Yield and Quality Response of Malt Barley (Hordium Dischiton L.) to Applied Levels of N Fertilizer and Seed Sources on Luvisol of Farta District South Gonder Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of seed sources and rate of nitrogen fertilizer on yield and quality of malt barley (Hordium dischiton L.) and to determine agronomically optimum level of nitrogen (N) and seed sources at Farta District. Factorial combination of four levels of N (0, 70, 110, and 150 kg N ha^-1), and three seed sources seed from local farmer (LFM seed), seed from local seed business farmer (LSB) and seed from Amhara seed enterprise (ASE) were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Phenological traits, quality parameters and yield were taken as experimental variables and analyzed using SAS software. The result showed that 100-seed weight, straw yield, biomass yield and grain yield were significantly affected by different rates of N application (p≤0.005). As laboratory experiment indicates, there were significant effects in seed moisture content from the main and interaction effect of seed sources and nitrogen fertilizer rates (p≤0.001). The main effects of seed sources (LFM, LSB and ASE) had 11.6%, 11.59% and 12.5% of protein content respectively. Protein contents were significantly higher in higher nitrogen fertilizer rates than the control (p ≤ 0.05). Nitrogen fertilizer rates resulted in linear responses with mean protein contents of 9.15%, 11.6% and 12.14%, from 0, 70, 110 and 150 rates, respectively. Germination percentage was significantly affected by seed sources; rates of N fertilizer application and their interactions. In this study (2763.96, 6625 kg/ha) of grain and total above gowned yield respectively and quality of malting barley were significantly improved when using 150 kg of N rates. Overall, the use of ASE seed and 150 kg of N fertilizer rate may maintain satisfactory crop yield and protein content, reduce the costs of production, and therefore increase profitability and improve soil fertility.

Keywords: seed, quality, protein content, sources, malt barley.