Dynamics of yield and feeding qualities of barley grain with long-term application of mineral fertilizers and protective agents

Abstract

The research was carried out in a lysimetric laboratory operating since 1987 on leached chernozem of heavy particle-size composition composition in the grain crop rotation. In the lysimetric experiment, the grain-tillage crop rotation was used. The sown area of one lysimeter is 4 m². The scheme of the lysimetric experiment consists of two factors. In the first factor, different levels of mineral nutrition are studied, in the second factor - plant protection products. The yields of spring barley over the six-year study period were strongly directly dependent on summer precipitation (r = 0.81). In the intensive variant with the application of mineral fertilizers at a dose of N₁₂₀P₁₂₀K₈₀ and the integrated use of protection agents, the yield of spring barley grain increased by 2.36 t ha as six-year average as compared to the control variant. Under favorable weather conditions in 1993, the maximum yield of barley was obtained using a variant with a high dose of mineral fertilizers (N₁₂₀P₁₂₀K₈₀) and a set of protection agents - 6.34 t ha. On average, over 6 years of growing spring barley in lysimeters, the yield in this variant was 4.48 t ha; that was by 110% higher than in the control variant. The combined use of plant protection products provided barley yield gain against unfertilized background on six-year average by 0.51 t ha, and 0.72 t ha against a high fertilizer application rate. The content of crude protein in barley grain increased significantly with the systematic application of mineral fertilizers and with increasing rates. In the variant with a high background of fertilization in the crop rotation, the amount of crude protein in absolute terms increased from 9.4 to 13.9%.