The results of this study support the practice of not applying nitrogen at planting time even if the soil N level is low. Highest yields were obtained if the nitrogen that would have been applied at planting time was applied at the 5-leaf stage in addition to the N that would normally be applied at this time. If the preplant N application is skipped, the crop nitrogen status must be monitored carefully and N fertilizer should be applied by the 5-leaf stage to avoid a yield reduction. If a large amount of N is applied at the 5-leaf stage, lodging may be encouraged.

Phosphorus fertilizer represents a significant portion of the cost of producing small grains. Some evidence exists that there are differences in the ability of small grain varieties to take phosphorus up from the soil and utilize this nutrient in the grain. The objective of this study is to determine if barley and wheat varieties grown in Arizona differ in their response to phosphorus fertilizer. A study was initiated at the Maricopa Agricultural Center testing the response of 7 barley and 13 wheat (12 durum wheat and 1 bread wheat) varieties to 2 phosphorus rates (0 and 100 lbs P2O5/acre). The grain yield increase due to phosphorus application averaged across varieties was 474 lbs/acre for barley and 613 lbs/acre for wheat. The barley varieties differed in their grain yield increase due to phosphorus fertilizer and the greatest increase for the commercial varieties tested was 906 lbs and the smallest increase was 245 lbs. We have no statistical evidence that wheat varieties differed in their response to phosphorus fertilizer. The lack of response to phosphorus fertilizer for a particular variety may save production costs if the fertilizer is not applied, but a significant response to phosphorus fertilizer may pay for the fertilizer cost and increase profits. In this study, the higher yielding varieties tended to have a greater response to phosphorus fertilizer, particularly for the barley. This test will be repeated in 2010 to see if the results obtained this year can be duplicated.

Phosphorus fertilizer represents a significant portion of the cost of producing small grains. Some evidence exists that there are differences in the ability of small grain varieties to take phosphorus up from the soil and utilize this nutrient in the grain. The objective of this study is to determine if barley and wheat varieties grown in Arizona differ in their response to phosphorus fertilizer. A study was conducted for the second year at the Maricopa Agricultural Center testing the response of 7 barley and 14 wheat (12 durum wheat and 2 bread wheat) varieties to 2 phosphorus rates (0 and 100 lbs P₂O₅/acre). The grain yield increase due to phosphorus application averaged across varieties in 2010 was 170 lbs/acre for barley (not statistically significant) and 545 lbs/acre for wheat. The grain yield increase averaged across varieties and years was 331 lbs/acre for barley and 577 lbs/acre for wheat. The barley and wheat varieties did not differ in their grain yield increase due to phosphorus fertilizer in 2010. However, based on 2 years of results, we were able to detect differences among wheat but not barley varieties in their response to P fertilizer. The yield response to P fertilizer (100 lbs P₂O₅/acre) among durum wheat varieties varied from 331 lbs/acre for Alamo to 1063 lbs/acre for Orita. Yecora rojo, a bread wheat, did not respond to P fertilizer.

No description available.

Durum grain quality is affected by many factors, but water and nitrogen are factors that the grower can control. The purpose of this research was to determine 1) the nitrogen application rate required at pollen shed to maintain adequate grain protein levels if irrigation is excessive or deficient during grain fill and 2) if nitrogen applications during grain fill can elevate grain protein. Field research was conducted at the Maricopa Agricultural Center using the durum varieties Duraking, Minos, and Turbo. The field was treated uniformly until pollen shed when nitrogen was applied at rates of 0, 30, and 60 lbs /acre. During grain fill, the plots were irrigated based on 30, 50, or 70% moisture depletion. In a separate experiment, nitrogen fertilizer was applied at a rate of 30 lbs N /acre at pollen shed only, pollen shed and the first irrigation after pollen shed, and pollen shed and the first and second irrigation after pollen shed. Increased irrigation frequency during grain fill decreased HVAC from 93 to 81%. Increasing nitrogen rate at pollen shed from 0 to 30 and 30 to 60 lbs N /acre increased protein from 11.6 to 12.5% and 12.5 to 13.3% and increased HVAC from 79 to 89% and 89 to 94 %. Nitrogen fertilizer application at the first irrigation after pollen shed increased grain protein content from 12.9 to 13.6% and application at the first and second irrigation after pollen shed increased grain protein content further to 14.1% averaged over varieties. Nitrogen fertilizer application during grain fill may not be too late to increase grain protein content.

Research conducted recently suggested that application of nitrogen fertilizer from flowering until the dough stage could increase grain protein concentration in durum even if nitrogen applications earlier in the season were adequate for optimum yield. We tested the ability of late season nitrogen application to increase protein at commercial farms in Buckeye, Casa Grande, and Vicksburg. Late season nitrogen increased protein by nearly two percentage points in two out of the three locations. No response was measured at the third location possibly due to high rates or nitrogen earlier in the season. The cost of the late season fertilizer at 35 to 50 lbs N /acre was about $15 /acre. The fertilizer was paid for at the two location where a response was obtained by 1) the slight yield increase of 310 lbs /acre which was worth about $23 /acre and 2) the difference in dockage or premiums paid for protein which was worth about $38 /acre. It is possible that lower stem nitrate levels could be used to determine whether or late applications of nitrogen will increase protein, but we currently do not have a method to determine if protein will be over the critical level of 13% or if HVAC will be over the critical level of 90 %.

Nitrate content of the lower stem tissue of small grains is used as a guideline for nitrogen fertilization. The turnaround time for nitrate analysis in a commercial lab is usually 1 to 3 days. Nitrate quick tests have been suggested as a means of obtaining results on a more timely basis. The quick tests analyze nitrate in the sap or juice squeezed out of the tissue. A nitrate test conducted by a commercial lab is performed on the dried and ground tissue. In this study, I found that the quick tests on plant sap are not as accurate as conventional tests on dried tissue since the moisture content of the fresh plant tissue varies depending on its nitrate content and the growth stage of the plant. We compared the following quick test methods: nitrate test strips, a colorimetric procedure, and a hand held nitrate electrode. Nitrate test strips were not sensitive enough to be useful and were difficult to compare to the color charts. An electronic strip reader could alleviate this difficulty and make the strips a viable option. Colorimetric procedures, or those that rely on nitrate producing a colored solution with certain chemicals added, are not adapted to analyzing plant sap since the green color and organics in the sap interfer with the color produced by the nitrate. The hand held nitrate electrode, or Cardi meter, was the simplest and most accurate method we experimented tested. Quick tests for nitrate in the sap have the following disadvantages: 1) It is not easy to squeeze the sap out of the plant tissue, 2) The sap needs to be diluted to fit into the analytical range of the test, and 3) The moisture content of the tissue needs to be accounted for somehow for the results to be most accurate.

Soil tests were developed in the 1930's as a guideline for phosphorus fertilizer application. The phosphorus soil test for the calcareous soils in the Western U.S. is based on bicarbonate extraction and is often called the Olsen P method. Phosphorus fertilizer recommendations for small grains based on this test are remarkably similar across the Western states. Despite the availability of this test, its proven accuracy (93% in California), and its low cost ($1 /acre), most farmers in Arizona apply phosphorus fertilizer to their small grains crops without the benefit of a preplant soil test. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the soil test in predicting a response to phosphorus fertilizer. At Maricopa, the soil test P was 8.1 ppm, a variable response to P fertilizer was expected, and a variable response to P fertilizer was obtained. We were able to detect a response to P fertilizer at this site with only 1 out of 4 varieties, and the response averaged across varieties was 336 lbs /acre or a 6% increase. No response to P fertilizer was obtained on a commercial farm in Buckeye where the soil test P was 22 ppm and a response was not expected. At the Yuma-Mesa site, the preplant P level was also 22 ppm, and a yield increase of29% (1442 lbs /acre) was measured on barley even though a response was not expected. The soil on the Yuma -Mesa is 95% sand and perhaps the soil test for P needs to be adjusted for this soil type, but at the other sites tested, the current soil test recommendations for P seem to be accurate.

Bread wheat and barley were seeded in low phosphorus soils which had had varying rates of ammonium phosphate-sulfate (16-20-0) applied. Statistical increases in yield were seen in the wheat study. The increased bottom line with the lowest rate of phosphorus declined as rates of phosphorus increased. Low crop values and high fertilizer costs made high application rates uneconomical. Barley yields were not statistically increased with the addition of phosphorus and the economics of applying phosphorus for this crop were negative. A two year summary is included in this report.

Yields of both wheat and barley were increased with the addition of nitrogen and the largest gain was seen when it was applied at the initiation of growth or at boot stage. Effects of applied nitrogen were somewhat masked by the addition of nitrogen through the use of well water. Nitrogen level in the well water added 21 pounds of nitrogen per acre foot of irrigation, adding 48 pounds of nitrogen throughout the growing season. With the low value of grain and the given cost of nitrogen fertilizer, added nitrogen did not increase profitability for the producer.