Globally, the nitrogen use efficiency of wheat is only 35%. This low efficiency means that a large proportion of the N that is applied by farmers is lost, increasing the cost of production and having important negative consequences on the environment. The efficiency of P fertilizer ranges from around 10 to 30% in the year that it is applied. Breeding and agronomic management are the two main strategies that can help improve nutrient use efficiency. Characterizing wheat germplasm for uptake and utilization efficiency will be important to better understand the mechanisms associated with improved efficiency. If uptake is the dominant trait then root characteristics such as root length density, root depth, the production of root exudates or the ability of the roots to associate with vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) should be analyzed. In contrast, if utilization efficiency is the most important trait, then harvest index and biomass production efficiency should be studied. T he breakup of nutrient use efficiency into uptake and utilization should also facilitate the identification of molecular markers that can be later used in a breeding program.

Conservation Agriculture Program

Text in English

INT1421

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection