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Agro-Physiological Response of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) to the Nitrogen Application Rate and Split Application Method

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Abstract

To investigate the effects of nitrogen application rate and split application method on the growth and yield of quinoa, a split plot experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications during the two cropping seasons of 2018 and 2019. The factors studied were nitrogen application rate at four levels (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg N ha−1) and split application method of nitrogen at three levels (1- four equal splits at planting, 6–8 leaves, anthesis, and the seed filling stages; 2- three equal splits at 6–8 leaves, anthesis, and the seed filling stages; 3- two equal splits at 6–8 leaves and the anthesis stages). The results showed that the nitrogen fertilization delayed the flowering and increased the length of seed-filling period, plant height, photosynthetic pigments content, number of seeds per plant, seed yield, and aboveground biomass compared to nitrogen-free conditions. In both experimental years, two-split applications at 6–8 leaves and the anthesis stages, delayed the flowering and increased the seed-filling period as well as the content of chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids compared to other methods of nitrogen splitting. In 2018, the highest seed yield was produced by two-split applications of 150 kg N ha−1, whereas in 2019, two-split applications of 100 kg ha−1 of N produced the highest seed yield. Our results indicated that two equal splits adding to 100 kg N ha−1 at 6–8 leaves and anthesis stages could be recommended to produce the optimal yield of quinoa under similar climatic conditions.

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Data Availability

Supporting data not available due to legal restrictions.

Notes

  1. Instituto Boliviano de Tecnología Agropecuaria.

  2. Promocion e Investigacion de Productos Andinos.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Sabzevar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sabzevar, Iran

    Mostafa Ebrahimikia, Matin Jami Moeini & Hamid Marvi

  2. National Salinity Research Center (NSRC), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Yazd, Iran

    Yousef Hasheminejhad

  3. Department of Soil and Water, Khorasan Razavi Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Mashhad, Iran

    Mohammad Ghasemzadeh Ganjehie

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  1. Mostafa Ebrahimikia
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  2. Matin Jami Moeini
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  3. Hamid Marvi
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  4. Yousef Hasheminejhad
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  5. Mohammad Ghasemzadeh Ganjehie
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Contributions

Conceived, designed, and performed the experiments: ME, MJM, and HM. Statistical analysis: MJM. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: ME, MJM, YH, and MG. Wrote the paper: ME and MJM. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Matin Jami Moeini.

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Ebrahimikia, M., Jami Moeini, M., Marvi, H. et al. Agro-Physiological Response of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) to the Nitrogen Application Rate and Split Application Method. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 21, 3437–3450 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-021-00618-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-021-00618-6

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