ISSN: 0041-3216
Tropical Agriculture
ISSN: 0041-3216
(Online), 0041-3216 (Print)
Volume 80 Number 3
Research Papers
Fertilizer N effects on yield and grain quality of durum wheat. (146)
Five durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) varieties were evaluated for grain yield (GY), vitreous kernels count (VKC), grain protein content (GP), 1000-kernel weight (TKW), and test weight (TW) at two locations (Akaki and Debre Zeit) under five N levels (0, 30, 60, 90. and 120 kg ha-1). Significant differences between varieties and N levels were observed for grain yield at both locations. At Akaki, N fertilization resulted in a significantly linear response with GY advantages of 26.4, 45.5, 52.2, and 56.2% over the control for the respective applications of 30, 60, 90, and 120 kg ha-1. At Debre Zeit, the highest N level, 120 kg N ha-1, gave significantly higher GP than the other treatments, followed by 30 and 0 kg N ha-1 treatments; however, no significant difference was observed between 60, 90, and 120 kg N ha-1 treatments. The effect of fertilizer levels was location-specific for all grain quality traits except TKW, while VKC, GP, and TW were affected by N levels only at Debre Zeit. With regard to varieties, Tob 66 gave the highest VKC, while for GP all varieties except Foka were significantly higher than Kilinto. A significant and positive correlation was also observed between VKC and GP (r = 0.519, P < 0.01). It appeared that selection of appropriate location, variety, and management practices are necessary for the production of high quality durum wheat.
Keywords: Durum wheat; Triticum turgidum L. var. durum- Vitreous kernel count; Grain protein content; Test weight; 1000-Kernel weight