Effect of Time of Fertilizer Application on Yield and Quality of Oats and Barley

The level of soil moisture at the time of small grain planting is very often low and many farmers are hesitant to invest in fertilizer for small grain. In May, when the moisture outlook generally improves and when nitrogen deficiency symptoms have appeared in the small grain, farmers are interested in knowing if the application of fertilizer will still give a profitable response. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of the time of application of fertilizer on the yield of small grain and also on the quality as measured by the protein content. A supplementary objective was to compare the effect of tow rates of nitrogen, applied with and without phosphorus, to the grain at three different times. Another supplementary objective was the comparative effect of two carriers of nitrogen applied on the small grain at various dates