Evaluation of Yield and Protein in Rainfed Soft White and Hard Red Spring Wheat

Objective:                   

To evaluate nitrogen use response of spring wheat varieties on yield and quality

Methods:                    

Eight spring wheat cultivars, including four soft white and four hard red, were grown under five nitrogen (N) levels as a split plot, randomized complete block design with four replications. The N levels represent the whole plot factor and the eight spring wheat varieties were the sub plot factor. The five N treatments included an unfertilized check, 40, 80, 120, and 160 lbs/A added N. The check had an initial 98 lbs/A N. The resulting total N of the five treatments were: 98 (check), 138, 178, 218, and 258 total lbs of N per acre.

Summary:

Highest protein response was achieved at 178 lbs/A N (Figure 1). Protein ranged from 10.28 percent for Alturas to 15.98 percent for Egan (Figure 2, Table 2). Within the hard red spring wheat market class, Egan achieved the highest N whereas Vida had the lowest (Figure 2). No significant differences were observed among the other agronomic traits with N main effect. For rainfed conditions, Vida achieved the highest yield whereas Egan, Solano, and McNeal were equivalent (Figure 3). Refer to Table 3 for yield response - bushels produced per lb of N.

Figure 1.

Mean protein response of rainfed wheat on an irrigated fine sandy loam soil – 2016. Same letter assignment denotes nonsignificance at α =0.05.

Figure 2.

Mean variety protein response of soft white spring wheat (SWSW) and hard red spring wheat (HRSW). Same letter assignment denotes nonsignificance at α = 0.05.

Figure 3.

Mean yield response of soft white spring wheat (SWSW) and hard red spring wheat (HRSW). Same letter assignment denotes nonsignificance at α = 0.05