Triticale yield formation and quality influenced by different N fertilisation regimes
¹Department of Field Crop Husbandry, Estonian Agricultural University, Kreutzwaldi 64, 51014 Tartu, Estonia;
²Department of Dairy and Food Science, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Rolighedsvej -30, DK-1958 Frederiksberg C., Denmark
Abstract:
Two different field trials with triticale were carried out in a field of the Department of Field Crop Husbandry of the Estonian Agricultural University, situated near Tartu, in 2000/2001–2002/2003. In the first trial, the winter triticale cultivars ‘Modus’ and ‘Tewo’ were used to investigate the influence of different N fertilisation regimes on triticale yield formation and yield quality. Seven N fertiliser treatments in four replications in the first year and 11 fertiliser treatments in three replications in the second and third year were tested, by varying total nitrogen dosages and time of application. Nitrogen was applied as NH4NO3 at different plant development stages (EC30, EC47). In the second trial, 10 winter triticale cultivars were investigated (‘Modus’, ‘Tewo’, ‘Lasko’, ‘Dagro’, ‘Ulrika’, ‘Lamberto’, ‘Vision’, ‘Fidelio’, ‘Lupus’, and ‘Prego’) to select out cultivars of earlier maturing and higher tolerance to pre-harvest sprouting. Winter triticale parents – the winter rye ‘Vambo’ and the winter wheat ‘Kosack’ were used as the control.
The yield level and quality of winter triticale grains were most of all affected by weather conditions and then by cultivars and N application regimes. Nitrogen fertiliser application at the plant development stage EC47 decreased significantly the height of stems (r = -0.459***), which is the principal prerequisite for preventing lodging, and increased significantly grain protein content (1.69 and 1.8% as the average of three years in ‘Modus’ and ‘Tewo’ grains, respectively). Unlike spikes of wheat, all of these winter triticale cultivars started to germinate before general physiological maturity. The longer was the period from anthesis to general physiological maturity, the higher was the percentage of germination during the period (r = 0.727*). The higher was the moisture content in seeds of triticale 26 days after the EC65 (length of the period wheat reached physiological maturity), the higher was the germination percentage in spikes (r = 0.733*). Triticale cultivars with higher 1,000 kernel weight values reached physiological maturity later. An average germination before harvest time correlated positively with test weight (r = 0.608*).
Key words:
N application regime, physiological maturity, pre-harvest sprouting, protein content, triticale