Conventional tillage versus no-tillage: Nitrogen use efficiency component analysis of contrasting durum wheat genotypes grown in a Mediterranean environment

Very little information is available for Mediterranean areas about the soil N dynamics and crop N use efficiency during the transition phase from conventional tillage (CT) to no-tillage (NT). Hence, a 2-yr experiment was conducted under semiarid Mediterranean conditions in three sites to study how soil N dynamics, crop N uptake, grain yield, and N use efficiency vary with N-fertilization rate and crop genotype in the switch year from CT to NT. Treatments consisted of two tillage systems (CT and NT), five N-fertilization rates (0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 kg N ha−1), and two durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) genotypes (one modern variety and one old landrace). Irrespective of the genotype, NT r…