Seasonal patterns of winter wheat phytomass as affected by water and nitrogen on the north american great plains

• Published in: Agricultural and forest meteorology Vol. 44; no. 2; pp. 151 - 157
• Main Authors: Major, D.J., Blad, B.L., Bauer, A., Hatfield, J.L., Hubbard, K.G., Kanemasu, E.T., Reginato, R.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 1988; Oxford Elsevier; New York, NY
• Subjects: Agricultural and forest climatology and meteorology. Irrigation. Drainage; Agricultural and forest meteorology; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; AZOTE; Biological and medical sciences; Climatic models of plant production; DISPONIBILIDAD DE NUTRIENTES; DISPONIBILIDAD DEL AGUA; EAU DISPONIBLE; ELEMENT NUTRITIF DISPONIBLE; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA; ETATS-UNIS; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Generalities. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development; Generalities. Production, biomass, yield. Quality; Generalities. Techniques. Climatology. Meteorology. Climatic models of plant production; Irrigation. Drainage; NITROGEN; Nitrogen fertilization; Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertilizations; NITROGENO; NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY; SEASONAL VARIATION; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; TRITICUM AESTIVUM; USA; VARIACION ESTACIONAL; VARIATION SAISONNIERE; WATER AVAILABILITY; Great Plains, North America; Total plant; Monocotyledones; Climate; Multilocal experiment; Grains; Growth rate; Growth; Soil moisture; Trophic factor; Environmental factor; Latitude; Biomass; Nitrogen; North America; Inorganic element; Cereal crop; Gramineae; Seasonal variation; America; Angiospermae; Great Plains of America; Nutrient; Spermatophyta; Triticum aestivum
• ISSN: 0168-1923; 1873-2240
• DOI: 10.1016/0168-1923(88)90014-7

Seasonal phytomass of winter wheat was studied at 5 locations on the North American Great Plains to assess differences in productivity at 3 soil water and 4 nitrogen levels. The average temperature at the time of rapid production of whole-plant phytomass was 11°C and varied from 6 to 14°C. Subsequently, temperature regimes at the 5 locations were similar, even though they occurred at different times of the year. Growth rates varied among locations and durations varied between years. At the three most southerly locations, maximum whole-plant phytomass occurred shortly after the onset of rapid grain filling, whereas at the two northern locations maximum whole-plant phytomass occurred at, or shortly before, maximum grain dry weight. The reason for this phenomenon was apparently a much greater production of vegetative tissue at the southern locations. Whole-plant and grain growth rates under rainfed conditions were 70 and 62% of the irrigated values, respectively. The daily growth rate of spikes was equal to the whole-plant growth rate in the irrigated/high N treatments. Duration of growth was reduced only by 3 days under rainfed/low N conditions for both whole-plant and head phytomass.