Soil cultivation and its effect on grain yield and grain quality parameters in spring barley

The object of study was to check an influence of ways of tillage on the grain yield and the grain quality parameters of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in given soil-climatic conditions. The trial was established in the years 2003-2005 in the maize growing area in central part of the East-Slovak Lowland on gleyic Fluvisol (locality Milhostov). The territory has continental character of climate with average precipitation for year 559 mm, for vegetation period 348 mm, and with average daily temperature for year 8.9 degree C, for vegetation period 16.0 degree C. The field treatments with spring barley variety Expres were realized in natural conditions without irrigation with three soil tillage technologies: conv. - conventional tillage - mean ploughing was done after maize harvesting and pre-sowing soil treatment was made using block of machine (smoothing harrow and heavy-duty harrow), after harrowing sowing was done with sowing machine Great Plains (fi Manufacturing, Assaria, Cansas, USA); min. - reduced cultivation - shallow soil cultivation was done sweep plough-harrow after forecrop harvesting, pre-sowing soil treatment was made using block of machine (smoothing harrow and heavy-duty harrow) and sowing was done with sowing machine Great Plains; dir. - no-tillage technology - direct sowing without soil cultivation with sowing machine Great Plains. Stands were fertilized with nitrogen (amount 15 kg per hectare), which was aplicated before sowing. Saltpeter ammonia-calcium was used (27% of nitrogen). Potassium and phosphorus fertilizers were not used. All variants were made in four repetotions, field area was 414 square m (18 x 23 m). Seed rate was the same in all variants - 4.5 million of germinatable grains per hectare at row spacing 175 mm. Grain samples were sampled during combining and were used for laboratory analysis. Influence of observed factors on the grain yield and grain quality parameters is estimating by multifactor analysis of variance and differences are tested by LSD test with Stat-graphics program. It is consequential from the results that soil cultivation effect was significant and highly influenced on grain yield, grain starch content and influenced on one-thousand grain weight. The best grain yield, content of crude protein and content of starch was found at conventional cultivation using, comparing to soil protective technologies. Sowing without soil cultivation (no-till) had positive effect on content of crude protein in barley grains (level of crude protein was the same in each years of cultivation). The weather within experimental years had determining share in content of crude protein and one-thousand grain weight variability of spring barley.