Effects of strobilurin fungicide programmes and fertilizer nitrogen rates on winter wheat: leaf area, dry matter yield and nitrogen yield

• Published in: The Journal of agricultural science 2012-08, Vol.150 (4), p.427-441
• Main Authors: ISHIKAWA, S., HARE, M. C., KETTLEWELL, P. S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agronomy; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; breadmaking; Control; Crop yield; Cultivars; Dry matter; dry matter accumulation; fertilizer rates; Fertilizers; field experimentation; Field tests; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungal plant pathogens; Fungicides; General agronomy. Plant production; Grain; grain yield; ingredients; kresoxim-methyl; leaf area; Nitrogen; nitrogen fertilizers; Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertilizations; Pesticides; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; soil; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; Translocation; triazoles; trifloxystrobin; Triticum aestivum; Wheat; Winter wheat
• ISSN: 0021-8596; 1469-5146; 1469-5146
• DOI: 10.1017/S0021859611000724

Four field experiments were conducted on wheat, using the bread-making cultivar Hereward, over 3 years to study the interactions between nitrogen (N) and strobilurin fungicides with respect to yield and grain N. In one of the field experiments, above-ground dry matter (DM) yield was greater when the plots were treated with a mixture of triazole and strobilurin than when either no fungicide or triazole alone was applied. On plots that received no N fertilizer, above-ground DM and grain yield were lower for the plots treated with fungicides than for plots not treated with fungicide, which implied that the benefit of applying fungicides could only be exploited with N fertilization. There was no difference in above-ground N accumulation between fungicide programmes; however, greater N accumulation in grains was observed following the application of a mixture of triazole and the strobilurin trifloxystrobin compared with plots treated with either no fungicide or triazole alone. This increase in grain N appeared to be attributable more to improved translocation of N to grains rather than to increased N uptake from the soil. The two strobilurin fungicide ingredients kresoxim-methyl and trifloxystrobin, each mixed with a triazole and tested in the present study, performed differently. Better performance, especially with respect to grain N yield, was observed most frequently with trifloxystrobin compared to kresoxim-methyl.