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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #160574
Title: CHLORIDE FERTILITY: SMALL GRAIN VARIETY AND DISEASE RESPONSE

Author
item Riedell, Walter
item OSBORNE, LAWRENCE - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
item Osborne, Shannon

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/23/2004
Publication Date: 3/2/2004
Citation: RIEDELL, W.E., OSBORNE, L.E., OSBORNE, S.L. 2004. CHLORIDE FERTILITY: SMALL GRAIN VARIETY AND DISEASE RESPONSE. IN: SCHLEGEL, A.J., EDITOR. GREAT PLAINS SOIL FERTILITY CONFERENCE, MARCH 2-3, 2004, DENVER, COLORADO. VOL. 10: 176-181.

Interpretive Summary: Chloride fertilizer added to low chloride-testing soil results in a positive yield gain 70 % of the time in spring wheat. Positive yield gains may result because of alleviation of chloride deficiency, suppression of diseases, or a combination of disease suppression and improved plant water relations. Yield responses of hard red spring wheat to chloride fertilization are often cultivar specific. Because soil fertility and disease suppression are among the most important management tools used by farmers, additional research on the interaction between chloride fertility and disease suppression is needed. The objective of our research was to measure the chloride and disease responses of two hard red spring wheat cultivars under controlled environments. The results of our experiment indicate that the leaf rust severity (but not the lesion score) is reduced in plants given nutrient solutions containing 80 mM potassium chloride. This reduction, which was seen in both moderately resistant and moderately susceptible cultivars, occurred at levels of potassium chloride that caused toxicity to the plants. Additional studies are needed before any conclusions can be reached concerning the practical application of chloride for rust management under field situations.

Technical Abstract: For spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), chloride fertilizer added to low chloride-testing soil results in a positive yield gain 70 % of the time. Some, but not all, of these yield responses have been attributed to chloride interaction with disease susceptibility. Because soil fertility and disease suppression are among the most important management tools used by farmers, additional research on the interaction between chloride fertility and disease suppression is needed. Our objective was to measure the chloride and disease responses of two hard red spring wheat cultivars under controlled environments. The cultivar 'Butte 86' had significantly higher shoot dry weight and significantly less shoot chloride, rust severity, and less severe lesion scores than 'Ingot' across all nutrient solution treatments. In both cultivars, shoot dry weight decreased while shoot chloride concentrations increased when the level of chloride provided in the nutrient solution increased. We measured a significant reduction in rust severity in plants receiving the 80 mM chloride when compared to the other nutrient solution treatments. This reduction in leaf rust severity was not accompanied by a consistent change in the lesion type.