Different levels of soil organic matter in desert soil and nitrogen fertilizer on yields and mineral composition of barley grown in the soil

Abstract

Abstract Barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cultivar Atlas 57) was grown in desert soil from bare areas (low soil organic matter) and in soil from beneath long established shrubs (moderately high soil organic matter). The plants were grown in pots with three replicates and with and without N fertilizer. Nitrogen fertilizer overcame only part of the yield decrease resulting from the low organic matter soil in that plants grown in soil from under shrubs produced three times as much dry weight as the low organic matter soil with N added. Plants in the high organic soil also responded to N. Silicon levels in barley were decreased by N fertilizer and were higher in the plants from the low organic matter soil with and without N. Iron, Al, and Zn concentrations in the shoots were positively correlated with N concentrations and negatively with those of Si. The plants grown in the low organic matter soil were high in Ma. Calcium was positively correlated with Ba concentrations in shoots. Calcium and Mg were negatively cor...