Agronomic practices to minimize lodging risk while maximizing yield and protein potential of spring wheat in the eastern Canadian Prairies
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Date
2022-12-02
Authors
Mangin, Amy
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Abstract
Spring wheat is one of the most economically important crops grown on the Canadian prairies. Improvements in genetics and agronomy have resulted in higher yields obtained by producers, but have introduced challenges such as maintaining grain protein content and managing increased lodging risk. The objectives of this thesis research were to evaluate the effect of agronomic management practices such as N management, plant density, plant growth regulator (PGR) application and their interactions on spring wheat lodging risk, grain yield and protein content of spring wheat in the eastern Canadian prairies. This was done through two small plot field trials in south central Manitoba during the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons using cultivars common to, and widely grown across Manitoba. Early season N availability was critical for the development of yield components and allowed the crop to buffer against dry environmental conditions to produce grain protein. However, increased lodging risk associated with application of large amounts of N early in the season needs to be balanced with lodging management strategies. Low plant densities (150 plants m-2) and PGR applications improved the crop’s ability to resist lodging in this research. The lowest plant densities tested (150 plants m-2) allowed the crop to better resist both root and shoot lodging through increases in stem and anchorage strength and stem flexibility indicators compared to the highest densities tested (350 plants m-2). Low plant densities are often associated with decreased early season competitive ability against weeds and more variable crop maturity, neither of which are desirable. Therefore, the ability of PGRs to reduce lodging risk, through increased stem strength and reduced leverage, provides a critical tool for lodging management in spring wheat in regions with high yield potential and lodging pressure. Flexibility of application and yield increases, even in the absence of lodging, through increased kernels per spike, support a wide adoption of this technology as yields are likely to continue to rise in the future across the Canadian Prairies.
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Keywords
Wheat, Lodging, Plant Growth Regulator, Nitrogen, Plant Density, Yield Components