SKIP-ROW AND EQUIDISTANT-ROW BARLEY WITH NITROGEN PLACEMENT - YIELD, NITROGEN UPTAKE, AND ROOT DENSITY

Small grain management strategies are sought in the subarctic that imp rove the plant growing environment and maximize production. This study assessed whether seed-row configuration and N fertilizer placement co uld alter growth and yield of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in the subar ctic. Row spacing and N placement treatments established at Fairbanks, AK, during 1987 through 1989 consisted of equidistant-row planting (0 .18-m equidistant seed rows) with N banded between alternate rows or b roadcast and incorporated, and skip-row planting (skipping every third row of equidistant rows) with N banded between the two closely spaced rows or broadcast and incorporated. Plant characteristics evaluated i ncluded tiller and head density, straw and grain yield, N uptake, leaf area, and root length density. Soil core samples were extracted to ap proximately 1 m in the mid-interrow position near anthesis to determin e root length density by the line intersect method. Tiller density was the primary yield component differing among treatments. Equidistant-r ow barley had more tillers which resulted in a higher head density, 40 % higher leaf area, and higher grain and straw yields than skip-row ba rley. Rooting in the top 0.1 m or soil was more proliferous where N fe rtilizer was banded rather than broadcast, but total N uptake was not different among treatments. This study indicated that growth and yield of barley in the subarctic were favored by equidistant-row planting w ith either banded or broadcast N applications.