Grain yields can be limited from delayed seeding worldwide. Perhaps yield suppressions can be overcome by applying farm manure. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of manure application and sowing date on wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) yield and population development. A field experiment was conducted over two seasons, with three sowing dates (early [ES] - 5 October; mid [M] - 10 October; late [LS] - 15 October) with or without manure application (each plot receiving same chemical N, P, and K fertilizer) in the North China Plain (NCP). Comparing early to LS, delayed sowing reduced wheat yield from 9.5 to 7.8 t ha -1. Furthermore, manure application provided a 16 and 11% yield compensation for the M and LS date treatments, respectively, but did not significantly increase yield for ES. These results were attributed to manure increasing the wheat pre-winter tiller numbers for the mid-seeding date and manure increasing the spring tiller numbers for the LS date. High tiller mortality rate of ES treatment with manure application resulted in similar spike number and wheat yield as no manure treatment. Manure application improved plant N, P, and K concentration and soil temperature at a depth of 5 cm (0.4°C for pre-winter and 0.5-0.8°C for post-stem elongation), actions that may be important for improving population development.
