Nitrogen partitioning, content and efficiency in hybrid canola

Canola is a valuable oilseed crop worldwide and in Canada. More than half of Canada’s canola is produced in Saskatchewan every year. Farmers use nitrogen fertilizer supply so that canola crops reach their yield potential. Canola, like corn, is a crop that is know for high nitrogen fertilization requirements. A two year study was conducted at three locations across Saskatchewan with the main goal of establishing and characterizing in-plant nitrogen uptake and distribution in canola plants under a range of nitrogen fertilizer rates (0 to 200 kg ha-1) and two application methods, single banding beside the seed and a split broadcast fertilizer application. Two modern canola cultivars were sampled from the onset of flowering until their final harvest from plots arranged in a randomized complete block design at Melfort and Scott in 2019, and at Saskatoon in 2020. Canola two-plant subsamples were divided into their plant parts (stem, leaf, pods), which were measured for length and area, then oven-dried. They were then weighed, ground, and analyzed for tissue nitrogen concentration by combustion. Canola plants showed an overall positive response to an increasing rate of nitrogen fertilizers for both mass of tissue and tissue nitrogen concentrations, and in total yield. Nitrogen concentration in tissues were significantly higher in plants grown with higher nitrogen fertilization rates. The different nitrogen fertilizer treatments had little effect on the plant partition composition or the proportion of nitrogen distribution within plant organs. Overall, the modern canola crop used most of the provided nitrogen and placed it in seed yield regardless of the fertilizer rate, with plants placing about 75% of the total plant shoot nitrogen into seed yield. The seed yield constituted about 40% of the plant dry biomass and the rest of the biomass was evenly split between the dry stem and the pod walls. Results of this study indicated that canola in Saskatchewan is efficient in using provided nitrogen to produce yield. Nitrogen use efficiency of applied fertilizer, however, was more variable and differed among the locations due to management differences, soil types, and seasonal rainfall. Nitrogen use efficiency was best assessed using nitrogen harvest index and nitrogen utilization efficiency for a full-season yield-focused metric, while nitrogen uptake efficiency was best suited for initial extraction and uptake of fertilizer to total plant biomass by flowering.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (M.Sc.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Plant Sciences

Grantor

University of Saskatchewan

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Solskyi, Denys

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Bueckert, Rosalind

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Vail, Sally
• Schoenau, Jeff
• Shirtliffe, Streve

• Canola, nitrogen, plant part composition, Saskatchewan

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10388/15422

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/15422