New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts
Management of nitrogen and sulphur fertiliser for improved bread wheat
(Triticum aestivum) quality
J. M. DE RUITER
R. J. MARTIN
New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food
Research Ltd
Private Bag 4704
Christchurch, New Zealand
email: deruiterj@crop.cri.nz
Abstract A change from the use of fertilisers containing
sulphur (S) to predominantly urea for supply of nitrogen (N) to wheat
(
Triticum aestivum L.) crops, and the generally low S status of New
Zealand soils has coincided with a decline in the quality of wheat flour.
Increased farinograph dough work input (WI) and increased extensigraph
resistance have emerged with current crop management practices. The dynamics of
N and S uptake were studied in a factorial experiment with four commercial
wheat cultivars known to differ in yield potential, grain N content, and dough
rheological properties. Treatments consisted of three levels of N fertiliser
(nil, early application of 150 kg N/ha in three splits, and 150 early +
100 kg N/ha applied at anthesis) and two S levels (nil and 50 kg S/ha
at emergence). N fertiliser strongly increased N uptake in vegetative parts and
grain. In contrast, there was little effect of S fertiliser on grain yield or
grain N and S concentration or uptake. However, S fertiliser treatment did
raise the level of S uptake in vegetative plant material. S treatment reduced
the N:S ratio. However, N treatment consistently had a greater influence
than S fertiliser on mixing requirement (WI and water absorption) and
extensigraph tests. Opportunities to manage S nutrition during crop growth in
order to influence dough or baking characteristics existed only under high N
management. In this situation, there was a significant reduction in WI
following S fertiliser application. Cultivar choice was the single best option
for achieving the required flour characteristics. Flour from wheat cultivars
`Monad' and `Otane' had strong dough rheological properties suggesting they
were well suited to breadmaking. WI was higher in `Monad' than `Otane' even
though grain S concentrations were lower. The differences in WI could partially
be explained by their grain N:S composition. This was, in turn, influenced by
the level of soil mineral N and sulphate.
Keywords bread quality; N uptake; S uptake; dough strength;
extensigraph resistance; extensibility
H01017
Received 27 April 2001; accepted 3 September 2001
New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2001, Vol. 29:
287-299
0014-0671/01/2904-0287 $7.00 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 2001
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (938K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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