Why use urea in wheat?
One of the main crops planted in the southern winter, wheat, has been gaining more and more space in crops, mainly leveraged by higher market prices. In recent years, there has been an increase in investments made in wheat growers' crops, with the adoption of modern cultivars and the use of more assertive fertilization.
Among the fertilizer used, Nitrogen (N) stands out as the element that deserves special attention, since it is the nutrient that the wheat crop is more responsive to. N participates in photosynthesis, definition of yield components and grain protein content, which in turn improves the industrial quality of the flour.
For the wheat crop, the recommended amount of N varies depending on the organic matter content of the soil, the predecessor crop and the expected yield of the crop. It is recommended to apply a small part of N at the time of sowing, to provide an initial start, and the rest in coverage. One of the agricultural practices that helps to obtain high yields in this crop is the fractioning of coverage application.
When to apply nitrogen to wheat?
It is recommended that the first application in coverage be carried out at the beginning of tillering, in the stage known as double-ring, in which the number of ears per square meter is defined, and the second at the beginning of elongation, when the wheat sets the spike size and the number of spikelets. A third application can also be carried out, when the flag leaf is visible, with the main objective of increasing the protein content of the grain.
What is urea?
There are several sources of nitrogen on the market, with urea being the most used. Urea is a solid fertilizer, in the formula of granules, which facilitates its application in the wheat crop, and has around 45% of N in its composition. When applied, urea is hydrolyzed in the soil by the action of the urease enzyme and becomes ammonium (NH4+), which in turn can be transformed into nitrate (NO3-), these two forms being preferentially absorbed by plants.
One of the precautions that must be taken in your job is not to do it with wet soil and in the absence of rain after application, as the urea can suffer reactions in the soil and turn into ammonia, a gas that ends up being lost to the atmosphere. Thus, an ideal application of urea, which minimizes N volatilization, is before rain or light irrigation.
Currently, wheat growers also have more technological urea formulations available, added to other nutrients, with urease enzyme inhibitors or products with controlled release of N to the soil, providing more efficiency, safety and increasing the application window.
Want to know more about these products or have questions about nitrogen management in wheat? Look for one of our consultants in a 3tentos unit.
