SPRING NITROGEN ON WINTER-WHEAT .2. A FLEXIBLE MULTICOMPONENT RATE RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM

A recently developed system to predict the optimum N fertilizer rate for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Thell) at Zadoks growth stage (GS) 30 is based on the relationship between measured economic optimum N rate at GS 30 and wheat tissue N content measured at GS 30. However, winter wheat often needs an earlier application of spring N to achieve optimum yield. We therefore developed a test to determine which fields need this earlier (GS 25) application, and to predict the optimum N rate with split-application management using the tissue test or as a single spring application. The optimum N rate at GS 25 was measured over 5 yr, both with and without GS 30 N applications. These measured optimum N rates were regressed against a variety of possible predictor variables measured in the same fields. Tiller density at GS 25 was a good predictor of optimum N rate at GS 25 in a split spring application program. Using this relationship.