Effect of nitrogen fertiliser application timing on grain yield and grain protein concentration of spring barley

peer-reviewedThere is relatively little recent information regarding the effect of timing of fertiliser N application to spring barley on grain yield and grain protein concentration (GPC) under Irish conditions. The objectives of this work were to examine the effects of a) timing of the first N application to spring barley (at sowing or at crop emergence), b) altering the proportion of the total N allocation that is applied in the first of two applications and c) delaying a portion of the total N dose until after the tillering phase on grain yield and GPC of spring barley. Twenty experiments were carried out over four seasons (2011–2014) in the south and south-east of Ireland. Results indicated that there was little consistent difference, in terms of grain yield or GPC between applying the first N at sowing compared to where the initial N application was made at crop emergence. Similarly, altering the proportion of N applied in the first application, irrespective of whether the first application was at sowing or at crop emergence, had little effect on either yield or GPC. Delaying the application of a portion (0.2) of the total N until after the tillering stage also had little consistent effect on either yield or GPC. It is concluded that where the majority of N is applied to spring barley before the end of the tillering stage, altering the timing of applications or the proportion of the total applied in each application will have limited effect on grain yield or GPC

Response of two-row and six-row barley to fertiliser N under Irish conditions

peer-reviewedA range of cultivar types, including two-row and six-row types as well as line and hybrid types, are used for winter barley production in Ireland. There is little information available on the fertiliser nitrogen (N) requirements or the N use efficiency of these different types, particularly under Irish conditions. The objectives of the work presented here were to compare the response to fertiliser N of a two-row line cultivar, a six-row line cultivar and a six-row hybrid cultivar in terms of grain yield and aspects of N use efficiency. Experiments were carried out over three growing seasons, in the period 2012-2014, on a light-textured soil comparing the response of the three cultivars of winter barley to fertiliser N application rates ranging from 0 to 260 kg N/ha. There was no evidence that cultivar type, regardless of whether it was a two-row or six-row line cultivar or a six-row hybrid cultivar, influenced the response to fertiliser N of winter barley. There were some indications that six-row cultivars were less efficient at recovering soil N but used accumulated N more efficiently than the two-row cultivar. This work provided no evidence to support adjustment of fertiliser N inputs to winter barley based on cultivar typ

Psychiatric disorder and cognitive function in children with epilepsy in Kerala, South India

The cognitive and psychiatric associations of childhood epilepsy have not been studied in developing countries. Children with epilepsy were identified during a population-based epidemiological study of 1403 8- to 12-year-old children in Kerala, South India. They were compared with age-, sex- and social class-matched controls on measures of reading, vocabulary, non-verbal reasoning and school performance. In addition, psychiatric symptoms were measured using standard questionnaires and the presence or absence of psychiatric disorder was established by interview. Patients performed as well as controls on the non-verbal test, but performed worse on tests of vocabulary and reading, suggesting a specific disadvantage in the area of education. Psychiatric disorder was more prevalent in the children with epilepsy. It was concluded that epilepsy in the population studied is accompanied by a significant burden of cognitive and psychiatric disorders which need recognition and adequate service provision

A comparison of husked and naked oats under Irish conditions

peer-reviewedDuring the harvesting of husked oats (Avena sativa L.), the kernel remains tightly enclosed by a lignified lemma and palea, collectively termed the husk or hull. In naked oats, which are the same species as husked oats, the lemma is much less lignified and the kernel threshes free during harvesting. The absence of the largely indigestible husk increases the nutritive value of naked oats compared to that of husked oats, particularly for non-ruminants and poultry. There is little information regarding the potential of naked oats as an arable crop in Ireland. The objective of this study was to determine the productivity of naked oats under Irish conditions. Field experiments were carried out in the south east of Ireland to compare the grain yield and grain quality of both autumn-sown and spring-sown naked and husked oat cultivars. Grain yield of naked oat cultivars was significantly lower than that of husked oat cultivars, irrespective of whether they were autumn sown or spring sown. However, when the kernel yield of husked oat cultivars was estimated, differences in yield between the two types were much smaller, and in some cases, kernel yield of naked oat cultivars exceeded that of husked oat cultivars. Grain quality, as indicated by hectolitre weight and grain N concentration, was generally greater for naked oat cultivars than for husked oat cultivars. It is concluded that under Irish conditions, naked oats have the potential to produce kernel yields equivalent to husked oats. The grain produced is of high quality and may be particularly suited for the nutrition of non-ruminants

Changes in yield and composition of barley, wheat and triticale grains harvested during advancing stages of ripening

peer-reviewedThis study involved an evaluation of the changes in grain yield, nutritive value, ensilability and harvesting losses of intensively managed winter cereals harvested during the advancing stages of ripening. Five cereal crops (barley cv. Regina and wheat cv. Madrigal in 2001; barley cv. Regina, wheat cv. Falstaff and triticale cv. Fidelio in 2002) were assessed. Twenty plots per crop were arranged in a randomised complete block design, with five times of harvest (four for barley in 2002) and four replicate blocks per harvest. Dry matter (DM) yields changed relatively little between harvest dates, but fresh yields declined (P < 0.001) over time due to the moisture loss associated with ripening. Time-course changes in indices of nutritive value, such as concentrations of crude protein, starch and ash, and organic matter digestibility, were relatively small and did not follow a consistent pattern. Ensilability indices, such as DM and watersoluble carbohydrate concentrations and buffering capacity, indicated that satisfactory fermentations were likely if such crops were ensiled; buffering capacity, generally declining with advancing maturity. Harvesting losses were not clearly related to growth stage at harvest. It is concluded that winter cereal grain (barley, wheat and triticale) DM yields and quality were relatively constant as ripening progressed from DM concentrations of around 550 to >800 g/kg.One of the authors (P.S.) was in receipt of a Teagasc Walsh Fellowship

Predicting soil moisture conditions for arable free draining soils in Ireland under spring cereal crop production

peer-reviewedTemporal prediction of soil moisture and evapotranspiration has a crucial role in agricultural and environmental management. A lack of Irish models for predicting evapotranspiration and soil moisture conditions for arable soils still represents a knowledge gap in this particular area of Irish agro-climatic modelling. The soil moisture deficit (SMD) crop model presented in this paper is based on the SMD hybrid model for Irish grassland (Schulte et al., 2005). Crop and site specific components (free-draining soil) have been integrated in the new model, which was calibrated and tested using soil tension measurements from two experimental sites located on a well-drained soil under spring barley cultivation in south-eastern Ireland. Calibration of the model gave an R2 of 0.71 for the relationship between predicted SMD and measured soil tension, while model testing yielded R2 values of 0.67 and 0.65 (two sites). The crop model presented here is designed to predict soil moisture conditions and effective drainage (i.e., leaching events). The model provided reasonable predictions of soil moisture conditions and effective drainage within its boundaries, i.e., free-draining land used for spring cereal production under Irish conditions. In general, the model is simple and practical due to the small number of required input parameters, and due to model outputs that have good practical applicability, such as for computing the cumulative amount of watersoluble nutrients leached from arable land under spring cereals in free-draining soils

Field Performance and Quality of Hybrid Winter Wheat.

End of Project ReportAn assessment of hybrid winter wheat was carried out over three seasons to determine the commercial potential of hybrid varieties under Irish conditions. The studies examined the effects of reduced seeding rate on hybrid grain yield and quality in comparison to pure-line varieties. A comparison of the hybrid varieties available was also carried out and the higher yielding hybrids were then compared with the best pure-line varieties in terms of grain yield and quality, and response to fungicide. The results indicated that in good sowing conditions hybrids can give greater yields than pure-line varieties at reduced seeding rates, but the effect is not large or consistent. There was generally no effect of seeding rate on the grain quality of hybrid varieties but crop lodging occurred in one season at high seeding rates. Of the hybrid varieties examined, Mercury and Hyno Esta were the two better varieties in terms of grain yield; there was little difference between the hybrids examined in terms of grain quality. The best hybrid varieties did not give consistently higher yields or quality than the best pure-line varieties and exhibited a similar response to fungicide application as the pure-line varieties. It is concluded that when the price differential between seed of pure-line varieties and hybrid varieties is taken into account, the winter wheat hybrid varieties currently available do not offer any economic advantages to commercial growers at the present time

The prevalence of epilepsy in the Zay Society, Ethiopia—An area of high prevalence

SummaryVery high prevalence rates of epilepsy have been found in some developing countries. The Zay Society of Ethiopia was screened for epilepsy during a door-to-door survey and after neurological assessment, a prevalence of 29.5/1000 was found. Almost all the cases had primary generalised epilepsy in contrast to the predominance of partial epilepsy found elsewhere. Due to its historical isolation, epilepsy genes may have become widely disseminated throughout the Zay Society, accounting for the elevated prevalence

Mustard catch crop enhances denitrification in shallow groundwater beneath a spring barley field

The study was funded by Department of Agriculture and Food through the Research Stimulus Fund Programme (Grant RSF 06383) in collaboration with the Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.peer-reviewedOver-winter green cover crops have been reported to increase dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in groundwater, which can be used as an energy source for denitrifiers. This study investigates the impact of a mustard catch crop on in situ denitrification and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from an aquifer overlain by arable land. Denitrification rates and N2O-N/(N2O-N + N2-N) mole fractions were measured in situ with a push–pull method in shallow groundwater under a spring barley system in experimental plots with and without a mustard cover crop. The results suggest that a mustard cover crop could substantially enhance reduction of groundwater nitrate NO3--N via denitrification without significantly increasing N2O emissions. Mean total denitrification (TDN) rates below mustard cover crop and no cover crop were 7.61 and 0.002 μg kg−1 d−1, respectively. Estimated N2O-N/(N2O-N + N2-N) ratios, being 0.001 and 1.0 below mustard cover crop and no cover crop respectively, indicate that denitrification below mustard cover crop reduces N2O to N2, unlike the plot with no cover crop. The observed enhanced denitrification under the mustard cover crop may result from the higher groundwater DOC under mustard cover crop (1.53 mg L−1) than no cover crop (0.90 mg L−1) being added by the root exudates and root masses of mustard. This study gives insights into the missing piece in agricultural nitrogen (N) balance and groundwater derived N2O emissions under arable land and thus helps minimise the uncertainty in agricultural N and N2O-N balances