The influence of organic (chicken poultry litter)‎ and mineral N-fertilizer on barely crop (hordeum vulgare L.)‎ biomass and grain yield under Thi-Qar Environments

Abstract EN

The importance of forage crops to feed the cattle and need to use the nutrition in soil, but its yields still under the ambitious to increase the yield of biomass to feed the livestock.

Likewise, the compromising in using the chemical fertilizer, especially the nitrogen lead to loss in many tons of urea and environmental impact.

Thus, the current study carried out at the field of Thi-Qar province during the growing season 2014-2015.

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of applying the chicken poultry litter and urea as N-fertilizer source on barely biomass and grain yield.

This experiment included three treatments; zero fertilizer, recommended nitrogen fertilizer with a rate of 180 kg ha-1 of urea, and solid poultry litter (PL) in which it broadcasted depending upon nitrogen availability and the recommended nitrogen fertilizer.

Treatments arranged in Random Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications.

Result showed that the mid-season-sensor at Feekes 5 was highly correlated with adding N fertilizer as urea or PL by 80% and 86% for grain and forage yield respectively to estimate the in-season estimate yield (INSEY) of grain and forage yield.

Furthermore, response index (RI) ) of grain yield respectively was 1.226 to 1.386 for urea and PL in a given year.

Biomass yield was significantly affected by the treatment, and the final biomass yield was 1113 and 1178 g m-2 of urea and PL respectively.

Likewise, the grain yield was 329 and 371 g m-2 of urea and PL respectively.

Thus, PL can be used as an N-fertilizer source to produce the highest yield of biomass and grain compared to urea.