Variety and N effects on Spring Wheat Grain Yield and Quality R.L. Dovel% H. Carlson% G. Chilcote l INTRODUCTION

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1 157 Variety and N effects on Spring Wheat Grain and Quality R.L. Dovel% H. Carlson% G. Chilcote l INTRODUCTION The Klamath Basin has a unique environment characterized by a short growing season and cool night temperatures. Many varieties that perform well throughout the rest of the state yield poorly in the Klamath Basin. The development and adoption by the milling industry of Klasic, a hard white spring wheat (HWSW) variety, has resulted in the development of an important and growing grain class. Klasic has repeatedly produced higher grain yields than Yecora Rojo, the most widely planted hard red spring wheat (HRSW) in the region; however, yield levels of Klasic are much lower than several experimental lines of HWSW currently being tested. Grain quality of several of these lines looks quite promising; however, no information concerning management effects on grain quality or yield of these lines exists. Little information is available on the management of Klasic for yield or grain quality in the Klamath Basin. Since HWSW prices are dependent on quality (mainly protein content), research is needed to compare the yield potential and grain quality of Klasic and experimental HWSW lines to that of Yecora Rojo under a wide range of management conditions to determine the relative profitability of HWSW. The greatest single management impact on grain quality is N fertilization. Increasing levels of N fertilization increase grain protein content. Research has shown that late season application of N can affect grain protein content more than preplant or early season N application. The application of 30 lbs N/A to Yecora Rojo at heading increased grain protein content from 12.8 to 14.5 percent in one study at Ontario. Addition of N in excess of 30 lbs N/A did not increase grain protein levels. Soil type may influence the effectiveness of late season N application in increasing grain protein concentration. Recent research using Yecora Rojo on lake bottom soil in Siskiyou county indicates that late season N application may not be effective on organic soils. It is evident in hard red winter wheat (HRWW) and HRSW that there is a significant difference between varieties in their ability to produce high quality grain at low soil N levels. Some varieties are much more sensitive to N management than others. It is reasonable to assume that the same variability exists between HWSW varieties. Comparing promising HWSW varieties under a 1/ Assistant Professor and Research Technician, respectively, Klamath Experiment Station, OR. 2/ Superintendent/Farm Advisor, University of California, Tulelake Field Station, CA. Acknowledgment: Partial support of this study was provided by the California Wheat Commission.

2 158 number of N management systems would allow the detection of varieties in which grain quality is less sensitive to N fertilizer inputs, thus allowing lower N inputs while maintaining grain quality. It is desirable due to environmental and financial constraints to use a minimum of N fertilizer to achieve high grain yields with adequate quality. Nitrogen applied at heading has been shown to be incorporated primarily in the grain. Also a higher percentage of late applied N is recovered in the plant than preplant applied N. This has not been examined in the Intermountain Region and may not hold true on the organic soils in the area. Research is needed to develop N management systems to optimize grain yield, grain quality and N use efficiency on the two major soil types, mineral and organic, in the Klamath Basin. PROCEDURES Factorial experiments were established on an organic soil at the Tulelake Field Station (TFS) and a mineral soil at the Klamath Experiment Station (KES). The experiments were arranged in a split-split-plot design with four replications. Timing of N application was the sub-plot, variety was the subsub-plot and nitrogen fertilizer applied at 30, 70, 110, and 150 lbs N/A was the main plot. Nitrogen was applied either as a preplant or a split application. The preplant treatments received all fertilizer N broadcast prior to planting. Nitrogen was applied to plots receiving split applications as 0, 40, 80, and 120 lbs N/A prior to planting, followed by an additional 30 lbs N/A at heading. Yecora Rojo, the most commonly planted HRSW in the region, was included in the study as a reference to assess relative white wheat production and quality responses to N management. The HWSW varieties in the study included Klasic and five promising experimental lines developed at OSU. Soil samples were collected prior to and after application of preplant fertilizer. Tissue samples were taken at the later boot stage and leaf nitrate levels were determined using a specific ion electrode, to correlate grain protein response to late season N application. Upon harvest, grain yield and test weight were recorded. Grain protein contents were determined by infrared reflectance. RESULTS At KES, variety had a significant effect on grain yield, test weight, lodging, height, and heading date. Only ORS 8413 and Fieldwin yielded significantly higher than Klasic (Table 1). However, the other HWSW entries produced yields comparable to Klasic. Spillman yielded virtually the same as Klasic. Yecoro Rojo was the lowest yielding entry in the trial. Fieldwin, and had higher test weights than Klasic. With the exception of , all HWSW entries had higher test weights thij either HRSW entry. In general lodging was not a problem in this trial, however, Fieldwin lodged more than any other entry.

3 159 Nitrogen fertilization significantly affected yield and plant height at KES. increased with increasing N fertilization up to 110 lbs N/A (Table 2). Height increased slightly with high fertility rates (Table 2). Timing of N fertilization did not significantly affect any yield parameter except bushel weight at KES. Split application of N resulted in a 0.4 lbs/bu increase in bushel weight (Table 3). In the Tulelake study, the soft white variety, Fieldwin, significantly out-yielded Klasic (Table 4). On average, the varieties did not respond to preplant or split nitrogen applications (Tables 5 and 6). The lack of response to split applied. Nitrogen is consistent with previous observations on the TFS. Apparently sufficient late season N is mineralized in the high organic matter soils on the station. Nitrogen fertilization rate did not affect grain CP content in either location. However, plots at KES which received split application of N had higher CP than those receiving only one application (Figure 1). In contrast timing of N application had no effect on grain CP content at TFS (Figure 2). This is apparently due to late season N mineralization in the high organic matter soils at the TFS. Protein levels of Klasic were lower than all experimental HW lines except ORS 8413 at both locations. Spillman had similar grain protein levels as Yecora Rojo at the KES and higher levels than Yecora Rojo at the TFS. As expected Fieldwin, the only soft white entry in the trial, had the lowest CP content at both locations. Critical data on flour milling quality is not yet available. This trial will be repeated during the 1991 season.

4 Table 1. Wheat variety development and grain yield averaged over Nitrogen treatments at the Klamath Experiment Station, OR. 160 Varieties From 1/1/90 Height Inches Lodging Weight lbs/bu lb/a T/A ORS Klasic Fieldwin Yecoro Rojo Spillman LSD (0.05) Table 2. Effect of Nitrogen rate on wheat development and grain yield averaged over varieties and application timing at the Klamath Experiment Station, OR. Nitrogen Rate From Height Lodging Weight lbs/a 1/1/90 Inches lbs/bu lb/a T/A LSD (0.05) NS 1 NS NS

5 Table 3. Effect of preplant vs split N application on wheat development and grain yield at the Klamath Experiment Station, OR. 161 From Height Lodging Weight 1/1/90 Inches lbs/bu lb/a T/A All Pre-plant Split Application LSD (0.05) NS MS NS 0.3 NS NS Table 4. Wheat Variety Development and Grain averaged over nitrogen treatments at the Tulelake Field Station, CA. Varieties from 1/1/90 Height Inches TKW1 Grams Weight lbs/bu lbs/a T/A RS Klassic Fieldwin Yecoro Rojo Spillman LSD (0.05) / Thousand kernal weight

6 162 Table 5. Effect of Nitrogen Rate on Wheat Development and grain yield averaged over varieties and application timing at the Tulelake Field Station, CA. Nitrogen Rate from Height TKW Weight lb/a 1/1/90 Inches Grams lbs/bu lbs/a T/A LSD (0.05) NS NS NS NS NS NS Table 6. Effect of Preplant vs Split N Application on wheat development and grain yield at the Tulelake Field Station, CA. from Height TKW Weight 1/1/90 Inches Grams lbs/bu lbs/a T/A All preplant Split Application LSD (0.05) NS NS NS NS NS NS

7 163 Figure 1, Effect of time of N fertilization on protein content of spring wheat at the Klamath Experiment Station. Crude protein (%) , ORS 841 Klasic Fieldwin \tecora R Spillman One application a% Split application Figure 2. Effect of time of N fertilization on protein content of spring wheat at the Tulelake Field Station. Crude protein (%) ORS 841 Klasio Fieldwin Yecora R Spillman INK One application X Split application