Wheat Nitrogen Uptake and Partitioning

Crops:

Almonds

Barley

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Citrus

Corn for Grain

Corn for Silage

Cotton

Grapevines

Lettuce

Pistachio

Rice

Strawberries

Tomatoes

Walnut

Wheat

Seasonal N Uptake

Nitrogen uptake of wheat determined by harvesting the aboveground biomass at different times during the growing season.
Wheat took up little N until tillering. Most N was taken up between tillering and flowering (McGuire et al., 1998).

Nitrogen Partitioning

At maturity, about three fourths of the aboveground N has been found to be in the grains, while one fourth is in the straw (Linquist et al., 1992; McGuire et al., 1998).

Nitrogen Removed at Harvest

Wheat yield and N removed at harvest.

Grain protein content is generally calculated by multiplying the N content by 6.25 (Mariotti et al., 2008). Therefore, the N content of wheat with a protein content of 13% is 41.6 lbs/ton.

Links

Wheat Fertilization Guidelines

References

Linquist, B.A., Cassman, K.G., Fulton, A.E., Jackson, L.F., 1992. Late-season nitrogen may be efficient way to increase winter wheat protein. California Agriculture 46(2), 13-16.

Mariotti, F., Tomé, D., Patureau Mirand, P. 2008. Converting nitrogen into protein - beyond 6.25 and Jones' factors. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 48, 177-184.

McGuire, A.M., Bryant, D.C., Denison, R.F. 1998. Wheat yields, nitrogen uptake, and soil moisture following winter legume cover crop vs. fallow. Agronomy Journal 90, 404-410.