Learning about the growing habits and reproductive strategy of Thinopyrum intermedium through the establishment of its critical nitrogen dilution curve
[en] Context
The perennial grain crop Thinopyrum intermedium can provide various ecosystem services and a dual production of grains and forage. Yet, to improve crop management, better knowledges of its physiological behavior and growing habits are required.
Objective
The goal of this study was to characterize Th. intermedium nitrogen (N) requirements through the evaluation of its response to N fertilization and the subsequent determination of its critical nitrogen dilution curve (CNDC).
Methods
A field experiment was implemented in Belgium during three growing seasons with various N fertilization schemes. Biomass of the different organs and their N contents were measured at specific phenological stages. To estimate the CNDC, a Bayesian hierarchical model was applied on the assembled dataset. The validity of the curve was assessed on an independent dataset including contrasted N situations.
Results
Globally, N fertilization had a positive impact on the dry matter (DM) of leaves, stems and ears (p-value<0.05). The aboveground biomass and N uptake were found maximum with fertilization comprised between 100 and 150kg N/ha applied over the entire growing year. At grain harvest, total DM ranged from 7.0 to 16.4t DM/ha for a fertilization strategy of 100kg N/ha, depending upon the growing season. The N amount of the aboveground biomass was found to decrease during the second phase of the growing cycle. As observed with the proposed CNDC, the aerial N content tended to decrease with the evolution of growing stages and biomass accumulation. Through the low a-coefficient determined for the CNDC, it was confirmed that the crop had reduced need in terms of N nutrition.
Conclusions
The reduced N requirements can be linked to the high N use efficiency and a potential resource-conservative strategy of the crop. This, combined with the observed decrease of the N uptake by the aboveground biomass during the second phase of growth, can be related to the long-term survival strategy of the crop. The latter requires substantial investments in perennial belowground structures coupled with reduced resource allocations to seeds.
Implications
Our study has highlighted that Th. intermedium is able to reach a high shoot DM production with low N needs. Our proposed CNDC will be highly helpful to help define N requirements in various pedo-climatic environments and adjust accordingly the soil-crop management, among which the N fertilization. Ultimately, the low N requirements of Th. intermedium coupled with a high N use efficiency demonstrated that it could enhance agronomic and environmental benefits.
Disciplines :
Agriculture & agronomy
Author, co-author :
Fagnant, Laura ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Plant Sciences
Duchêne, O.
Celette, F.
David, C.
Bindelle, Jérôme ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Ingénierie des productions animales et nutrition
Dumont, Benjamin ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Plant Sciences
Language :
English
Title :
Learning about the growing habits and reproductive strategy of Thinopyrum intermedium through the establishment of its critical nitrogen dilution curve
Barriball S., 2020. Growth, development, and forage quality of Intermediate wheatgrass when grown for Kernza® perennial grain production.
Beale, C. v, Long, S.P., Seasonal dynamics of nutrient accumulation and partitioning in the perennial C4-grasses miscanthus x Giganteus and Spartina cynosuroides. Biomass Bioenergy 12:6 (1997), 419–428, 10.1016/S0961-9534(97)00016-0.
Ben Abdallah, F., Olivier, M., Goffart, J.P., Minet, O., Establishing the nitrogen dilution curve for potato cultivar bintje in Belgium. Potato Res. 59:3 (2016), 241–258, 10.1007/s11540-016-9331-y.
Bergquist G.E., 2019. Biomass yield and soil microbial response to management of perennial intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) as grain crop and carbon sink.
Bohman B.J., M.J. Culshaw-Maurer, F. Ben Abdallah, C. Giletto, G. Bélanger, F.G. Fernández, Y. Miao, D.J. Mulla ([___])#38; and C.J. Rosen, 2021. Quantifying the uncertainty in critical N concentration for potato using Bayesian methods. Plants. (in preparation). Plants – Special Issue “Improving Nitrogen-Use Efficiency at the Cropping System Scale: Agronomic and Genetic Aspects.”.
Bürkner, P.C., brms: an R package for Bayesian multilevel models using Stan. J. Stat. Softw., 80(1), 2017, 10.18637/jss.v080.i01.
Bürkner, P.C., Advanced Bayesian multilevel modeling with the R package brms. R. J. 10:1 (2018), 395–411, 10.32614/rj-2018-017.
Cattani, D., Asselin, S.R., Extending the growing season: forage seed production and perennial grains. Can. J. Plant Sci. 98:2 (2017), 235–246, 10.1139/cjps-2017-0212.
Celette, F., Gary, C., Dynamics of water and nitrogen stress along the grapevine cycle as affected by cover cropping. Eur. J. Agron. 45 (2013), 142–152, 10.1016/j.eja.2012.10.001.
Chakwizira, E., de Ruiter, J.M., Maley, S., Teixeira, E., Evaluating the critical nitrogen dilution curve for storage root crops. Field Crop. Res. 199 (2016), 21–30, 10.1016/j.fcr.2016.09.012.
Christensen, B.T., Lærke, P.E., Jørgensen, U., Kandel, T.P., Thomsen, I.K., Storage of Miscanthus-derived carbon in rhizomes, roots, and soil. Can. J. Soil Sci. 96:4 (2016), 354–360, 10.1139/cjss-2015-0135.
Ciampitti, I.A., Fernandez, J., Tamagno, S., Zhao, B., Lemaire, G., Makowski, D., Does the critical N dilution curve for maize crop vary across genotype x environment x management scenarios? - a Bayesian analysis. Eur. J. Agron., 2021, 123, 10.1016/j.eja.2020.126202.
Ciampitti, I.A., Makowski, D., Fernandez, J., Lacasa, J., Lemaire, G., Does water availability affect the critical N dilution curves in crops? A case study for maize, wheat, and tall fescue crops. Field Crop. Res., 2021.
Clark, I., Jones, S.S., Reganold, J.P., Sanguinet, K.A., Murphy, K.M., Agronomic performance of perennial grain genotypes in the palouse region of the Pacific Northwest, USA. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 3 (2019), 1–14, 10.3389/fsufs.2019.00039.
Clément, C., Sleiderink, J., Svane, S.F., Smith, A.G., Diamantopoulos, E., Desbrøll, D.B., Thorup-kristensen, K., Comparing the deep root growth and water uptake of intermediate wheatgrass (Kernza ®) to Alfalfa. Res. Sq., 2021, 1–24.
R. Core Team, 2021. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria.
Culman, S.W., Snapp, S.S., Ollenburger, M., Basso, B., DeHaan, L.R., Soil and water quality rapidly responds to the perennial grain kernza wheatgrass. Agron. J. 105:3 (2013), 735–744, 10.2134/agronj2012.0273.
DeHaan, L., Christians, M., Crain, J., Poland, J., Development and evolution of an intermediate wheatgrass domestication program. Sustainability, 10, 2018, 1499, 10.3390/su10051499.
Dick, C., Cattani, D., Entz, M.H., Kernza Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) grain production as influenced by legume intercropping and residue management. Can. J. Plant Sci. 98:6 (2018), 1–10.
Dohleman, F.G., Heaton, E.A., Arundale, R.A., Long, S.P., Seasonal dynamics of above- and below-ground biomass and nitrogen partitioning in Miscanthus × giganteus and Panicum virgatum across three growing seasons. GCB Bioenergy 4:5 (2012), 534–544, 10.1111/j.1757-1707.2011.01153.x.
Duchene, O., Celette, F., Barreiro, A., Dimitrova Mårtensson, L.-M., Freschet, G.T., David, C., Introducing perennial grain in grain crops rotation: the role of rooting pattern in soil quality management. Agronomy, 10(9), 2020, 1254, 10.3390/agronomy10091254.
Duchene, O., Dumont, B., Cattani, D.J., Fagnant, L., Schlautman, B., DeHaan, L.R., Barriball, S., Jungers, J.M., Picasso, V.D., David, C., Celette, F., Process-based analysis of Thinopyrum intermedium phenological development highlights the importance of dual induction for reproductive growth and agronomic performance. Agric. Meteorol., 2021.
Dumas, J.B.A., Procédés de l′analyse organique. Ann. Chim. Phys., 1831, 198–213.
Dumont, B., Leemans, V., Mansouri, M., Bodson, B., Destain, J.P., Destain, M.F., Parameter identification of the STICS crop model, using an accelerated formal MCMC approach. Environ. Model. Softw. 52 (2014), 121–135, 10.1016/j.envsoft.2013.10.022.
Favre, J.R., Castiblanco, T.M., Combs, D.K., Wattiaux, M.A., Picasso, V.D., Forage nutritive value and predicted fiber digestibility of Kernza intermediate wheatgrass in monoculture and in mixture with red clover during the first production year. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol., 2019.
Fernandez, J.A., van Versendaal, E., Lacasa, J., Makowski, D., Lemaire, G., Ciampitti, I.A., Dataset characteristics for the determination of critical nitrogen dilution curves: From past to new guidelines. Eur. J. Agron. 139 (2022), 1–11, 10.1016/j.eja.2022.126568.
Fernández, J.A., Lemaire, G., Bélanger, G., Gastal, F., Makowski, D., Ciampitti, I.A., Revisiting the critical nitrogen dilution curve for tall fescue: a quantitative synthesis. Eur. J. Agron., 2021, 131, 10.1016/j.eja.2021.126380.
Flénet, F., Guérif, M., Boiffin, J., Dorvillez, D., Champolivier, L., The critical N dilution curve for linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) is different from other C3 species. Eur. J. Agron. 24:4 (2006), 367–373, 10.1016/j.eja.2006.01.002.
Frahm, C.S., Tautges, N.E., Jungers, J.M., Ehlke, N.J., Wyse, D.L., Sheaffer, C.C., Responses of intermediate wheatgrass to plant growth regulators and nitrogen fertilizer. Agron. J. 110:3 (2018), 1028–1035, 10.2134/agronj2017.11.0635.
Gastal, F., Lemaire, G., N uptake and distribution in crops: an agronomical and ecophysiological perspective. J. Exp. Bot., 2002, 789–799.
Gastal, F., Lemaire, G., Durand, J., Louarn, G., “Quantifying crop responses to nitrogen and avenues to improve nitrogen-use efficiency”. (Chapter 8) in Carbon, Water and Nutrient Economies of CRops, Crop Physiology, 2012, Elsevier Inc, 161–206.
Gislum, R., Boelt, B., Validity of accessible critical nitrogen dilution curves in perennial ryegrass for seed production. Field Crops Res 111:1–2 (2009), 152–156, 10.1016/j.fcr.2008.11.009.
Greenwood, D.J., Lemaire, G., Gosse, G., Cruz, P., Draycott, A., Decline in percentage N of C3 and C4 crops with increasing plant mass. NEETESON Source.: Ann. Bot., 1990, 425–436.
Hunter, M.C., Sheaffer, C.C., Culman, S.W., Jungers, J.M., Effects of defoliation and row spacing on intermediate wheatgrass I: grain production. Agron. J. 112 (2020), 1748–1763, 10.1002/agj2.20128.
Hunter, M.C., Sheaffer, C.C., Culman, S.W., Lazarus, W.F., Jungers, J.M., Effects of defoliation and row spacing on intermediate wheatgrass II: Forage yield and economics. Agron. J. 112:3 (2020), 1862–1880, 10.1002/agj2.20124.
Hussain I., Khan M.A. & Khan E.A., 2006. Bread wheat varieties as influenced by different nitrogen levels. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B.
Jungers, J.M., DeHaan, L.R., Betts, K.J., Sheaffer, C.C., Wyse, D.L., Intermediate wheatgrass grain and forage yield responses to nitrogen fertilization. Agron. J. 109:2 (2017), 462–472, 10.2134/agronj2016.07.0438.
Jungers, J.M., Frahm, C.S., Tautges, N.E., Ehlke, N.J., Wells, M.S., Wyse, D.L., Sheaffer, C.C., Growth, development, and biomass partitioning of the perennial grain crop Thinopyrum intermedium. Ann. Appl. Biol., 2018, 1–9, 10.1111/aab.12425.
Jungers, J.M., DeHaan, L.H., Mulla, D.J., Sheaffer, C.C., Wyse, D.L., Reduced nitrate leaching in a perennial grain crop compared to maize in the Upper Midwest, USA. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 272 (2019), 63–73, 10.1016/J.AGEE.2018.11.007.
Justes, E., Meynard, J.-M., Machet, J.-M., Thelier-Huche, L., Determination of a critical nitrogen dilution curve for winter wheat crops. Botany 74:4 (1994), 397–407.
Lanker, M., Bell, M., Picasso, V.D., Farmer perspectives and experiences introducing the novel perennial grain Kernza intermediate wheatgrass in the US Midwest. Renew. Agric. Food Syst. 35:6 (2020), 653–662, 10.1017/S1742170519000310.
Lemaire G., 2001. Ecophysiology of Grasslands: Dynamic Aspects of Forage Plant Populations in Grazed Swards.
Lemaire G. & Belanger G., 2020. Allometries in plants as drivers of forage nutritive value: A review. Agriculture.
Lemaire, G., Gastal, F., N uptake and distribution in plant canopies. Lemaire, G., (eds.) Diagnosis on the Nitrogen Status in Crops, 1997, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg (Germany), 3–43.
Lemaire, G., Salette, J., Relation entre dynamique de croissance et dynamiquede prélèvement d′azote pour un peuplement degraminées fourragères. I. – Etude de l′effet du milieu. EDP Sci., 1984, 423–430.
Lemaire, G., Cruz, P., Gosse, G., Chartier, M., Etude des relations entre la dynamique de prélèvement d′azote et la dynamique de croissance en matière sèche d′un peuplement de luzerne (Medicago sativa L.). Agronomie 5:8 (1985), 685–692, 10.1051/agro:19850803.
Lemaire, G., Khaity, M., Onillon, B., Allirand, J.M., Chartier, M., Gosse, G., Dynamics of accumulation and partitioning of N in leaves, stems and roots of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) in a dense canopy. Ann. Bot., 1992, 429–435.
Lemaire, G., Sinclair, T., Sadras, V., Bélanger, G., Allometric approach to crop nutrition and implications for crop diagnosis and phenotyping. A review. Agron. Sustain. Dev., 39(2), 2019, 10.1007/s13593-019-0570-6.
Maire, V., Gross, N., da Silveira Pontes, L., Picon-Cochard, C., Soussana, J.F., Trade-off between root nitrogen acquisition and shoot nitrogen utilization across 13 co-occurring pasture grass species. Funct. Ecol. 23:4 (2009), 668–679, 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01557.x.
Makowski, D., Zhao, B., Ata-Ul-Karim, S.T., Lemaire, G., Analyzing uncertainty in critical nitrogen dilution curves. Eur. J. Agron., 118, 2020, 126076, 10.1016/j.eja.2020.126076.
Meier uwe, 1997. Stades phénologiques des Mono- et Dicotylédones cultivées BBCH-Monograph. Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry ed., Berlin: Blackwell Wissenschaft.
Nassi o Di Nasso, N., Roncucci, N., Bonari, E., Seasonal dynamics of aboveground and belowground biomass and nutrient accumulation and remobilization in giant reed (Arundo donax L.): a three-year study on marginal land. Bioenergy Res. 6:2 (2013), 725–736, 10.1007/s12155-012-9289-9.
Newell, M.T., Hayes, R.C., An initial investigation of forage production and feed quality of perennial wheat derivatives. Crop Pasture Sci. 68:12 (2017), 1141–1148, 10.1071/CP16405.
Ogle D., John L. st., Tober D. & Jensen K., 2011. Plant Guide for intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Idaho and North Dakota Plant Materials Centers.
de Oliveira, G., Brunsell, N.A., Sutherlin, C.E., Crews, T.E., DeHaan, L.R., Energy, water and carbon exchange over a perennial Kernza wheatgrass crop. Agric. Meteorol. 249 (2018), 120–137, 10.1016/j.agrformet.2017.11.022.
de Oliveira, G., Brunsell, N.A., Crews, T.E., DeHaan, L.R., Vico, G., Carbon and water relations in perennial Kernza (Thinopyrum intermedium): an overview. Plant Sci. 295 (2020), 1–4, 10.1016/j.plantsci.2019.110279.
Quinn, L.D., Rauterkus, M.A., Holt, J.S., Effects of nitrogen enrichment and competition on growth and spread of giant reed ( Arundo donax). Weed Sci. 55:4 (2007), 319–326, 10.1614/WS-06-139.1.
Ratjen, A.M., Lemaire, G., Kage, H., Plénet, D., Justes, E., Key variables for simulating leaf area and N status: biomass based relations versus phenology driven approaches. Eur. J. Agron. 100 (2018), 110–117, 10.1016/j.eja.2018.04.008.
Sainju, U.M., Allen, B.L., Lenssen, A.W., Ghimire, R.P., Root biomass, root/shoot ratio, and soil water content under perennial grasses with different nitrogen rates. Field Crop. Res. 210 (2017), 183–191, 10.1016/j.fcr.2017.05.029.
Sakiroglu, M., Dong, C., Hall, M.B., Jungers, J., Picasso, V., How does nitrogen and forage harvest affect belowground biomass and nonstructural carbohydrates in dual-use Kernza intermediate wheatgrass?. Crop Sci. 60:5 (2020), 2562–2573, 10.1002/csc2.20239.
Santana, A.C.A., de Oliveira, E.C.A., da Silva, V.S.G., dos Santos, R.L., da Silva, M.A., Freire, F.J., Critical nitrogen dilution curves and productivity assessments for plant cane | Curvas de diluição do nitrogênio crítico e produtividade da cana planta. Rev. Bras. De. Eng. Agric. e Ambient. 24:4 (2020), 244–251.
Sprunger, C.D., Culman, S.W., Robertson, G.P., Snapp, S.S., How does nitrogen and perenniality influence belowground biomass and nitrogen use efficiency in small grain cereals. Crop Sci. 58 (2018), 2110–2120, 10.2135/cropsci2018.02.0123.
Tautges, N.E., Jungers, J.M., DeHaan, L.R., Wyse, D.L., Sheaffer, C.C., Maintaining grain yields of the perennial cereal intermediate wheatgrass in monoculture v. bi-culture with alfalfa in the Upper Midwestern USA. J. Agric. Sci. 156 (2018), 758–773, 10.1017/S0021859618000680.
Tilman, D., Resource Competition and Community Structure. 1982, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1–296.
White, L.M., Carbohydrate reserves of grasses: a review. J. Range Manag. 26:1 (1973), 13–18.
Yao, B., Wang, X., Lemaire, G., Makowski, D., Cao, Q., Liu, X., Liu, L., Liu, B., Zhu, Y., Cao, W., Tang, L., Uncertainty analysis of critical nitrogen dilution curves for wheat. Eur. J. Agron., 2021, 128, 10.1016/j.eja.2021.126315.
Zapater, M., Catterou, M., Mary, B., Ollier, M., Fingar, L., Mignot, E., Ferchaud, F., Strullu, L., Dubois, F., Brancourt-Hulmel, M., A single and robust critical nitrogen dilution curve for miscanthus × giganteus and miscanthus sinensis. Bioenergy Res. 10:1 (2017), 115–128, 10.1007/s12155-016-9781-8.
Zhang, X., Ohm, J.-B., Haring, S., Dehaan, L.R., Anderson, J.A., Towards the understanding of end-use quality in intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium): High-molecular-weight glutenin subunits, protein polymerization, and mixing characteristics. J. Cereal Sci. 66 (2015), 81–88, 10.1016/j.jcs.2015.10.008.
Ziadi, N., Bélanger, G., Claessens, A., Lefebvre, L., Cambouris, A.N., Tremblay, N., Nolin, M.C., Parent, L.É., Determination of a critical nitrogen dilution curve for spring wheat. Agron. J. 102:1 (2010), 241–250, 10.2134/agronj2009.0266.