New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts
Effect of sowing date and nitrogen on dry matter
and nitrogen partitioning in malting barley
J. M. de RUITER
New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food
Research Limited
Private Bag 4704
Christchurch, New Zealand
I. R. BROOKING
The Horticulture and Food Research
Institute of New Zealand
Private Bag 11030
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Abstract Variation in yield and quality of malting barley
(Hordeum vulgare L. `Triumph') are major problems for both producers and
processors in the Manawatu, New Zealand. Climatic variation is partially
responsible for this. However, crop management options may enable the variation
to be reduced. The effects of sowing date and nitrogen (N) fertiliser on yield
and quality of malting barley were evaluated over two seasons. In 1987/88, a
grain yield of 7.0 t/ha was achieved with optimal management. Yields in 1988/89
were approximately half those in the previous season because of drier
conditions during grain filling and a greater incidence of disease. N uptake
was lower in the second season, but this did not result in lower grain N
content and, therefore, improved quality because dry matter (DM) yield was also
lower. Grain N concentrations were significantly higher in the late sowings in
both seasons. Differences in grain N concentrations were related to the timing
of N accumulation in the plant. Over all sowings, the contribution of
post-anthesis N uptake relative to total grain N was negatively related to
grain N concentration (r = -0.78). This indicated that late N uptake
may not always be detrimental to quality as the processes of carbon and N
accumulation are closely linked during grain filling. The maintenance of green
leaf area by fungal disease control or timely irrigation is considered
important for maintaining high grain quality as these prolong the accumulation
of DM during grain filling.
Keywords Hordeum vulgare L.; nitrogen uptake; malting
quality; yield variation; grain nitrogen; assimilation; crop development;
partitioning
New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 1996, Vol. 24:
65-76
0114-0671/96/2401-0065 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
1996
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (984K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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