article · Sustainability
A two-year field study assessed optical screening tools to optimise nitrogen application in durum wheat under semi-arid conditions. Researchers tested five nitrogen levels alongside two wheat genotypes, Sena and Svevo, recording normalised difference vegetation index and SPAD chlorophyll readings at the heading, anthesis, and milky growth stages. Nitrogen fertilisation significantly affected both optical measurements and grain quality parameters, including protein, wet gluten, starch, test weight, and Zeleny sedimentation. Grain yield rose with increased nitrogen up to 100 kilograms per hectare, reaching 4121 kilograms per hectare, before declining at higher application rates. Svevo displayed higher vegetation index values across all growth stages, whereas Sena produced the highest chlorophyll values. The strong correlation between these optical measurements and final crop yields demonstrates their utility in identifying nitrogen deficiencies and screening wheat varieties.
Excessive nitrogen fertiliser contributes directly to environmental pollution, while insufficient fertilisation reduces harvest yields and grain quality. Demonstrating that optical tools such as chlorophyll meters and vegetation indices accurately identify plant nitrogen stress allows growers to pinpoint optimal fertiliser amounts. This precision approach supports agricultural productivity while reducing unnecessary chemical application in semi-arid crop production.
This research provides applied, field-tested evidence for agronomists, crop breeders, and farm managers seeking precision nitrogen management tools. The findings show that standard optical sensing techniques can guide in-season fertiliser timing and evaluate durum wheat cultivars. Because the methods rely on established sensor indices tested in field trials, the approach is ready for immediate integration into precision agriculture advisory services and breeding selection programmes.
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To impart sustainability to modern intensive farming systems, environmental pollution caused by nitrogenous fertilizers in needs to be reduced by optimizing their doses. To estimate the grain yield and nutrtional quallity of wheat, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and chlorophyll content (SPAD) are potential screening tools to identify the N deficiency and screen out the promising cultivars. The two-year field study was comprised with five levels of nitrogen (N) (control, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg N ha−1) and two durum wheat genotypes (Sena and Svevo). The experimental design was split-plot, in which N levels were placed in the main plots, while wheat genotypes were arranged in sub-plots. To predict the yield and quality traits, the NDVI and SPAD values recorded at heading, anthesis and milky growth stages were taken as response variables. The results revealed that N fertilization significantly influenced the SPAD and NDVI attributed traits of durum wheat, except NDVI at milky stage (NDVI-M) during the first year. The maximum value of NDVI was recorded by 150 kg N ha−1, while control treatment gave the minimum value. The grain yield was increased with the increasing dose of the N up to 100 kg N ha−1 (4121 kg ha−1), and thereafter, it was declined with further increased of N levels. However, the variation between the genotypes was not significant, except NDVI and SPAD values at the milky stage. The genotype Svevo had the highest NDVI values at all growth stages, while the genotype Sena recorded the maximum SPAD values during both years. Similarly, the N levels significantly influenced the quality traits (protein, wet gluten, starch test weight and Zeleny sedimentation) of both genotypes. The highly significant relationship of SPAD and NDVI with the grain yield and yield attributes showed their reliability as indicators for determining the N deficiency and selection of superior wheat genotypes for ensuring food security under climate change scenario.
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DOI: 10.3390/su13073725
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