Influence of soil type on barley yield

Abstract

The effect of different soils on barley yields and nitrogen content of grain was assessed from spring sown crops. A paddock sown in barley in October 1975 was found to contain several soils. Plots were located on the different soils from which yield and N% of the grain were measured. The investigation was repeated in a different paddock in 1976, again under dryland management conditions. A deep, well drained Templeton soil and a deep, imperfectly drained Wakanui soil gave highest yields, followed by a moderately deep, well drained Templeton soil which yielded more than a shallow, well to somewhat excessively drained Eyre soil. Mean N% figures provided a qualitative assessment of the grain. Significant differences were found only in the 1975–76 crop, where grain from the Eyre soil had a higher nitrogen content.