COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT WINTER WHEAT CULTIVARS IN RESPECT TO THEIR COPPER FERTILIZATION REQUIREMENTS

ZESZYTY PROBLEMOWE POSTĘPÓW NAUK ROLNICZYCH 29 z. 541: 255-263 COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT WINTER WHEAT CULTIVARS IN RESPECT TO THEIR COPPER FERTILIZATION REQUIREMENTS Jolanta Korzeniowska Department of Weed Science and Tillage Systems in Wrocław, Institute of Soil Science and Plant ltivation - National Research Institute, Puławy Introduction In Poland, copper deficiency in soil is much more common than its excess. In practice, severe soil pollution with copper occurs only in the mining region between Legnica and Glogow, whereas in other parts of Poland soils contain either deficient or moderate quantities of. This situation was verified by the results of recent inventory studies, which reveal that as much as 37% of the Polish soils are deficient in copper [OBOJSKI, STRĄCZYŃSKI 1995; KUCHARZEWSKI, DĘBOWSKI 2]. In contrast, only 2% of soils contain excessively much copper [TERELAK et al. 1995]. Cereals are among the crops which are most intolerant to copper deficiency. GEMBARZEWSKI [2], who evaluated 2 wheat fields all over Poland, found out that wheat plants growing on over half of those fields contained too little copper. The same researchers proved that the concentration of copper in wheat grain was declining rather worryingly as compared to the levels detected in 1966-197. This may be indicative of the so-called hidden deficiency of copper, which causes depressed yields and inferior yield quality without any visually detectable symptoms of copper deficiency occurring in plants [RUSZKOWSKA, WOJCIESKA-WYSKUPAJTYS 1996]. Copper fertilization should be applied first to winter wheat, which is claimed to be particularly susceptible to any deficiency of this micronutrient [SOLBERG 1999] and, even more importantly, is a major crop in Poland. Today, when precision farming is the aim, what we are interested in is no longer the fertilization effect on a species but on a cultivar of a given crop. It has long been suspected that cultivar-specific tolerance to a deficit of any macro- or micronutrient plays an essential role in a varied response of crops to fertilization with nutrients. The objective of this study was to establish if new, high-yielding, Polish cultivars of winter wheat are significantly different in their copper demand. Material and method In 23, 24 and 26 three strict, one-year field trails were completed at the IUNG-PIB Experimental Station in Jelcz-Laskowice. The trials involved foliar copper fertilization applied to different winter wheat cultivars. The test soils comprised light soils, acid or slightly acid, containing -1.4% organic matter, well supplied with phosphorus, potassium and magnesium and moderately rich in copper (Tab. 1). Soils moderately rich in copper and boron were purposefully selected for the experiments, as

256 J. Korzeniowska it was expected that such levels of these two elements would cause both positive and possibly negative reactions of some of the cultivars to the fertilization with copper and boron. It would enable us to examine a broader range of cultivar-related differences. RUSZKOWSKA et al. [199] report that when wheat produces higher yields, copper fertilization can be expected to generate a favorable effect, even on soils which are moderately rich in this element. Table 1; Tabela 1 Year Rok ph KCl Characteristic of experimental soils in Jelcz-Laskowice Charakterystyka gleb doświadczalnych w rejonie Jelcz-Laskowice OM F 1 F 2 P K Mg % mg kg -1 23 5.9 15 21 72 h 145 h 37 m 2.6 m 24 6. 1. 18 19 56 m 178 vh 67 h 1.8 m 26 5.3 1.4 19 24 51 m 163 h 53 h 2.9 m OM organic matter; substancja organiczna F 1 fraction <.2 mm; frakcja <,2 mm F 2 fraction.1-.2 mm; frakcja,1-,2 mm Content; Zawartość: [ZALECENIA 199] m medium; średnia h high; wysoka vh very high; bardzo wysoka Assessment of B concentration acc. to modified threshold values [WRÓBEL 22]; Ocena stęŝenia B zgodnie ze zmodyfikowanymi wartościami progowymi [WRÓBEL 22] All the trials were carried out as the two-factorial tests with 4 replications, in a split-plot design. Ten winter wheat cultivars were tested. Three field experiments were established according to the same pattern: Factor I - fertilization a 1 - control treatment (no fertilization), a 2-35 g ha -1 Factor II - wheat cultivar b 1 - Zyta, b 2 - Korweta, b 3 - Pegasoss, b 4 - Mewa, b 5 - Soraja, b 6 - Sakwa, b 7 - Kobra, b 8 - Kris, b 9 - Symfonia, b 1 - Jawa. The test cultivars belonged to 3 technological groups - A - quality (Korweta, Zyta, Pegassos), B - bread (Kobra, Sakwa, Mewa, Kris, Soraja) and C - fodder (Jawa, Symfonia). Copper was introduced as copper sulphate in a dose of 35 g ha -1. Foliar spraying was carried out in spring, during the tillering stage of growth, using a backpack spray kit. All the treatments received identical NPK fertilization, consisting of 13 N, 8 P 2 O 5 and 12 K 2 O (kg ha -1 ). Every year, the crops were given chemical plant protection against weeds (Maraton 375 SC) and fungal diseases (Falcon 46 EC and Bavistin 5 WG + Corbel 75 EC). Each plot covered 3 m 2, with 24 m 2 for harvest. Prior to the establishment of the trials, averaged soil sampled were taken from the arable soil horizon for chemical analysis. In addition, samples of the aboveground parts of wheat plants were taken during the early elongation stage. After harvest, grain samples were obtained. Soil samples were subjected to the following analyses: soil texture by the Casagrande s method, modified by Prószyński, ph in 1 mol KCl dm -3, C org. by the Tiurin s method, available P and K by the Egner-Riehma s method, Mg by the Schachtschabel s method and in 1 mol HCl dm -3 extract. The plant samples were wet mineralised and then assayed for the content of N and P by flow spectrophotometry,

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT WINTER WHEAT CULTIVARS... 257 K and Ca - by flame emission spectrophotometry and Mg - by the ASA method. In addition, following dry mineralisation, plant material was assayed for and Zn using ASA. Program AWAR [FILIPIAK, WILKOS 1995], made by Department of Applied Informatics, Institute of Soil Science and Plant ltivation in Pulawy, was used to perform the analysis of variance. First, the two-way ANOVA for split-plot was conducted for each year separately (not showed). Next, the across-years ANOVA was used. Means were compared using the Tukey test. Yields Results and discussion The grain yields obtained from our trials are presented in Figure 1. Similar level of yields occurred in 24 and 26. The lower yields in 23 were due to the low precipitation in the spring of that year. The weather in the particular years of the experiments had a significant effect on the general level of wheat grain yields, but did not alter the direction of response of wheat cultivars to copper fertilization. This enabled us to perform the across-years ANOVA, the results of which are shown in Table 2. The average grain yields from the control treatments in three years of the experiments ranged from 3.73 to 4.83 t ha -1, with cv. Kobra generating the lowest yields, in contrast to cv. Symfonia, which gave most grain (Tab. 2). The fertilized treatments produced between 4.24 (Kris) to 5.33 t ha -1 (Sakwa). ltivar Odmiana Kobra Mewa Pegassos Sakwa Zyta Korweta Jawa Soraja Symfonia Kris Grain yield of wheat (average over 3 years in t ha -1 ) Plon ziarna pszenicy (średnie z 3 lat w t ha -1 ) + Increase/Decrease Wzrost/Spadek (%) 3.73 a 4.8 a 4.3 a 4.77 a 4.8 a 4.1 a 4.4 a 4.31 a 4.83 b 4.77 b 8 b 4.88 b 2 b 5.33 b 4 b 4.42 a 4.72 a 4.45 a 4.41 a 4.24 a 22.8* 19.6* 12.3* 11.7* 11.3* 7.8 7.1 3. -8.8* -11.1* Table 2; Tabela 2 Group of cultivars Grupa odmian Group I - sufficient increase Grupa I - znaczny wzrost Group II - no sufficient response Grupa II - nieznaczny wzrost Group III - sufficient decrease Grupa III - znaczny spadek yields marked with same letters within the same line did not differ according to Tukey s test (α <.5); wartości w wierszu oznaczone tą samą literą nie róŝnią się zgodnie z testem Tukeya (α <,5) sigificant increase; znaczący wzrost

258 J. Korzeniowska t/ha Zyta t/ha Korweta year year Pegassos Mewa Soraja Sakwa 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. Kobra Kris Symfonia Jawa

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT WINTER WHEAT CULTIVARS... 259 Fig.1 Grain yield of wheat in consecutive years in t ha -1 Copper fertilization significantly raised the grain yields of five out of ten tested cultivars. Three groups of cultivars can be distinguished relative to their response to copper application: group I - significant yield increase (Kobra, Mewa, Skawa), group II - no response to copper application (Pegassos, Zyta, Korweta, Jawa, Soraja), and group III - significant yield decrease (Symfonia and Kris). Statistically significant grain yield increments varied from 11.3 to 22.8%. Noteworthy is the fact that copper fertilization affected the cultivars which produced the lowest yields at control treatments. ltivar Sakwa, however, was an exception to that. Although this cultivar produced the highest yields in the treatment without, its yields went up by nearly 12% under the influence of copper spraying. By contrast, 8.8-11.1% yield depression following copper application was observed in the case of two cultivars, Symfonia and Kris, which produced the highest yields with the treatment without. Content of nutrients in plant tissues The analysis of the concentration of macronutrients in the aboveground parts of wheat plants obtained from the control plots demonstrated that all wheat cultivars were well supplied with nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium at the early elongation stage (tab. 3). Simultaneously, the content of calcium in most of the cultivars proved to be below the lower optimum threshold. Table 3; Tabela 3 ltivar Odmiana Kobra Mewa Pegassos Sakwa Zyta Korweta Jawa Soraja Symfonia Kris Macronutrients concentration in wheat shoots from control treatments (average over 3 years) StęŜenie makroskładników pokarmowych w pędach pszenicy kontrolnej (średnie z 3 lat) N P K Ca Mg Group Grupa 32.6 34.6 36.1 35.2 33.2 35.1 35.2 33.9 34.7 36.2 4.1 4.3 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.4 4.8 g kg -1 dry matter; g kg -1 s.m. 34.6 36.4 36.8 36.6 34.9 36.4 37.8 36.7 36. 36.7 2.9 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.6 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.3 1.1 1.3 Optimum* 3.-5. 3.-6. 35.-55. 4.-1. - * optimum concentration [BERGMANN 1992]; najlepsze stęŝenie [BERGMANN 1992] Group I Grupa I Group II Grupa II Group III Grupa III The levels of copper in the aboveground parts of copper fertilized wheat plants as compared to the ones not receiving additional copper nutrition are presented in table 4. In all ten wheat cultivars the concentration of copper increased by 4.7 to 25.% as a result of foliar copper application, although the increase was statistically insignificant in the case of cv. Mewa and all group III cultivars. Differences in the content of copper found in the aboveground parts of several wheat cultivars were also reported by JASIEWICZ [1992].

26 J. Korzeniowska ltivar Odmiana A change of copper concentration in wheat shoots after fertilization (average over 3 years in mg kg -1 DM) Zmiana stęŝenia miedzi w pędach pszenicy po nawoŝeniu miedzią (średnia z 3 lat w mg kg -1 s.m.) concentration StęŜenie + Increase Wzrost (%) Table 4; Tabela 4 Group Grupa Kobra 4. a 5. b 25.* Group I Grupa I Mewa 4.3 a a 4.7 Pegassos 4.2 a 4.9 b 16.7* Sakwa 4.4 a 4.9 b 11.4* Zyta 4.4 a 4.9 b 11.4* Korweta 4.8 a 5.4 b 1* Group II Grupa II Jawa 4.6 a 5.2 b 13.* Soraja 4.3 a 4.9 b 14.* Symfonia 4.6 a 5.1 a 1.9 Group III Grupa III Kris 4.8 a 5.1 a 6.2 explanations see Table 2; wyjaśnienia jak w tabeli 2 ltivar Odmiana A change of copper concentration in grain after fertilization (average over 3 years in mg kg -1 of dry mater) Zmiana stęŝenia miedzi w ziarnie po nawoŝeniu miedzią (średnia z 3 lat w mg kg -1 s.m.) concentration; Zawartość + Increase/Decrease Wzrost/Spadek (%) Table 5; Tabela 5 Group Grupa Kobra 2.7 b 2.4 a -11.1* Group I Grupa I Mewa b 2.2 a -12.* Pegassos 2.4 a 2.3 a -4.2 Sakwa 2.9 a 2.7 a -6.9 Zyta 2.6 a a -3.8 Korweta 2.6 a 2.4 a -7.7 Group II Grupa II Jawa 2.6 a a -3.8 Soraja a 2.7 a 8. Symfonia 2.6 a 2.7 a 3.8 Group III Grupa III Kris 2.6 a a -3.8

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT WINTER WHEAT CULTIVARS... 261 explanations see Table 2; objaśnienia jak w tabeli 2 Copper fertilization did not cause a significant rise in the concentration of this nutrient in wheat grain (Tab. 5). It was puzzling to find out that most of the cultivars showed a tendency towards lower concentrations in the grain when receiving foliar copper application. In two cultivars, Kobra and Mewa, the decrease was statistically significant. Similar results were reported by OWOUCHE et al. [1995]. ltivar-specific differences in response to copper Our results enable us to classify five out of ten tested cultivars as copper highly demanding (group I), three as moderately demanding (group II) and two other cultivars as requiring little copper (group III). Differences between wheat cultivars in their demand for copper, which were mostly a result of how effectively the cultivars utilised this micronutrient, were also demonstrated by OWOUCHE et al. [1994, 1995] as well as PIENING et al. [1989]. Group I cultivars (Kobra, Mewa, Pegassus, Sakwa and Zyta) were characterised by poor utilization of copper obtained from the soil. The natural, moderate content in the soil was insufficient for these cultivars, which on the control plots were found to contain low levels of copper in the aboveground parts and produced lower yields than groups II and III. In these five cultivars, copper application caused a significant increase in concentration in the aboveground parts as well as a significant grain yield increase (Tab. 4 and 5). It was found that cv. Kobra has the highest demand for copper among all the tested wheat cultivars. This was also the cultivar which, in the control treatment, contained the least and produced the lowest yields. At the same time, when fertilized with copper, cv. Kobra demonstrated the highest increase in concentration in the aboveground parts (25% increment) and the highest grain yield increase (nearly 23%). Another interesting cultivar was cv. Mewa, which showed no significant increase in content in the aboveground parts under the influence of copper fertilization (Tab. 4), although its grain yield rose by nearly 2%. The initial content in the experimental soil was sufficient for group II cultivars (cv. Korweta, Jawa and Soraja). In general, these cultivars accumulated more in the aboveground parts than group I cultivars. Although fertilization caused a significant rise in the concentration of this element in the aboveground parts of these three cultivars, this was not followed by any significant grain yield increase. Similarly to group II, cultivars belonging to group III (cv. Symfonia and Kris) found the initial copper concentration in soil sufficient. These cultivars, when growing on the control plots, produced the highest yields and accumulated more in the aboveground parts than cultivars belonging to group I. Foliar application of copper caused significant decrease in yields produced by these cultivars. Noteworthy is also the fact that copper application did not result in an excessive accumulation of copper in the plant tissues of these cultivars. The content of copper in the aboveground parts and grain of cvs Kris and Symfonia was not much higher than in group I cultivars, never exceeding 5.1 and 2.7 mg kg -1, respectively. The amount of 5.1 mg kg -1 in the aboveground parts is considered to be the value below the lower threshold of the optimum concentrations for winter wheat [BERGMANN 1992], whereas 2.7 mg kg -1 in grain is within the lower levels of the moderate concentrations [KAMIŃSKA et al. 1976]. Thus, the depressed grain yields obtained in our study cannot be attributed to the excessive concentrations of in plant tissues caused by foliar application of copper. It is necessary to conduct further research to elucidate the mechanism involved in deteriorated grain yields produced by cv. Symfonia and Kris following foliar copper application.

262 J. Korzeniowska Conclusions 1. Ten examined wheat cultivars were significantly different in their nutritional demands regarding copper. Growing on the same soil, moderately rich in copper, five out of ten cultivars responded by an 11-23% grain yield increase, two produced 9-11% less grain and three did not respond significantly to copper foliar application. 2. Considering the response of cultivars to fertilization and concentration in the aboveground parts, three groups of cultivars were distinguished: highly, moderately and weakly copper demanding ones. 3. Due to the existing differences between the wheat cultivars regarding nutritional demands, any decision on copper fertilization should be taken according to the abundance of soil in this micronutrient as well as the cultivar to be grown. 4. In the cultivars which responded by depressing their yields under the foliar copper application, the content of in the aboveground parts and grains did not increase excessively. Further research is needed to find out why these cultivars produced less grain after foliar application of copper. References BERGMANN W. 1992. Nutritional disorders of plants - development, visual and analytical diagnosis. Gustav Fischer Verlag Jena, Stuttgart, New York: 343-361. FILIPIAK K., WILKOS S. 1995. Obliczenia statystyczne. Opis systemu AWAR. IUNG Pulawy Publisher, R(324): 39. GEMBARZEWSKI H. 2. Stan i tendencje zmian mikroelementów w glebach i roślinach z pól produkcyjnych w Polsce. Zesz. Probl. Post. Nauk Rol. 471: 171-179. KAMIŃSKA W., KARDASZ T., STRAHL A., SZYMBORSKA H. 1976. Skład chemiczny roślin uprawnych i niektórych pasz pochodzenia roślinnego. Wyd. IUNG Puławy: 76 pp. KUCHARZEWSKI A., DĘBOWSKI M. 2. Odczyn i zawartość mikroelementów w glebach Polski. Zesz. Probl. Post. Nauk Rol. 471: 627-635. JASIEWICZ Cz. 1992. Zawartość miedzi w róŝnych odmianach pszenicy. Zesz. Nauk AR Kraków, Rolnictwo 3: 145-149. OBOJSKI J., STRĄCZYŃSKI S. 1995. Odczyn i zasobność gleb polskich w makro i mikroelementy. Wyd. IUNG Puławy: 4 pp. OWUOCHE J.O., BRIGGS K.G., TAYLOR G.J., PENNEY D.C. 1994. Response of eight Canadian spring wheat cultivars to copper: Pollen viability, grain yield plant-1 and yield components. Can. J. Plant Sci. 74: 25-3. OWUOCHE J.O., BRIGGS K.G., TAYLOR G.J., PENNEY D.C. 1995. Response of eight Canadian spring wheat cultivars to copper. II. Copper content in the leaves and grain. Can. J. Plant Sci. 75: 45-411. PIENING L.J., MACPHERSON D.J., MALHI S.S. 1989. Stem melanosis of some wheat, barley and oat cultivars on a copper deficient soil. Can. J. Plant Pathol. 11: 65-67. RUSZKOWSKA M., ŁYSZCZ S., FABER A., FILIPIAK K. 199. Przydatność niektórych wskaźników zaopatrzenia pszenicy ozimej w miedź. Pam. Puławski 96: 58-69.

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT WINTER WHEAT CULTIVARS... 263 RUSZKOWSKA M., WOJCIESKA-WYSKUPAJTYS U. 1996. Mikroelementy - fizjologiczne i ekologiczne aspekty ich niedoborów i nadmiarów. Zesz. Probl. Post. Nauk Rol. 434: 1-11. SOLBERG E., EVANS I., PENNY D. 1999. Copper deficiency: diagnosis and correction. Agri-Fact. Practical Information for Alberta Industry: 9 pp. http://www1.agric. gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex3476 TERELAK H., PIOTROWSKA M., MOTOWICKA-TERELAK T., STUCZYŃSKI T., BUDZIŃSKA K. 1995. Zawartość metali cięŝkich i siarki w glebach uŝytków rolnych Polski oraz ich zanieczyszczenie tymi składnikami. Zesz. Probl. Post. Nauk Rol. 418: 45-6. WRÓBEL S. 22. Określenie potrzeb nawoŝenia buraka cukrowego mikroelementami. Rozprawa habilitacyjna, Wyd. IUNG Puławy: 96 pp. ZALECENIA NAWOZOWE. 199. Liczby graniczne do wyceny w glebach makro- i mikroelementów. Cz. I. Praca zbiorowa. Wyd. IUNG Puławy: 44 pp. Key words: winter wheat, cultivars, copper, fertilization requirements Summary This study examined the sensitivity of different wheat cultivars to deficiency. Winter wheat is considered as one of the most sensitive crops to the shortage in the soil. Copper fertilization of wheat seams to be a necessity in our country, because of common deficiency in the Polish soils. The response of ten wheat cultivars to foliar copper application was investigated in this research. In 23, 24 and 26 three field experiments were conducted in Jelcz-Laskowice near Wroclaw. It was demonstrated that five of ten cultivars responded significantly to the fertilization. Three groups of wheat cultivars distinguished according to their reaction to copper fertilization: group I - significant yield increase (cvs Kobra, Mewa, Sakwa, Pegassos, Zyta), group II - no response (cvs Korweta, Jawa, Soraja), group III - significant yield decline (cvs Symfonia and Kris). It is notable that the highest increase in grain yield after addition was obtained for Kobra (22.8%), which was also the lowest yielding cultivar with the treatment without. In contrast, yield depression following copper application was observed in the case of two cultivars, Symfonia and Kris, which produced the highest yields without. The field trials proved that winter wheat cultivars are highly diverse in their nutritional demand for copper. The necessity of winter wheat fertilization with copper depends not only on the concentration of this nutrient in the soil, but also on the tolerance of a given wheat cultivar to copper deficiency. PORÓWNANIE RÓśNYCH ODMIAN PSZENICY OZIMEJ POD KĄTEM ICH POTRZEB NAWOśENIA MIEDZIĄ Jolanta Korzeniowska Zakład Herbologii i Technik Uprawy Roli, Wrocław, Instytut Uprawy NawoŜenia i Gleboznawstwa - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy, Puławy Słowa kluczowe: pszenica ozima, odmiany, miedź, potrzeby nawozowe Streszczenie

264 J. Korzeniowska Celem badań było sprawdzenie czy nowe, polskie intensywne odmiany pszenicy ozimej róŝnią się istotnie potrzebami pokarmowymi w stosunku do miedzi. Pszenica ozima uwaŝana jest za jeden z najbardziej wraŝliwych gatunków na niedobory. NawoŜenie jej miedzią wydaje się być koniecznością ze względu na zaobserwowane w ostatnich latach w Polsce niedobory tego pierwiastka. W ramach badań w latach 23, 24 i 26 przeprowadzono 3 ścisłe doświadczenia polowe w Jelczu-Laskowicach k. Wrocławia. Badano w nich reakcję 1 odmian pszenicy na nawoŝenie miedzią stosowaną w formie dolistnego oprysku. Wykazano, Ŝe pięć z dziesięciu badanych odmian reagowało istotnie na nawoŝenie. Wyodrębniono 3 grupy odmian ze względu na ich reakcję na aplikację : I grupa - istotna zwyŝka (Kobra, Mewa, Sakwa, Pegassos, Zyta,), II - brak reakcji (Korweta, Jawa, Soraja), III - istotna obniŝka plonów (Symfonia i Kris). Zwraca uwagę fakt, Ŝe najwyŝszy wzrost plonów (22,8%) wykazała Kobra najniŝej plonująca na obiekcie bez miedzi, a istotne obniŝki wykazały Symfonia i Kris najwyŝej plonujące bez. Przeprowadzone badania wykazały, Ŝe odmiany pszenicy ozimej róŝnią się istotnie potrzebami pokarmowymi w stosunku do. Decyzję o nawoŝeniu pszenicy ozimej miedzią naleŝy więc podejmować nie tylko w zaleŝności od zasobności gleby w ten pierwiastek, ale równieŝ od wraŝliwości uprawianej odmiany na niedobory. Dr inŝ. Jolanta Korzeniowska Zakład Herbologii i Technik Uprawy Roli Instytut Uprawy Nawozenia i Gleboznawstwa Państwowy Instytut Badawczy ul. Orzechowa 61 5-54 WROCŁAW