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DOE OSTI · 3413462

Nitrogen dynamics and physiological N use efficiency in high‐biomass sorghum

Jang, Chunhwa [Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000244281217)·Hoffmann, Leo [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000252216378)·Villamil, Maria [Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000335598981)·Rooney, William [Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States); Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)] (ORCID:0000000179531856)·Lee, DoKyoung [Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000314019661)
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Abstract

Improving nitrogen (N) efficiency is essential for sustainable high-biomass sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) production. This study evaluated leaf and stem N dynamics, canopy N remobilization, and physiological nitrogen use efficiency (pNUE) in two photoperiod-sensitive sorghum hybrids under two N rates (0 and 168 kg-N ha −1 ) across multiple environments in Texas and Illinois. Leaf N concentrations increased with plant height in the canopy with steeper gradients under low-N conditions, indicating enhanced N remobilization when N is limited. Stem tissue showed less variation in N concentration across canopy nodal positions, with within-plant differences ranging from 1.2 to 7.6 g kg −1 , compared to 3.1 to 16.3 g kg −1 in leaves. While pNUE was generally higher under unfertilized conditions, it varied largely by site; however, genotypic differences were minimal within the given year. These results highlight the importance of integrating environmental and management factors into breeding and fertilization strategies to enhance N efficiency in high-biomass sorghum.

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60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES

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Jang, Chunhwa [Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000244281217), Hoffmann, Leo [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000252216378), Villamil, Maria [Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000335598981), Rooney, William [Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States); Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)] (ORCID:0000000179531856), Lee, DoKyoung [Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000314019661). 2026-01-29. Nitrogen dynamics and physiological N use efficiency in high‐biomass sorghum. https://doi.org/10.1002/ael2.70058

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