Improving nitrogen-use efficiency in wheat
May 28, 2021
4 minutes
Jeandré van der Walt reports.
FAST FACTS
Nitrogen influences each stage of the plant’s life cycle.
About 80% of a wheat plant’s protein comes from nitrogen mobilised from the leaves.
Jacques Smith advises wheat farmers to apply between 60% and 70% of the plants’ nitrogen requirements during the leaf emergence stage.
Nitrogen (N), in conjunction with the climate, is one of the most important determinants of grain yield. However, due to the relatively high cost of N fertiliser, especially in dryland production, farmers need to apply it as effectively as possible to ensure profitability.
This was the key message of Jacques Smith, an agronomist at agricultural product company Yara, who spoke at the recent
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