Effect of different topdressing applications on yield and quality in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under Edirne ecological conditions

This study was carried out to determine the effect of different topdressing applications on grain yield and quality traits of four bread wheat cultivars (Selimiye, Esperia, Gelibolu and Rumeli) commonly grown in Thrace Region under Edirne ecological conditions. The experiment was conducted in the farmer fields in a randomized split-plot design with 3 replicates during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 wheat growing seasons. In the experiment, cultivars were alloted as main plots and five different topdressing applications were alloted as subplots. In the study, 4 kg/da pure nitrogen (N) and 4 kg/da pure phosphorus were applied to all plots as 20.20.0 base fertilizer at the sowing. Then, the five different nitrogen topdressing applications (1st application: 8 kg/da pure N in the form of urea at the beginning of tillering, 4 kg/da pure N in the form of calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) at the beginning of stem elongation; 2nd application: 8 kg/da pure N in the form of urea at the beginning of tillering, 4 kg/da pure N in the form of urea at the beginning of stem elongation; 3rd application: 4 kg/da pure N in the form of urea at the beginning of tillering, 4 kg/da pure N in the form of urea at the end of tillering, 4 kg/da pure N in the form of CAN at the beginning of stem elongation; 4th application: 8 kg/da pure N in the form of urea at the beginning of tillering, 2 kg/da pure N in the form of CAN at the beginning of stem elongation, 2 kg/da pure N in the form of CAN at the end of stem elongation, 5th application: 4 kg/da pure N in the form of urea at the beginning of tillering, 4 kg/da pure N in the form of urea at the end of tillering, 2 kg/da pure N in the form of CAN at the beginning of stem elongation, 2 kg/da pure N in the form of CAN at the end of stem elongation) were done. In this way, 16 kg/da pure N was applied to all plots. In the research, Gelibolu cultivar for grain yield, Rumeli and Esperia cultivars for grain quality, Esperia cultivar for both grain yield and quality were prominent for Edirne ecological conditions. As a result, considering the economic efficiency for grain yield and quality, 2nd application can be proposed in the years when April and May rainfalls are sufficient, and 3rd application can be proposed in the years when April and May rainfalls are unsufficient. Keywords: Bread wheat, nitrogen topdressing, grain yield, quality traits. 2019, 133 pages