Early effect of clinoptilolite on yield and quality of oat (Avena sativa L.)

Abstract

The effects of 0 (control), 1, 4 and 8 t ha-1 doses of natural clinoptilolite on the yield and quality of oat were evaluated. The experiment was carried out in a triplicate split-plot system on brown pseudopodzolic soil, with N fertilization applied on all plots. For comparison, standard NPK fertilization was applied on extra plots. As compared to the control variant, the highest dose of zeolite significantly influenced the plant density per 1 m2, the number of grains in the panicle, and the length of both the straw and the panicle, thus increasing the yield per hectare. The NPK had a greater effect on yield whereas no effect was found of either NPK or zeolite on the quality of the grain.