Influence of nitrogen and weather conditions on the grain quality of winter triticale
Department of Field Crop Husbandry, Estonian Agricultural University, Kreutzwaldi 64, 51008 Tartu, Estonia; e-mail: malaru@hot.ee
Abstract:
The protein content and falling numbers of five winter triticale cultivars were tested in very different weather conditions (1998/1999–2000/2001) on Stagnic Luvisol soils (WRB classification) in the experimental fields of the Department of Field Crop Husbandry of the Estonian Agricultural University near Tartu (58°23´N, 26°44´E). All cultivars were fertilised with nitrogen fertiliser (NH4NO3) in early spring, using a norm of 0–200 kg N ha-1 (increasing the amonts of fertiliser by 20 kg ha-1). Fertilising with nitrogen after hibernation at the tillering stage in early spring increased the protein content of seeds averaged over years and cultivars by up to 1.57% in dry matter. Protein levels depended most on the cultivar, less on the weather conditions of the growth year and least on the nitrogen fertiliser (the determination indices of a dispersion analysis were 0.35, 0.32 and 0.14, respectively). The yield and protein content were in negative correlation (r = 0,92*). Due to very different weather conditions during the growth period, the figures of the falling number were very different in different years.
Key words:
falling number, nitrogen, protein content, weather conditions, winter triticale cultivars