THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT NITROGENOUS FERTILIZERS AND FOLIAR-APPLIEDSULFUR ON THE YIELD, GRAIN NITROGEN AND SCREENINGS OF SPRING MALTING BARLEY

Nine experiments were conducted on three different soil types in the s outh-east of Ireland over a three-year period to examine the effect of six commercially-available nitrogenous fertilisers (some containing s ulphur) and foliar-applied sulphur on the grain yield and quality, ex- farm, of spring-sown Blenheim malting barley. Five of the N fertiliser s (calcium ammonium nitrate, Super Net, Chilian nitrate of soda, ammon ium sulphate nitrate and 18.6.12 NPK compound) applied at the same rat e of N (100kg/ha) gave similar yields and grain N levels. Urea, even w hen worked into the soil at sowing time, gave significant yield reduct ions in six of the experiments when compared with the other five N sou rces. The urea-treated plots gave significantly lower grain N levels i n only one of the experiments. The type of N fertiliser had little or no effect on the amount of grain screenings. The sulphur-containing ni trogenous fertilisers, Super Net and ammonium sulphate nitrate, gave s ignificantly greater yields than the non-sulphur-containing calcium am monium sulphate (CAN) in two of die three experiments on the light-tex tured sandy soil only, but had no effect on grain N or grain size. Fol iar-applied sulphur had little effect on grain yield or quality.