Theses and Dissertations Collection

Production of high yielding soft white winter wheat is dependent on synthetic fertilizer. In addition to using variable rate technology for nitrogen application, there is interest in further refining nitrogen use to more efficiently use this expensive input as well as exploring precision technology for other inputs such as seeding rate. In Northern Idaho, trials were established to examine the response of soft white winter wheat cultivars to nitrogen and seeding rates. An additional field trial was planted on the Camas Prairie to study applying variable rate seeding technology within three distinctive production zones. While there were differences among the cultivars, environment and seasonal variation had a significant impact on how cultivars respond to nitrogen and seeding rates. The variable rate seeding trial demonstrated that this technology may be feasible, but further exploration will be necessary to develop a suitable strategy for implementation in diverse environments.