Winter wheat responses to enhanced efficiency granular nitrogen fertilizer in the Canadian Prairies

Abstract

Optimizing the timing of nitrogen (N) enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) may maximize winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield, protein content, and N-use efficiency (NUE). From 2013 to 2018, experiments were conducted at two irrigated and six rain-fed sites across the Canadian Prairies (24 site-years) to evaluate winter wheat responses to N source and timing/placement effects of EEFs. Nitrogen sources included untreated urea, nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin treated urea, urease inhibitor N-( n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) plus nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD)-treated urea (NBPT + DCD), and polymer-coated urea (PCU). The N sources were all side-banded at planting, 30% side-banded at planting plus 70% broadcast in-crop late-fall (averaged 38 days after planting; split-applied late-fall), or 30% side-banded at planting plus 70% broadcast in-crop early-spring (averaged 224 days after planting; split-applied early-spring). Nitrous oxide and methane emissions were measured at one rain-fed site to test whether N source and timing/placement influenced CO2-equivalents (CO2-eq; nitrous oxide + methane). Under irrigation, NBPT + DCD consistently produced the highest yields regardless of timing/placement; however, the 80% of the recommended rate caused suboptimal protein responses (≤11%) unless split-application of N was adopted. Untreated urea produced the highest net CO2-eq and yield-scaled CO2-eq emissions, with the highest emissions when urea was split-applied early-spring. To optimize winter wheat production and NUE, we conclude that NBPT + DCD all-banded during seeding operations or split-applied early-spring provided similar and often superior results to other sources, including a more typical system of urea side-banded at the time of seeding.