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Nitrogen Management

Accumulation and Translocation of Nitrogen in Spring Cereal Cultivars Differing in Nitrogen Use Efficiency

^a MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Plant Production Research, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland
^b Kemira GrowHow, Research Center, PO Box 2, FIN-02271 Espoo, Finland

^* Corresponding author (susanna.muurinen{at}mtt.fi)

Received for publication April 6, 2006. Since northern European agricultural practices are likely to go toward systems with lower inputs of N fertilizers, it is desirable to develop cultivars with increased yield potential associated with higher nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). This study determined the extent of variation in NUE-related parameters, specifying the primary traits contributing to the difference in nitrogen remobilization efficiency (NRE) on four spring cereal crops, two- and six-row barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), oat (Avena sativa L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Field experiments were conducted in Finland during 2001, 2002, and 2003 under two N regimes (0 and 90 kg N ha^–1). Wheat had relatively high N content at maturity even though NUE was low, whereas oat and barley had higher NUE. A comparison of nitrogen harvest index (NHI) and NRE revealed that both were low for wheat, linking this with high N uptake after anthesis, suggesting that in wheat the proportion of the assimilated N used immediately in the developing grain is greater than in barley and oat. There was no strong N translocation from vegetative parts of the main shoots in wheat, which exhibited higher competition for N between vegetative and reproductive organs. Plant breeders could use these findings to their advantage in breeding spring cereal crops that not only produce high yield but also efficiently use available N in northern growing conditions.

Abbreviations: BPE, biomass production efficiency • BPE_vege, modified biomass production efficiency • HI, harvest index • NA, nitrogen uptake after anthesis • NHI, nitrogen harvest index • NRE, nitrogen remobilization efficiency • NUE, nitrogen use efficiency • UPE, nitrogen uptake efficiency • UTE, nitrogen utilization efficiency

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