Wheat and barley response to nitrogen fertilization at Safford Agricultural Center, 2001-02

Abstract

This study is a follow-up on a study initiated three years ago with an emphasis on the timing of application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer. The times targeted in this study were: at planting, at initiation of growth and at boot stage. A nitrogen starter fertilizer at planting increased yields over 100 pounds of grain per acre for both wheat and barley compared with plots which did not receive the added nitrogen at planting. No difference was seen between applying 46 or 92 pounds of N per acre as a starter fertilizer. Amount of N added at boot stage seemed to increase barley yields slightly but had no effect on wheat yield nor protein content. An economic analysis is included to show the profitability of nitrogen applications.