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Yield‐Independent Variation in Grain Nitrogen and Phosphorus Concentration among Ethiopian Wheats
Author(s) -
Schulthess Urs,
Feil Boy,
Jutzi Samuel C.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1997.00021962008900030021x
Subject(s) - cultivar , agronomy , vertisol , nitrogen , phosphorus , grain yield , yield (engineering) , shoot , biology , test weight , poaceae , chemistry , soil water , ecology , materials science , organic chemistry , metallurgy
New semidwarf wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars and new land management practices for Vertisols are being introduced in Ethiopia. Our objectives were to (i) determine the variation of N and P content and concentration in the grain and whether these are related to grain yield, (ii) test cultivar response to different fertility levels, and (iii) assess component traits of N and P yield. Five bread wheat cultivars and three durum wheat ( Triticum durum Desf.) cultivars were sown in Exp. 1 at three locations in Ethiopia on two dates. In Exp. 2, seven of these cultivars were grown on a P‐deficient soil at four N levels (0, 20.5, 41, 61.5 kg N ha −1 ) and four P levels (0, 10, 20, 30 kg P ha −1 ); in Exp. 3, two cultivars were grown in all possible combinations of the same four N and P levels. Grain yields did not differ among cultivars, but significant variations were found for total shoot N and P, grain N and P yield, and grain N and P concentration. Cultivar differences in these traits were fairly consistent across the treatments and were corroborated by Exp. 3. The N and P concentrations in the grain were not related to grain yield ( r = 0.36 NS for N; r = 0.28 NS for P). There was a positive association between grain N and P concentrations in Exp. 1 ( r = 0.66; P = 0.07) and in Exp. 2 ( r = 0.92; P < 0.01). The N and P grain yields were related to total shoot N and P at maturity ( r = 0.99; P < 0.001). However, postanthesis accumulation of N was more closely related to postanthesis dry matter accumulation ( r = 0.84; P < 0.05) than to the postanthesis accumulation of P ( r = 0.56 NS). Total shoot P varied by as much as 50%. Thus, cultivar choice is an important factor determining removal of P from the soil.