Importance of Soil Moisture of Yield for Wheat - Assignment Example

1. The estimate yield for wheat is 1600 kg/h. Crop production depends on the moisture present in the soil. The soil used in the paddock was Black Vertosol and they can contain the moisture up to 80 percent full, with that amount of moisture the wheat production per hectare is over 1.6 tons per hectare. According to the research conducted, it was found that soil moisture accounts for 34 percent of crop water use, while the remaining 66 percentage is supplied by rain. The rainfall recorded from April was 106 mm and irrigation water from April was 100mm. The actual rainfall increased as from June, before the onset of rains the crop relied on irrigation to grow, irrigation is encouraged during the planting season since it ensures constant water since at that stage because the roots are still shallow. By spring season, the roots are deep and they are capable of drawing the water deep inside the soil. The amount of nitrogen taken by wheat is reflected on the grain yield. The nitrogen used by a crop is sourced from the soil. The initial amount of nitrogen in the soil was 35kg/ha and as a result of other environmental factors such as leaching, the nitrogen reduced to 24kg/ha. From the 3 scenarios of nitrogen application, it shows that there was a sharp increase in the yield when the amount of nitrogen was increased. During the wetter conditions, the nitrogen can be easily drowned from the soil unlike in the drier seasons; the yield has not been lost at this point since there are enough nitrogen and water provided through irrigation and rainfall. 2. A. The southern oscillation index (SOI) so far is in a constant phase. The mean for the year June was 10.6 which are not far from the previous year’s indexes. B. rooting depth is affected by soil depth, bulk density, salinity, and sodicity. The current rooting depth is 40cm and the final depth will be 100 cm. C. the plant available water was 152mm while the nitrogen available was 24kg/ha. Water stress was constant through the growing season at 0 which means there was no water stress while the nitrogen stress was 0 from April and it started rising from June to 1 in July which means the stress was full in July. D. the likelihood of frost stress occurring this year during grain fill and flowering is 24%, this is the average percentage compared to the previous years, while the likelihood of heat shock occurring this year during grain fill and flowering is 9%, and this is the average percentage compared to the previous years. E. the flag leaf normally emerges at the 8 stage of the wheat growth, this normally occurs at mid and late august, and these are the times the times the fungicide should be sprayed on the crop. 3. According to the yields from the 3 scenarios from the nitrogen comparison report, scenario 1 yielded more than scenario 2 and 3, at the sowing 82kg/ha was applied and in scenario 1 50kg/ha was applied in may, in scenario 2 100kg/ha was applied in July, and in scenario 3 150kg/ha was applied in august. This shows that the optimum amount of nitrogen required for maximum yields are 132 kg/ha since the scenario one yield was the highest. The optimum rate was applied once during the planting in the first scenario and in the next scenario the optimum amount was applied during Growth stage GS16, and in the last scenario it was applied during Growth stage GS37. The yields were the highest when it was applied during Growth stage GS16, followed by Growth stage GS37 and lastly during sowing. The yields are lowest when applied during sowing because during winter there is a lot of precipitation and nitrogen is lost through denitrification and surface runoff. The grain proteins are highest when nitrogen are applied at Growth stage GS37 because plenty of with is used during seed development. When applied during Growth stage GS16, it will stimulate the formation of new tillers which are significant since it will form the heads that will have grain on them. When applied when there are no tillers, grain production will be limited. I would use the Growth stage GS16 because it produces maximum produce. When nitrogen was applied at later stages the yields was high and protein content was maximum when nitrogen is applied at the last stage. 4. When Boggabilla is between approximately between 15 and 25% full, the crop yield is around 0.7 t/ha. When Birchip is over 80% full, the crop yield will be around 6t/ha. The difference in crop yields is that high amount of moisture in the soil effect the absorption of minerals like nitrogen in the soil encouraging the growth and development of grains. The current nitrogen applied is 46kg/ha, this is the standard that produces the best yields while unlimited N produces fewer yields due to over application. When excess N are applied during drier season, it intensifies the drying of the crop. Wetter years always produce the highest yields due to enough moisture in the soil while drier years produce fewer yields. 5. The reports and the best rate and timing of N show that wheat quality and yields during high rainfalls with efficiency of 75% increased significantly. 90 percent variation of grain yield is accounted by presence of high rainfall. Proper timing of nitrogen is the main sources of variation of grain quality such as grain protein, dough strength and water absorption. When N used was of the right quality the crop produced grains of acceptable quality for their grades and yields increases. When there is enough water during GS65, it will be important for crop yield because this is the period in which the crop will start flowering to develop grains. In Pre-sowing stage, the crop will develop fast and if the supply of water stopped at some point the yields will be lower than in the scenario of GS65. The yields will be moderate if there is enough water during stage GS16. This is the stage of leaf late tillering and it is the middle stage in the crop of wheat. By the time the grain is starting to develop, the water will have reduced significantly reducing the yields. The best stage of applying N is during GS65 because it will help in the development of grain. Additional rainfall above average during sowing and germination is beneficial to the crop but rainfall above average during tillering is detrimental. When there is low precipitation the intake of N is limited and it remains in the soil. In high precipitation there is high intake of N and the crop will meet optimal growth. This means that N and water are interdependent. The report shows that interaction between nitrogen application and water on the crop relies on the growth stage during which water stress take place. If there is shortage of water at GS37, with optimum application of nitrogen, nitrogen presence will intensifies the drought effect hence reducing the yields. 6. The new region is Hart fieldsite with Clay loam over light-medium-heavy soil. the difference between the two regions is that clay loam soil contain 40 percent clay which means it can hold water longer than Black Vertosol of Boggabilla which contain 35 percent of clay. High percentage of clay means having the capacity to hold water for long. If the soil has the capability of holding water for long it means in case there is shortage of rainfall the plants can endure long periods of dryness because the moisture is held by the soil. at moderate rains the yields are high and with heavy rains in soil with high percentage of clay, there will be a possible of water stress and the yields will be reduced. Read More