How to Apply Base Fertilizer for Wheat? Detailed Explanation of Key Application Techniques

It is wheat sowing season once again. How to apply base fertilizer for wheat has become a major concern for farmers.

For every 500 kg of dry matter produced, wheat needs to absorb 10.5 g of pure zinc, 9 g of pure boron, 13 g of pure manganese, 0.44 g of pure molybdenum and 4 g of pure copper. Although the amounts of trace elements are small, a deficiency in any one of them will greatly reduce yield. For every 500 kg of grain produced, wheat requires 13-15 kg of pure nitrogen, 5-8 kg of pure phosphorus and 7.5-11.5 kg of pure potassium. Taking into account factors such as straw return to the field, fertilizer use efficiency and differences in soil fertility between plots, it is recommended that before wheat sowing, 7.5-11.5 kg of pure nitrogen (plus 9-11 kg of pure nitrogen as topdressing), 6.5-10.5 kg of pure phosphorus and 7.5-10 kg of pure potassium be applied as base fertilizer.

????Wheat nutrient absorption patterns:

Before the green-up stage, the nutrients absorbed account for about 1/6 of the nitrogen, 1/8 of the phosphorus and 1/10 of the potassium of the total fertilizer application. From the standing-up stage to the heading stage, about 65% of the nitrogen, 45% of the phosphorus and 85% of the potassium are required (about 25% is needed from the standing-up stage to the jointing stage, and about 60% from the jointing stage to the heading stage); after heading, about 20% of the nitrogen and about 40% of the phosphorus are needed. Phosphorus has low mobility and a large residual effect; applying phosphate fertilizer to the entire plow layer increases use efficiency by 340% compared with concentrated application, so phosphate fertilizer is best applied all at once as base fertilizer. About 85% of potassium is needed from the standing-up stage to the heading stage; potassium fertilizer can be applied all at once as base fertilizer, or 1/3 as base fertilizer and 2/3 as topdressing at the standing-up and jointing stages together with nitrogen topdressing. Since potassium also has relatively low mobility in the soil and topdressing increases labor costs, it is recommended to apply it all at once as base fertilizer before wheat sowing. For nitrogen fertilizer, it is best to apply about 1/3 as base fertilizer and about 2/3 as topdressing at the standing-up and jointing stages. For plots where corn straw is returned to the field, an additional 4-8 kg of pure nitrogen is needed to decompose the straw.

????Wheat base fertilizer application ratio:

Apply 15 kg of urea per mu (it can also be replaced by 50 kg of ammonium bicarbonate containing 17% nitrogen), 15 kg of diammonium phosphate and 15 kg of potassium chloride. It is recommended to use compound fertilizers from reputable brands, such as: (N, P2O5, K2O ratio: 15-15-15, 50KG or 18-18-18, 40KG or wheat-specific formula fertilizer 50KG), with a scientific ratio, saving labor and time, and with high absorption and use efficiency. On this basis, pay attention to timely topdressing of urea and foliar fertilizer during the growing period. If growers have micro-irrigation equipment, they can also reduce the potassium fertilizer in the base fertilizer by 1/2-2/3 and apply it in spring together with nitrogen topdressing. Huang Wenxia