Return to Fertility

Broadcast Versus With-Seed Fertilizer for Spring Barley

Dave Olson
with Stewart Wuest

Objective

Compare total fertilizer applied with seed versus broadcast fertilizer for spring grain.

Location: Fairfield, WA
Annual precipitation: 20 inches
Rotation: 1991 spring barley; 1992 spring barley; 1993 winter barley

Treatments

Broadcast
- broadcast dry fertilizer: 225 lb 30-0-0-6
- incorporate with field cultivator, work up "good" seedbed
- seed approximately 1.5 bu/ac

Total fertilizer with seed
- prepare "conventional" seedbed with field cultivator
- seed 1.5 bu/ac, 240 lb/ac 30-0-0-6 with seed

Comments

The barley variety was Steptoe. Planting was 17 May 94. The amount of N applied differed slightly between treatments. Broadcast treatment was with 45' Barber spreader at 67.5 lb N/ac. With-seed treatment used the 1206 Haybuster drill's starter fertilizer boxes adjusted up to 72 lb N/ac. There were no differences observed between treatments during the growing season. Plots were 300 ft long and a strip 36 ft wide was taken at harvest.

Data

**Barley yields**, lb/ac.
Treatment	Rep 1	Rep 2	Rep 3	Average
Broadcast	741	1162	777	893a
With-seed	1276	1421	895	1197a
LSD (5%)				527
CV				14%

Conclusion

The low yield in the Rep 1, broadcast treatment may be an error, as that plot didn't appear to have problems compared to its neighboring plot that would cause a 40% yield reduction. All "with-the-seed" treatments showed a yield increase over broadcast treatments, but the statistics and question concerning Rep 1 indicate we can't conclude "with the seed" definitely yielded more.

Contact us: Hans Kok, (208)885-5971 | Accessibility | Copyright | Policies | WebStats | STEEP Acknowledgement
Hans Kok, WSU/UI Extension Conservation Tillage Specialist, UI Ag Science 231, PO Box 442339, Moscow, ID 83844 USA Redesigned by Leila Styer, CAHE Computer Resource Unit; Maintained by Debbie Marsh, Dept. of Crop & Soil Sciences, WSU