Abstract
The crop performance of semi-dwarf wheat cv. (Maris Hobbit) was compared with a standard-ht. cv. (Lely) at various levels of N supply. The grain yields of Maris Hobbit were considerably higher due to a higher number of grains and a heavier grain wt. Owing to the higher grain yield and a lower stem wt. the harvest index of Maris Hobbit was higher than that of Lely (0.47 and 0.40, resp.). The content of water-soluble carbohydrates in the stems of both cv. appeared to be very high until 3 wk after anthesis, despite the occurrence of low light intensities. Lely used more assimilates for structural stem material than did Maris Hobbit. Quantity and date of N application greatly affected grain number, but affected grain wt. to a lesser extent. Thus within each cv. grain number/m2 was the main determinant of grain yield. Late N dressings promoted photosynthetic production, grain wt. and CP content of the grain. The low CP contents of the grain were attributed to the low temp. during the grain-filling period. The distribution of N within the plant was only slightly influenced by N dressings and cv. differences. N harvest index ranged from 0.74 to 0.79. Grain N was derived from the vegetative organs (63-94%) and from uptake after anthesis (6-37%). The importance of carbohydrate and N economy for grain yield are discussed. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)

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