Yield and some quality traits of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain as influenced by the application of different rates of nitrogen

A field study was conducted in the period 2004–2007 at the Czesławice Experimental Farm, belonging to the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, on loess-derived grey brown podzolic soil (good wheat soil complex). This study determined the effect of two levels of nitrogen fertilization on yield and the basic quality traits of grain of the winter wheat cultivar ‘Muza’. The study results show the dependence of the grain quality characters mainly on variable weather conditions throughout the study period and to a lesser extent on the level of nitrogen fertilization. Good technological parameters were obtained in the seasons with low rainfall and high air temperature. The study also demonstrated that the higher rate of nitrogen tended to have a positive effect on total protein and wet gluten content, falling number, sedimentation value, and grain test weight. In spite of the lack of significant differences, the quality of gluten was found to decrease with the increasing rate of nitrogen