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Use of climatic data for estimating nitrogen fertilizer requirements of dryland wheat

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

L. Korentajer ,
P. R. Berlinger ,
F. J. Dijkhus  and
J. Van Zyl
L. Korentajer
Affiliation:
Soil and Irrigation Research Institute, Private Bag X-79, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
P. R. Berlinger
Affiliation:
Soil and Irrigation Research Institute, Private Bag X-79, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
F. J. Dijkhus
Affiliation:
Soil and Irrigation Research Institute, Private Bag X-79, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
J. Van Zyl
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
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Summary

The effect of moisture stress on N fertilizer needs of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was assessed using yield and meteorological data from N x P and N x P x K factorial trials, conducted on farmers' fields in a summer and a winter rainfall area in South Africa in 1979–84. Three to five rates of N fertilizer between 15 and 135 kg N/ha (plus control) and two to four replicates were used. The data were statistically analysed by a multiple regression yield model using applied N rate, N, and seasonal moisture stress, S, as the explanatory variables. A good positive correlation (r = 0.83, S.E. = 0.341 t/ha, D.F. = 48) was obtained between the estimated and the observed yields. The effects of S on Nmax and Novl (i.e. the N rates corresponding to maximum yield and an economically optimal rate, respectively), were evaluated. For 0.05 < S 7lt; 0.3, the range of S values representative of dryland cropping conditions, Nmax was largely independent of S, whereas Nopl increased sharply with decreasing S. The results indicated that N-response models which include moisture stress parameters may be used to determine the cropping areas climatically most suitable for wheat cultivation.

Type
Review
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 113 , Issue 2 , October 1989 , pp. 131 - 137
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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References

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