Increased Concentration of Molybdenum in Sown Wheat Seed Decreases Grain Yield Responses to Applied Molybdenum Fertilizer in Naturally Acidic Sandplain Soils

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the major crop in southwestern Australia where 75% of the 18 million hectares comprise sandy duplex and deep sandy soils, including uniform yellow sandplain soils. Some of the sandplain soils in the lower rainfall (< 350 mm annual average) eastern region are naturally very acidic (soil pH, as measured in 1:5 soil:0.01 M calcium chloride, 3.7–4.5) in soil horizons explored by wheat roots so molybdenum (Mo) deficiency and aluminium (Al) toxicity adversely affects grain production of wheat. Liming is not an economic option to ameliorate Mo deficiency and Al toxicity in these soils because uneconomical large amounts are required. However, despite Al toxicity, applying Mo fertilizer produces profitable grain yield. The fertilizer also increases Mo concentration in grain, and if this grain was used to sow the next crop, it may reduce the amount of Mo fertilizer required by the subsequent crop. To test this hypothesis we grew wheat in an experiment on naturally acidic sandplain soil (pH 4.5) when either 0 or 160 g/ha fertilizer Mo was applied. The grain harvested at the end of the growing season had Mo concentrations of 0.07 mg/kg when no Mo was applied (low Mo seed) and 0.27 mg/kg when Mo was applied (high Mo seed). In two further field experiments on naturally acidic sandplain soil (pH 4.3 and 4.4) we sowed low and high Mo seed of the same size (36.4 ± 0.2 mg per seed) when 4 rates of Mo fertilizer (0, 35, 70, and 140 g/ha Mo) was applied to soil. Grain yield responses to the Mo fertilizer were 59% for low Mo seed and 55 g/ha fertilizer Mo was required to produce 90% of the maximum grain yield. Corresponding values for high Mo seed were 15% response and 15 g/ha fertilizer Mo. Rather than sowing wheat seed harvested from acidic soils to sow wheat crops on the acidic sandplain soils, we instead recommend seed harvested from alkaline soils with larger concentrations of Mo in the seed be used reducing the rate of fertilizer Mo required for that crop.

The concentration of Mo in the youngest emerged leaf blades (YEB) that was related to 90% of the maximum grain yield (critical prognostic tissue test value for grain production) was about 0.08–0.09 mg/kg at tillering (Gs24) and at emergence of wheat heads (Gs59).