Contents of mineral elements in Finnish cereal straw

Straw samples were collected in three consecutive years from 6 spring wheat, 26 barley and 9 oat plots fertilized normally. The plots were situated throughout Finland. P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn, B, Mo, Se and Cd as well as in a more limited material Co, Cr, Ni and Pb were determined. The contents were in the range of contents published abroad under different conditions. Applying a salt mixture containing various elements in the first year did not in general markedly raise their contents in straw. The samples were also taken from 6 field experiments where the effects of applying different elements in salt mixtures as well as that of the usual NPK fertilization on the mineral element composition of grain and straw were studied. NPK fertilizer did not change the composition markedly. Neither did it the direct application of elements to the soil