Fertiliser nitrogen (N) is a key input for winter and spring barley in terms of grain yield and grain quality and, particularly in the case of malting barley, in terms of market suitability.

There is increasing focus on N use within arable agriculture, both in terms of its significant contribution to the carbon footprint of grain and in terms of potential loss of N by leaching where N is used inefficiently by the crop.

Efficient use of applied fertiliser N by crops is therefore very important and there is ongoing work within Teagasc to try to make fertiliser N use by crops as efficient as possible.

Achieving efficient N use can be achieved using the four R principles:

  • Right fertiliser.
  • Right rate.
  • Right time.
  • Right placement.

    • Work on fertiliser N inputs to barley has focused on trying to generate information as to what is the right fertiliser, rate time and placement.

    Plots on display at the open day will allow growers to decide for themselves the answers to some of these questions.

    For winter barley, a key question that comes up every year is when the first fertiliser N should be applied to the crop.

    At the open day, there will be plots of winter barley on display where the first fertiliser N was applied in late February side by side with plots that got their first fertiliser N in mid-March or early April, allowing growers to evaluate for themselves the differences between the different starting dates.

    Comparison

    There will also be plots receiving all their fertiliser N in the form of either CAN, urea or protected urea, which can be compared side by side.

    There will be plots where digestate was used to provide a portion of the N requirement of barley, as well as some plots where foliar urea was used to supplement soil-applied CAN.

    For spring barley, there will be plots where all the fertiliser N was applied as protected urea side by side with plots receiving all their N as either CAN or unprotected urea.

    You can see research into nitrogen timings and products on winter and spring barley.

    In addition, there will be plots where all the fertiliser N was applied at sowing compared with plots where N was applied according to normal recommendation of applying some at sowing and the remainder during the tillering stage of the barley.

    There will be some interesting plots where a high amount of unprotected urea was put down with the seed in comparison to where the same amount was put down as protected urea with visual differences evident.