HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Otteson, B. N. Articles by Schatz, B. PubMed Articles by Otteson, B. N. Articles by Schatz, B. Agricola Articles by Otteson, B. N. Articles by Schatz, B. Related Collections Wheat Nutrient Management Production Agriculture

WHEAT

Tiller Contribution to Spring Wheat Yield under Varying Seeding and Nitrogen Management

^a Dep. of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State Univ., Fargo, ND 58105
^b NDSU Carrington REC, 663 Highway 281 North, Carrington, ND 58421

^* Corresponding author (Mohamed.Mergoum{at}ndsu.edu).

Hard red spring wheat (HRSW) (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield is comprised of the combined production of the main stem and tiller spikes. Experiments were conducted under dryland (Casselton, ND) and irrigated (Carrington, ND) conditions from 2003 to 2005 to determine tiller development and the relative contribution of main and tiller wheat spikes to final grain yield under varying cultivar, seeding rate (SR), N rate, and N timing. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with a split-split plot arrangement with four replicates. Treatments consisted of a factorial combination of HRSW cultivars (Alsen and Granite), SR (2.9 and 4.2 million seeds ha^–1), N levels (140 and 224 kg ha^–1 for the nonirrigated site; 168 and 280 kg ha^–1 for the irrigated site), and N timings (preplant, 2-split, and 3-split). Increased SR significantly increased stand count. The lowest SR and N level significantly increased tillers m^–2, while the 3-split N timing treatment significantly reduced tillers m^–2. Increased N level and SR significantly increased spikes m^–2, while the 3-split N treatment significantly reduced spikes m^–2. Cultivar, N level, and N timing main effects did not influence the relative contribution of the main spike and primary tillers (T1, T2, and T3) spikes to grain yield. Increasing the SR increased the proportion of yield from the main spike and decreased the proportion from the T2 spike. For environments where fewer tillers are desired, SR appears to have the largest impact on tiller numbers without negatively influencing yield.

Abbreviations: FHB, Fusarium head blight • HRSW, hard red spring wheat • MSGY, main stem grain yield • ND, North Dakota • NDSU, North Dakota State University • NUE, nitrogen use efficiency • RCBD, randomized complete block design • SR, seeding rate • TKW, thousand kernel weight

All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Received for publication March 28, 2007.