Examining the growth and nitrogen economy of organically selected spring wheat cultivars
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Date
2015-01-07
Authors
Wiebe, Laura
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Abstract
The nitrogen uptake of organically selected and conventional spring wheat cultivars was assessed throughout the growing season. High protein yielding advanced lines were selected from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the University of Manitoba’s joint organic breeding program. The organic breeding lines were compared with conventional check cultivars. The organic lines were found to have higher average yield, grain N yield, kernel density, HI, and NHI while the check cultivars were found to have higher average grain protein. No significant differences were observed between organic lines and the check cultivars for biomass and N biomass accumulation. The strong performance of the organic breeding lines compared to their conventional counterparts for several key parameters is a positive indication of the benefits of specialized breeding programs. The higher yield of the organic lines indicated that they were better able to cope with the environmental stresses associated with organic growing conditions.
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Keywords
organic, wheat, breeding, nitrogen