/ha) applied as animal manure (AM; cattle slurry) or mineral fertilizers (N: phosphorus: potassium; NPK). Overwinter plant N uptake and soil mineral N content were determined during 2014/15, while harvest yields (grain, straw, N content) were determined during 2014/15 and 2015/16. Overwinter uptake of N was 14 kg N/ha higher in early than in timely-sown wheat. Despite very different yield levels in 2015 and 2016 harvests, the advantage of early sowing on grain yields was similar (1.1 and 0.9 t/ha); straw yield benefits were greater in 2015 (1.7 t/ha more) than in 2016 (0.4 t/ha more). In 2015 and 2016, N offtake was 35 and 17 kg N/ha higher in early than in timely-sown wheat, respectively. The mineral N fertilizer value of cattle slurry averaged 50%. Early sowing increased the apparent N recovery (ANR) for wheat regardless of nutrient source. However, ANR was substantially higher for NPK (82% in 2015; 52% in 2016) than for AM (39% in 2015; 27% in 2016). Performance of the two cultivars did not differ consistently with respect to the effect of early sowing on crop yield, N concentration and offtake, or ANR. Within the north-west European climatic region, moving the sowing time of winter wheat from mid-September to mid-August provides a significant yield and N offtake benefit.

Keywords

Fertilizerlong-term experimentmanuresowing timewinter wheat
Type
Crops and Soils Research Paper
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 156 , Issue 2 , March 2018 , pp. 177 - 187
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barraclough, PB and Leigh, RA (1984) The growth and activity of winter wheat roots in the field: the effect of sowing date and soil type on root growth of high-yielding crops. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 103, 59–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barraclough, PB, Howarth, JR, Jones, J, Lopez-Bellido, R, Parmar, S, Shepherd, CE and Hawkesford, MJ (2010) Nitrogen efficiency of wheat: genotypic and environmental variation and prospects for improvement. European Journal of Agronomy 33, 1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Box, GEP and Cox, DR (1964) An analysis of transformations. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B: Methodological 26, 211–252.Google Scholar
Brisson, N, Gate, P, Gouache, D, Charmet, G, Oury, F-X and Huard, F (2010) Why are wheat yields stagnating in Europe? A comprehensive data analysis for France. Field Crops Research 119, 201–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christensen, BT (2004). Tightening the nitrogen cycle. In Schjønning, P, Elmholt, S and Christensen BT, (eds) Managing Soil Quality: Challenges in Modern Agriculture. Wallingford, Oxon, UK: CAB International, pp. 47–67.Google Scholar
Christensen, BT, Petersen, J and Trentemøller, UM (2006) The Askov Long-Term Experiments on Animal Manure and Mineral Fertilizers: the Lermarken site 1894-2004. DIAS Report, Plant Production No. 121. Tjele, Denmark: Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences.Google Scholar
Dalgaard, T, Hansen, B, Hasler, B, Hertel, O, Hutchings, NJ, Jacobsen, BH, Jensen, LS, Kronvang, B, Olesen, JO, Schjørring, JK, Kristensen, IS, Graversgaard, M, Termansen, M and Vejre, H (2014) Policies for agricultural nitrogen management – trends, challenges and prospects for improved efficiency in Denmark. Environmental Research Letters 9, 115002. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/9/11/115002.Google Scholar
Gaju, O, Allard, V, Martre, P, Snape, JW, Heumez, E, LeGouis, J, Moreau, D, Bogard, M, Griffiths, S, Orford, S, Hubbart, S and Foulkes, MJ (2011) Identification of traits to improve the nitrogen-use efficiency of wheat genotypes. Field Crops Research 123, 139–152.Google Scholar
Hansen, EM, Kristensen, K and Djurhuus, J (2000) Yield parameters as affected by introduction and discontinuation of catch crop use. Agronomy Journal 92, 909–914.Google Scholar
IUSS Working Group WRB (2015) World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2014, Update 2015 International Soil Classification System for Naming Soils and Creating Legends for Soil Maps. World Soil Resources Reports No. 106. Rome, Italy: FAO.Google Scholar
Jørgensen, LN, Secher, BJM, Olesen, JE and Mortensen, JV (1997) Need for fungicide treatments when varying agricultural parameters. Aspects of Applied Biology 50, 285–292.Google Scholar
Kiss, T, Balla, K, Banyai, J, Veisz, O and Karsai, I (2014) Effect of different sowing times on the plant developmental parameters of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Cereal Research Communications 42, 239–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ladha, JK, Pathak, H, Krupnik, TJ, Six, J and Van Kessel, C (2005) Efficiency of fertilizer nitrogen in cereal production: retrospects and prospects. Advances in Agronomy 87, 85–156.Google Scholar
Milford, GFJ, Penny, A, Prew, RD, Darby, RJ and Todd, AD (1993) Effects of previous crop, sowing date, and winter and spring applications of nitrogen on the growth, nitrogen uptake and yield of winter wheat. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 121, 1–12.Google Scholar
Munkholm, LJ, Hansen, EM, Thomsen, IK, Wahlström, EM and Østergaard, HS (2017) Nitrogen uptake, nitrate leaching and root development in winter-grown wheat and fodder radish. Soil Use and Management 33, 233–242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Musick, JT and Dusek, DA (1980) Planting date and water deficit effects on development and yield of irrigated winter wheat. Agronomy Journal 72, 45–52.Google Scholar
Myrbeck, Å, Stenberg, M and Rydberg, T (2012) Establishment of winter wheat – strategies for reducing the risk of nitrogen leaching in a cool-temperate region. Soil & Tillage Research 120, 25–31.Google Scholar
Olesen, JE, Trnka, M, Kersebaum, KC, Skjelvåg, AO, Seguin, B, Peltonen-Sainio, P, Rossi, F, Kozyra, J and Michale, F (2011) Impacts and adaptation of European crop production systems to climate change. European Journal of Agronomy 34, 96–112.Google Scholar
Petersen, J, Haastrup, M, Knudsen, L and Olesen, JE (2010) Causes of Yield Stagnation in Winter Wheat in Denmark. DJF Report on Plant Science No. 147. Tjele, Denmark: Aarhus University.Google Scholar
Petersen, J, Thomsen, IK, Mattsson, L, Hansen, EM and Christensen, BT (2012) Estimating the crop response to fertilizer nitrogen residues in long-continued field experiments. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 93, 1–12.Google Scholar
Rasmussen, IS and Thorup-Kristensen, K (2016) Does earlier sowing of winter wheat improve root growth and N uptake? Field Crops Research 196, 10–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rasmussen, IS, Dresbøll, DB and Thorup-Kristensen, K (2015) Winter wheat cultivars and nitrogen (N) fertilization – effects on root growth, N uptake efficiency and N use efficiency. European Journal of Agronomy 68, 38–49.Google Scholar
Sieling, K, Stahl, C, Winkelmann, C and Christen, O (2005) Growth and yield of winter wheat in the first 3 years of a monoculture under varying N fertilization in NW Germany. European Journal of Agronomy 22, 71–84.Google Scholar
Soil Survey Staff (1999) Soil Taxonomy: A Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys. 2nd edn. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 436. Washington, D.C., USA: USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service.Google Scholar
Sørensen, P, Thomsen, IK and Schröder, JJ (2017) Empirical model for mineralization of manure nitrogen in soil. Soil Research 55, 500–505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, J, Sørensen, P, Velthof, GL, Amon, B, Pinto, M, Rodhe, L, Salomon, E, Hutchings, N, Burczyk, P and Reid, JE (2013) An assessment of the variation of manure nitrogen efficiency throughout Europe and an appraisal of means to increase manure-N efficiency. Advances in Agronomy 119, 371–442.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Widdowson, FV, Penny, A, Darby, RJ, Bird, E and Hewitt, MV (1987) Amounts of NO3-N and NH4-N in soil, from autumn to spring, under winter wheat and their relationship to soil type, sowing date, previous crop and N uptake at Rothamsted, Woburn and Saxmundham, 1979-85. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 108, 73–95.Google Scholar