Impact of Nitrogen and Phosphorus on Grain Yield in Winter Triticale Grown on Degraded Vertisol

Vera Rajičić,Zoran Jovović,Vojislav Mihailović,Vesna Perišić,Nebojša Gudžić,Milan Biberdžić,Vladislava Čolić,Dragan Terzić,Vera Popović,Nenad Đurić

doi:10.3390/agronomy10060757

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to investigate: (1) the effects of fertilization, environment, and their interactions on the thousand grain weight (TGW), hectolitre weight (HW) and grain yield (GY) of winter triticale, and (2) the correlations between these traits in different environments. The invariable nitrogen (80 kg N ha−1), potassium (60 kg K2O ha−1) and two phosphorus (60 and 100 kg P2O5 ha−1) doses were used in Kragujevac location in central Serbia. Nitrogen was applied individually and in combination with two phosphorus rates and one rate of potassium fertilizer. Eight fertilization treatment controls and N80, P60, P100, N80P60K60, N80P100K60, N80P60 and N80P100 were examined during three growing seasons. The yield and quality of triticale significantly varied across years and treatments. The average yield of all treatments in the 2015 growing season was significantly greater than in the previous years (3.597 t ha−1). Combined usage of NPK fertilizer (80 kg N ha−1, 100 kg P2O5 ha−1 and 60 kg K2O ha−1) represented the excellent base for optimum supply of major nutrients, resulting in maximum GY (4.0 t ha−1). Negative and significant correlation was found between grain GY and TGW (−0.392*) in 2015, and positive highly significant correlation were in 2013 (0.648**) and 2014 (0.493**). The positive effect over complete application of fertilizer is the result of a lower pH value of the soil, as well as the low content of available phosphorus and potassium in Vertisol soil type. Optimizing fertilization for maximum profitability is of great importance in the future triticale production in Pannonian Environments.

Highlights

The projections are that the human population will increase to 9.2 billion in 2050 [1], which will require an increase of food by 70% and, increase in yield, with the introduction of new high-yielding cultivars, fertilization, and other cultivation techniques [2,3,4].Effective nitrogen fertilization has crucial importance for the economical production of winter cereals and in the protection of underground and surface waters from nitrate leaching as a consequenceAgronomy 2020, 10, 757; doi:10.3390/agronomy10060757 www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomyAgronomy 2020, 10, 757 of excessive and inadequate nitrogen usage [5]
This study was conducted on Kragujevac location in the Šumadija region, Serbia, on a Vertisol soil
The results of this study showed that the values of the examined productive traits of the winter triticale, which varied depending on the applied dose of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium

Summary

Introduction

The projections are that the human population will increase to 9.2 billion in 2050 [1], which will require an increase of food by 70% and, increase in yield, with the introduction of new high-yielding cultivars, fertilization, and other cultivation techniques [2,3,4].Effective nitrogen fertilization has crucial importance for the economical production of winter cereals and in the protection of underground and surface waters from nitrate leaching as a consequenceAgronomy 2020, 10, 757; doi:10.3390/agronomy10060757 www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomyAgronomy 2020, 10, 757 of excessive and inadequate nitrogen usage [5]. Nitrogen is showing the greatest effect through the combined usage with phosphorus and potassium, while the application of these two elements without nitrogen does not lead to significant yield increases, and often even reduces it [6,7,8,9,10]. The greatest problem of this soil type is its low pH value and further increase of its acidity, mostly because of the irregular application of fertilizers during the years. The application time of mineral fertilizers necessary for the formation of high-triticale grain yield of good quality as well as the amounts and types of mineral fertilizers differ depending on soil fertility [11,12,13,14,15]. There is a present tendency of applying larger amounts of phosphorus fertilizers, i.e., NPK-fertilizers with a higher share of phosphorus, because the impact of nutrition with this element is especially pronounced on acidic and other devastated types of soils [5]

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