Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T02:53:19.087Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effects of foliar-applied sulphur and nitrogen on grain growth, grain sulphur and nitrogen concentrations and yield of winter wheat

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

M. W. Griffiths
Affiliation:
Crop and Environment Research Centre, Harper Adams Agricultural College, Newport, Shropshire TFW 8NB, UK
P. S. Kettlewell
Affiliation:
Crop and Environment Research Centre, Harper Adams Agricultural College, Newport, Shropshire TFW 8NB, UK
T. J. Hocking
Affiliation:
School of Applied Sciences, University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WVl ISB, UK

Summary

Elemental sulphur (32 kg S/ha) and urea (30 kg N/ha) were applied to the foliage of different winter wheat cultivars, halfat flag leaf emergence and halfat ear emergence, in factorial experiments in 1986, 1987 and 1988. There were no clear visual symptoms of S deficiency, but there was evidence from soil analysis, grain S concentration and grain N:S ratio that the crops were marginally deficient in sulphur. Disease severity was generally negligible. Leaf senescence at the end of grain growth was delayed by sulphur in two of the three years, both with and without urea in 1987, but only with urea in 1988. Sulphur, both alone and mixed with urea, increased grain S concentration from early grain growth in 1986 and 1987, but not until the end of grain growth in 1988. Urea alone reduced yield in 1986 and 1987, but mixing S with the urea compensated for this phytotoxic effect. Yield was not significantly increased by S when compared with plots receiving neither urea nor S.

Type
Crops and Soils
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anon. (1976). Manual of Plant Growth Stages and Disease Assessment Keys. Alnwick: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.Google Scholar
Anon. (1983). Acid Deposition in the United Kingdom. First Report of the United Kingdom Review Group on Acid Rain. Stevenage: Warren Spring Laboratory.Google Scholar
Anon. (1986). The Analysis of Agricultural Materials. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Reference Book 427. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Anon. (1988). Chafer Farmers Guide. York: J. W. Chafer Limited.Google Scholar
Anon. (1990). Acid Deposition in the United Kingdom 1986–1988. London: Department of the Environment.Google Scholar
Bennett, F. G. A. (1981). The expression of resistance to powdery mildew infection in winter wheat cultivars. II. Adult plant resistance. Annals of Applied Biology 98, 305317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biscoe, P. V. & Gallagher, J. N. (1978). A physiological analysis of cereal yield. I. Production of dry matter. Agricultural Progress 53, 3450.Google Scholar
Bould, C., Hewitt, E. J. & Needham, P. (1983). Diagnosis of Mineral Disorders in Plants. Volume I: Principles. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Dickinson, C. H. (1981). Leaf surface micro-organisms as pathogen antagonists and as minor pathogens. In Strategies for the Control of Cereal Disease (Eds Jenkyn, J. F. & Plumb, R. T.), pp. 109121. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications.Google Scholar
Dreze, P., Bodson, B., Decocq, G., Falisse, A. & Gasia, M. C. (1987). Etude de I'incorporation du soufre après traitement du blé d'hiver au soufre élémentaire formule. In Elemental Sulphur in Agriculture. Volume 2, pp. 395—409. Marseille, France: Syndicat Français du Soufre.Google Scholar
Fisher, R. A. & Yates, F. (1963). Statistical Tables for Biological, Agricultural and Medical Research, 6th edition. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd.Google Scholar
Gooding, M.J. & Davies, W. P. (1992). Foliar urea fertilization of cereals: a review. Fertilizer Research 32, 209222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gooding, M. J., Kettlewell, P. S. & Hocking, T. J. (1991). Effects of urea alone or with fungicide on the yield and breadmaking quality of wheat when sprayed at flag leaf and ear emergence. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 117, 149155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, C. F. (1984). Discriminants of productivity in small grain cereals: a review. Journal of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany 16, 453463.Google Scholar
Gregory, P. J., Crawford, D. V. & McGowan, M. (1979). Nutrient relations of winter wheat. 1. Accumulation and distribution of Na, K, Ca, Mg, P, S and N. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 93, 485494.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Griffiths, M. W., Martin, A. D. E., Hocking, T. J. & Reynolds, S. B. (1990). Rapid analysis of sulphur in wheat grain by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 51, 2733.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, J. E., Jenkins, J. E. E. & Morgan, W. A. (1983). The estimation of yield losses in wheat from severity of infection by Septoria species. Plant Pathology 32, 239249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Legris-Delaporte, S., Ferron, F., Landry, J. & Costes, C. (1987). Metabolization of elemental sulfur in wheat leaves consecutive to its foliar application. Plant Physiology 85, 10261030.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGrath, S. P. & Johnston, A. E. (1986). Sulphur – crop nutrient and fungicide. Span 29, 5759.Google Scholar
McGrath, S. P. & Till, A. R. (1993). Sulphur uptake following foliar applications of elemental sulphur. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 63, 120.Google Scholar
McGrath, S. P., Zhao, F., Crosland, A. R. & Salmon, S. E. (1993). Sulphur status of British wheat grain and its relationship with quality parameters. Aspects of Applied Biology 36, Cereal Quality III, 317326.Google Scholar
Paul, X. & Rossignol, Y.(1982). Sulphur as a fungicide. Sulphur in Agriculture 6, 1214.Google Scholar
Randall, P. J., Spencer, K. & Freney, J. R. (1981). Sulfur and nitrogen fertilizer effects on wheat. I. Concentrations of sulfur and nitrogen and the nitrogen to sulfur ratio in grain, in relation to the yield response. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 32, 203212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sokal, R. R. & Rohlf, F. J. (1981). Biometry: The Principles and Practice of Statistics in Biological Research. 2nd edition. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman.Google Scholar
Scott, N. M. (1981). Evaluation of sulphate status of soils by plant and soil tests. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 32, 193199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Syers, J. K., Skinner, R. J. & Curtin, D. (1987). Soil and Fertiliser Sulphur in UK Agriculture. London: The Fertiliser Society.Google Scholar
Wallace, P. A. (1993). The growing requirement for sulphur fertilisation in the UK. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 63, 117.Google Scholar
Withers, P. J. A. (1993). The response of winter oilseed rape and cereals to sulphur fertilisers. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 63, 118.Google Scholar
Zhao, F. & McGrath, S. P. (1993). Assessing the risk of sulphur deficiency in cereals. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 63, 119.Google Scholar