Response of some Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum l.) Cultivars to Two N-Fertilizer Rates in Soils Derived from Coastal Plain Sands

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of three levels of nitrogen (N): 0, 150, and 200 kg N ha^–1 on four wheat cultivars (Imam, Sc. Sahai, Norman and WZ 272-2015) in soils derived from coastal plain sands. The experiment was laid out in a 4 × 3 factorial in a completely randomised design, with three replications. The results revealed that organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AvP), exchangeable bases, effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) and base saturation (BS) improved significantly (p ≤ 0.05) following N applications, while the exchangeable acidity (EA) was reduced (p ≤ 0.05), especially at the 150 kg N ha^–1 rate. The highest (p ≤ 0.05) nutrients were recorded in plots treated with 150 kg N ha^-1 relative to other N rates. Overall, Sc. Sahai plots were highest (p ≤ 0.05) in nutrients and significantly took fewer (48 days) number of days to heading relative to other cultivars. The cultivar Sc. Sahai exhibited superior growth, dry matter, biological yield, yield attributes, grain yield (20.17 g plant–1) and had higher photosynthetically active radiation (54.95 µmol m^–2 s^–1) under the 150 kg N ha^–1 compared to the control. The results obtained demonstrate that
integrating suitable wheat lines with balanced fertilization is critical for sustainable wheat production.