Responses of triticale, wheat, rye and barley to nitrogen fertilizer

Abstract

A hexaploid triticale from Mexico and local cultivars of wheat, rye and barley, each at five levels of fertilizer nitrogen (0, 35, 70, 105 and 140 kg N/ha) with four replications, were grown in a field experiment at Mintaro, South Australia. A visually discernible response to nitrogen fertilizer by all four genotypes from an early stage was confirmed by quantitative sampling at tiliering, anthesis and maturity. Responses in plant dry weight to 105 kg N/ha were maintained until anthesis but grain yield responses were significant only at 35 kg N/ha. Total dry matter production responses at maturity to more than 35 kg N/ha were small. Numbers of tillers and heads were increased by nitrogen additions up to 140 and 105 kg N/ha, respectively, and plant height measurements showed general increases to 70 kg N/ha with significant lodging at higher nitrogen levels in both rye and triticale. For all genotypes, thousand grain weight decreased with increasing level of nitrogen supply while grain and straw nitrogen increased up to levels of 140 and 105 kg N/ha, respectively. Nitrogen supply had little effect on maturity, plants at 0 and 140 kg N/ha reaching anthesis less than a day apart. The lack of a significant nitrogen x genotype interaction in nearly all the data suggests that the triticale does not differ in its nitrogen nutrition from the traditional cereals. Triticale consistently outyielded the other cereals in total dry matter production followed by the rye, wheat and barley in that order. Grain yield was highest in the wheat and least in the rye, the latter also being the least responsive to nitrogen. The advantage of the triticale lay in its high grain protein and lysine content combined with good yield.