Dorota Wichrowska

Concentrations of some chemical components in white asparagus spears depending on the cultivar and post-harvest irrigation treatments

Abstract The effect of post-harvest irrigation and genotype on the quality components of white asparagus spears was investigated. The field experiment was conducted in 2003-2008 on a very light soil in the Bydgoszcz region. The research was based on a two-factorial split-plot design with randomly selected sub-main blocks. The first studied factor was irrigation applied as two treatments: drip irrigation and microsprinkler irrigation. Non-irrigated plants were tested as the control. The second factor considered was genotype represented by three male cultivars of the garden asparagus: ‘Gijnlim’, ‘Ramos’ and ‘Vulkan’. The irrigation started after the harvest of the spears, while the concentrations of chemical ingredients were measured in the white spears collected in the next growing period. The level of the tested components was significantly influenced by both factors studied. The average amounts of dry matter, potassium, iron and nitrates measured in the white spears were 6.37%, 268.9 mg 100 g−1 f.m., 0.29 mg 100 g−1 f.m. and 62.1 mg kg−1 f.m., respectively. Compared to the control, both irrigation treatments considerably increased the dry matter and potassium contents. The irrigation reduced the amount of nitrates, although the microsprinkler irrigation gave better results than the drip irrigation. The highest concentrations of potassium and iron were measured in the spears of ‘Ramos’, especially in the case of drip-irrigated (potassium) and non-irrigated (iron) plants. The amount of dry matter was high in the spears of ‘Ramos’, while ‘Vulkan’ presented a low tendency to accumulate nitrates.

Respone of spring barley to NPK and S fertilisation: yielding, the content of protein and the accumulation of mineral nutrients

Barley is a cereal of great importance in the crop structure both in Europe and globally. The nutritional value of barley grain is largely shaped by agronomic factors, in particular by fertilisation, which can have a significant impact on the content of individual elements and their quantitative interrelations in grain. The aim of the research was to evaluate yielding, the content of protein and the accumulation of mineral nutrients by the grain of spring barley grown exposed to varied NPK and S fertilisation. The study was based on a three-factor field experiment in a randomised split-plot design with 3 replications. The 1st order factor (A) was fertilisation with nitrogen (n = 3): N1 – 40 kg ha-1, N2 – 80 kg ha-1, N3 – 120 kg ha-1. The 2nd order factor (B) was fertilisation with phosphorus and potassium (n = 2): P1 K1 – 30 kg P ha-1, 80 kg K ha-1; P2K2 – 45 kg P ha-1, 120 kg K ha-1. The 3rd order factor (C) was fertilisation with sulphur (n = 2): S0 – 0 kg ha-1 and S1 – 23 kg ha-1. The study showed that the application of 80 and 120 kg N ha-1 resulted in obtaining a significantly higher grain yield of spring barley and, usually, a higher grain protein content than did the application of 40 kg N ha-1. The increase in yield effected by sulphur fertilisation was significant in relation to the objects without sulphur fertilisation. The highest accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium was found following fertilisation with a dose of 80 kg N ha-1, as compared with the accumulation with grain from the experimental variant with the application of 40 kg N ha-1. As a result of sulphur application, considerably more nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium was obtained in the grain Wojciech Kozera, PhD, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, University of Science and Technology, Seminaryjna 5, 85-326 Bydgoszcz, Poland, e-mail: kozera@utp.edu.pl * The publication was supported by the project “Development of Stage 2 of Regional Centre for Innovativeness” approved by the European Fund for Regional Development within the framework of the Regional Operational Programme of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship for 2007-2013.