Fertilización foliar con cobre : ¿Aumenta el contenido proteico de los granos en cebada cervcera?

119-124Symptoms of copper (Cu) deficiencies in wheat and barley crops have been observed in the areas around Junin, Province of Buenos Aires. Yield responses to Cu fertilization in wheat and barley crops have been observed in different regions of the world, but increases in grain protein content as an effect of Cu fertilization have not been frequently observed. Responses to Cu fertilization in grain crops of the Argentine Pampas have never been reported. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Cu foliar fertilization during spiking or late grain filling on yield and grain protein content in malting barley crops. In an exploratory way, two experiments were conducted during 2007 and 2008 consisting of paired strips without replications. In 2007, grain protein content increased nearly 1 percent as an effect of Cu fertilization. However,no significant protein increases were detected in 2008. During 2009, an experiment was conducted in an alkaline soil. The five treatments included two Cu chelate rates (62 and 125 g Cu ha-1) applied at two different times (spike emergence and late filling) and a control. No significant treatment effects were observed on yields while acceptable yields were reached (3780 kg ha-1). Cu fertilization increased grain protein content nearly 1 percent. There were no significant differences between the two fertilization times. During 2010, an experiment was conducted in order to evaluate the interaction between Cu and nitrogen fertilization. No significant effects of Cu fertilization on yield or grain protein content were detected. A positive effect of Cu fertilization on grain protein content was observed in the two experiments with the highest yields