Nitrogen nutrition of wheat following different crops

Abstract

SUMMARYA trial using a split-plot with blocks design was carried out at the INTA Balcarce Experimental Station, Argentina on a typic argiudol soil to evaluate N nutrition in wheat after different preceding crops and using two rates of N fertilization (0 and 90 kg N/ha).Wheat (Triticum aestivum), soyabean (Glycine max), sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and maize (Zea mays) were grown in different combinations for two successive years (1984/85 and 1985/86).No water stress was detected during either growing season. Nitrogen availability was altered by the previous crops grown, but the effect lasted only for one season. Wheat following maize yielded least with no N and responded most to N fertilization. The highest yields of wheat without N and the lowest response by wheat to N fertilization were found after crops of soyabean and sunflower.Wheat after a fertilized wheat crop did not respond to N fertilization because of a serious attack of take-all (Gaeumannomyces graminis tritici).The nitrate concentration in wheat stem bases was found to be a good estimator of the availability of soil N.