Distribution of nitrogen in wheat plant in its late growth stages with regard to organic fertilisation and mineral nitrogen rate

Abstract

In Central Slovenia within a long term static experiment IOSDV we investigated the impact of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilisation (0, 65, 130, 195 kg/ha) on the N content and the N amount in winter wheat (larger roots, stems, spikes and leaves) in EC 81/82 and EC 90/91, employing three systems of management: farmyard manure ploughing in before forecrop maize, straw ploughing in and green manure, no organic fertilisation. At EC 81/82 the N content in larger roots was around twice as high as the N content in stems and around twice as low as the N content in spikes and leaves. There was 80% of the whole N amount in plant located in the spikes and leaves (33–168 kg/ha) in EC 81/82 and 90% in EC 90/91. Calculated N recovery from mineral fertiliser was 68–87%; it increased with the increasing N rates in the system with farmyard manure ploughing in and in the system with no organic fertilisation, but not in the system with straw ploughing in and green manure. Between EC 81/82 and EC 90/91 wheat gained from 4 to 34 kg N/ha, but there were more important translocations of N inside the plants, which were higher at higher mineral N rates. There was a significant impact of management system on the N uptake at the highest mineral N rate.