The effects of several husbandry factors on the growth and yield of winter-sown barley at four sites in each of three years

Abstract

SummaryExperiments testing the effects of variety, sowing date, seed rate, amount and time of application of nitrogenous fertilizer in the spring, application of nitrogenous fertilizerin the autumn and disease control at four sites in the north of England in 1980, 1981 and 1982 are described and the results are discussed.The siting of the experiments and the seasons had important effects on grain yield and influenced the response to the total amount of nitrogen used and to disease control. The other husbandry factors produced more consistent effects. The choice of variety and drilling date had thegreatest influence on yield. The responses to the different seed rates, to the method of applying nitrogenous fertilizer and to autumn-applied nitrogen were smaller. The effects were additive.It is argued that differences in the efficiency of light interception by the foliage affects grain yield; that light interception may be influenced by the state of the foliage at the start of the period of rapid growth from April onwards; and that site, season and husbandry all affect the development of the crop up to that point.