Accumulation and Translocation of Nitrogen in Spring Cereal Cultivars Differing in Nitrogen Use Efficiency

Autor: Jouko Kleemola, Pirjo Peltonen-Sainio, Susanna Muurinen
Rok vydání: 2007
Předmět:
Zdroj: Agronomy Journal. 99:441-449
ISSN: 1435-0645
0002-1962
DOI: 10.2134/agronj2006.0107
Popis: Since northern European agricultural practices are likely to go toward systems with lower inputs of N fertilizers, it is desirable to develop cultivars with increased yield potential associated with higher nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). This study determined the extent of variation in NUE-related parameters, specifying the primary traits contributing to the difference in nitrogen remobilization efficiency (NRE) on four spring cereal crops, two- and six-row barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), oat (Avena sativa L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Field experiments were conducted in Finland during 2001, 2002, and 2003 under two N regimes (0 and 90 kg N ha -1 ). Wheat had relatively high N content at maturity even though NUE was low, whereas oat and barley had higher NUE. A comparison of nitrogen harvest index (NHI) and NRE revealed that both were low for wheat, linking this with high N uptake after anthesis, suggesting that in wheat the proportion of the assimilated N used immediately in the developing grain is greater than in barley and oat. There was no strong N translocation from vegetative parts of the main shoots in wheat, which exhibited higher competition for N between vegetative and reproductive organs. Plant breeders could use these findings to their advantage in breeding spring cereal crops that not only produce high yield but also efficiently use available N in northern growing conditions.
Databáze: OpenAIRE