- Author: Mark Lundy
The value of a wheat crop depends not only on its quantity but also on its quality. As such, an important management objective for hard and durum wheat classes is simultaneously achieving both high yields and high protein. Historically, there has been a tradeoff: a high-yielding crop will have less N available for translocation to the grain during the filling period (because it used it to build the yield components) than a lower-yielding crop, so high yield can mean low protein. Wheat breeders are aware of this tradeoff and have been working (with some success! See above.) to minimize this tradeoff. Aside from choosing a variety with the potential for high yields and high protein, late-season N applications (from booting to flowering) at around 40-50 lb N/acre have been broadly shown to boost grain protein content 0.5-1%. Of course, there are times (eg. heading for a low yield or when the crop-soil system is N-saturated) when this application is a waste of time and money. Late application of N to boost protein is one of the management decisions we are hoping to target with the in-field diagnostics mentioned previously.