Effects of urea and flutriafol on germination, coleptile length and establishment of wheat and barley

Abstract

Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of urea fertiliser placed with the seed and flutriafol fungicide seed dressing on germination, coleoptile length and establishment of wheat (cvv. Bass and Hartog) and barley (cv. Grimmett). Interactions with depth of sowing and press wheel pressure were also measured in the field. Placement of urea (1 and 2 g/m) with the seed reduced germination, final coleoptile length and field establishment at 2 seeding depths (40 and 75 mm) and delayed field emergence. Flutriafol (0.025 or 0.1 g/kg seed) had no effect on laboratory germination or field establishment but reduced final coleoptile length in the laboratory and delayed field emergence by up to 4.3 days. Compacting the soil over the seed by applying pressure with a press wheel increased establishment from 28 to 37%. With deep sowing (75 mm), barley gave better establishment than wheat, probably because barley (cv. Grimmett) had longer coleoptiles than wheat (cv. Hartog). The effects of urea, sowing depth, press wheel pressure and crop species on establishment were generally additive. As a result, establishment varied from 3 to 80%, depending on the combination of these factors used. Our results indicate that certain combinations of current farming practices such as placement of urea with the seed, deep sowing and the use of flutriafol could cause establishment problems in winter cereals.