Growth, yield and grain quality of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in response to nitrogen uptake: II. Plant development and rate of germination

Abstract

A nutrient culture system supporting stands of barley was used to examine the effect of nitrogen supply on plant development and germination rate. Two contrasting cultivars of barley were grown for two seasons with nitrogen supplied at an optimal rate and at one-third that rate. Mature grain was dissected from ears by grain position; stored until out of dormancy, weighed, and the time from imbibition to germination estimated for different ear positions. A parallel set of samples was analysed for grain nitrogen concentrations. A systematic increase in germination time was observed from the bottom to the top of the ear. This effect was in addition to and of the same order as the effect of grain size on germination time. Although there was significant variation in nitrogen concentration by grain position, these effects were smaller than the variations in grain weight within the ear and were not related to germination rate. These results are discussed in relation to plant development and events at the onset of germination.