Effect of Time of Fertilizer Application on Yield and Quality of Oats and Barley

The level of soil moisture at the time of small grain planting is very often low and many farmers are hesitant to invest in fertilizer for small grain. In May, when the moisture outlook generally improves and when nitrogen deficiency symptoms have appeared in the small grain, farmers are interested in knowing if the application of fertilizer will still give a profitable response. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of the time of application of fertilizer on the yield of small grain and also on the quality as measured by the protein content. A supplementary objective was to compare the effect of tow rates of nitrogen, applied with and without phosphorus, to the grain at three different times. Another supplementary objective was the comparative effect of two carriers of nitrogen applied on the small grain at various dates

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Heavy metals in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables in the Philippi horticultural area in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

The aims of this study were to investigate the extent of heavy metal contamination in the Philippi horticultural area in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables in both winter and summer cropping seasons with an ICP-AES and tested against certified standards. Differences were found in heavy metal concentrations between the winter and summer cropping seasons in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables. Certain heavy metals exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables produced in South Africa. These toxic concentrations were predominantly found in the summer cropping season for the soils and in the crops produced in winter. It is thus suggested that further studies are carried out in the Philippi horticultural area to determine the sources of the heavy metals to try and mitigate the inputs thereof and therefore reduce the amount of heavy metals entering the human food chain.ISI & Scopu