7 research outputs found
Dryland Malt Barley Yield and Quality Affected by Tillage, Cropping Sequence, and Nitrogen Fertilization
Malt barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) yield and quality have been evaluated using various cultivars and N rates but little is known about the effects of tillage and cropping sequence. We evaluated the effects of tillage, cropping sequence, and N fertilization on dryland malt barley yield, grain characteristics, N uptake, and N use-efficiency from 2006 to 2011 in eastern Montana. Treatments were no-till continuous malt barley (NTCB), no-till malt barleyâpea (Pisum sativum L.) (NTBâP), no-till malt barleyâfallow (NTBâF), and conventional till malt barleyâfallow (CTBâF), with split application of N rates (0,40, 80, and 120 kg N haâ1) in randomized complete block with three replications. As N rates increased, malt barley grain yield, protein concentration, and N uptake increased in NTBâF, NTBâP, and NTCB, but test weight, plumpness, and N-use efficiency decreased in all tillage and cropping sequence treatments. Similarly, plant stand, biomass (stems and leaves) yield, and N uptake increased with increased N rates. Grain and biomass yields, N uptake, and N-use efficiency were greater in CTBâF than in NTBâP and NTCB but tillage had no effect on these parameters. Malt barley yield and N uptake varied with cropping sequences and N rates among years. Although grain yield increased with increased N rates, NTBâP with N rates between 40 and 80 kg N haâ1 may be used to sustain dryland malt barley yield and quality (protein concentration \u3c 135 g kgâ1, plumpness \u3e 800 g kgâ1), thereby helping to reduce the potentials for soil erosion and N leaching and increase soil organic matter in the northern Great Plains