Nitrogen partitioning and remobilization in relation to leaf senescence, grain yield and grain nitrogen concentration in wheat cultivars

•We quantified how N deficiency increases ear N partitioning in 16 wheat cultivars.•We quantified genetic variation in leaf and stem N remobilization under high and low N.•We showed leaf lamina N remobilization was associated with senescence duration under high N.•We showed leaf lamina N remobilization was associated with grain N% under low N in one out of two sites (Clermont Ferrand). Our objective was to investigate the determinants of genetic variation in N accumulation, N partitioning and N remobilization to the grain post-flowering and associations with flag-leaf senescence, grain yield and grain N% in 16 wheat cultivars grown under high N (HN) and low N (LN) conditions in the UK and France. Overall, cultivars ranged in leaf lamina N accumulation at anthesis from 5.32 to 8.03gNm−2 at HN and from 2.69 to 3.62gNm−2 at LN, and for the stem-and leaf-sheath from 5.45 to 7.25gNm−2 at HN and from 2.55 to 3.41gNm−2 at LN (P