Table 1.

Experimental details. Experiments: 1, factorial combinations of nitrogen; 2, water × N; 3, N × cultivars; 4 and 5, cultivars; and 6 cultivars × water × N. Experiments 1, 2, 3, and 6 were in large containers at Lleida and experiments 4 and 5 were under field conditions at Gimenells (NE Spain). Periodic irrigations throughout the growing season, from once a week in winter to every second day during grain filling; each microcrop was irrigated individually until water freely drained underneath the container or with sprinklers at mid-tillering (25 mm), jointing (30 mm), anthesis (60 mm), and mid-grainfilling (15 mm) under field conditions. Treatments in the containers were, watered only once at sowing to warrant germination and emergence, and when the minimal N doses was applied. Fertilization is given as decimal code 2.1 (Zadoks et al., 1974); fertilizer was applied by splitting the dose into two or three equal applications at the onset of tillering (DC 2.1), at mid-tillering (DC 2.3), and the onset of stem elongation (DC 3.1). Bold type indicate treatments within an experiment.

Growing season	Experiment	Experimental design	Experimental approaches	Sowing date and density	Experimental treatments
					Water regime	N availability		Cultivars
						Soil N at sowing (kg N ha–1)	Fertilization (kg N ha–1)
2006–07	1	Completed randomized design (3 replicates)	Crops in large containers outdoors	24 Nov 2006; 500 plants m–2	Irrigated	70	—	Claudio
						70	50 DC21 + 50 DC31
2007–08	2	Completed randomized design (3 replicates)	Crops in large containers outdoors	14 Nov 2007; 300 plants m–2	Irrigated	30	20 DC21	Claudio
						30	73.3 DC21 + 73.3 DC23 + 73.3 DC31
					Rainfed	30	20 DC21	Claudio
						30	73.3 DC21 + 73.3 DC23 + 73.3 DC31
2008–09	3	Completed randomized design (3 replicates)	Crops in large containers outdoors	28 Nov 2006; 300 plants m–2	Irrigated	20	30 DC21	Claudio, Donduro, Simeto, Vitron
						20	76.6 DC21 + 76.6 DC23 + 76.6 DC31	Claudio, Donduro, Simeto, Vitron
	4	Randomized block design (3 replicates)	Field	24 Nov 2008; 300 plants m–2	Rainfed	130	—	Claudio, Donduro, Simeto, Vitron
	5	Randomized block design (3 replicates)	Field	12 Dec 2008; 300 plants m–2	Irrigated	580	—	Claudio, Donduro, Simeto, Vitron
2009–010	6	Completed randomized design (3 replicates)	Crops in large containers outdoors	26 Nov 2009; 250 plants m–2	Irrigated	20	30 DC21	Donduro, Vitron
						20	76.6 DC21 + 76.6 DC23 + 76.6 DC31	Donduro, Vitron
					Rainfed	30	20 DC21	Donduro, Vitron
						20	76.6 DC21 + 76.6 DC23 + 76.6 DC31	Donduro, Vitron