Evaluation of the Effect of Organic Fertilizer and Zeolite on Some Quantitative and Qualitative Traits of Dryland Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

A Akbari ¹

A Khourgami ¹

M Rafiei ²

R Mirdrikvand ³

¹ Department of Agronomy, Khor. C., Isamic Azad University, Khorramabad, Iran

² Crop and Horticultural Science Research Department, Lorestan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Khorramabad, Iran

³ Department of Plant Genetic and Breeding, Khor. C., Islamic Azad University, Khorramabad, Iran

10.22067/jcesc.2025.93473.1399

Abstract

Introduction
Cereals, as the most important food group in the world, are a rich source of nutrients including lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins and constitute a major part of human nutrition. Also, cereals contain dietary fiber and bioactive components with beneficial properties for improving health. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the most important cereal crops grown worldwide and is rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. This product is of interest to farmers due to its special chemical composition and health benefits. Sheep manure, as suitable alternatives to chemical fertilizers, supply plant nutrients and contribute to the sustainability of agricultural ecosystems. Zeolite is one of the most commonly minerals used to increase agricultural production. The zeolites, due to their structure and porosity, are well-suited for retaining the nutrients and gradually releasing them into the root zone. Therefore, this research was carried out with the aim evaluation of the effect of organic fertilizer and zeolite on some quantitative and qualitative traits of dryland barley.
Materials and Methods
This experiment was carried out factorially in the form of a basic design of randomized complete blocks in 3 replicationsin 2021-2023 cropping years in the farm of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University Azad, located in Kamalvand section of Khorramabad city. The studied factors included four levels of sheep manure (0, 3, 6 and 9 ton ha^-1) as a source of organic phosphorus and four levels of zeolite (0, 4, 8 and 12 ton ha^-1). The studied farm soil is a loamy clay soil with a high clay content, which has a high ability to retain water and nutrients, but has poorer drainage than loamy soils with a lower clay content. The use of sheep manure as a rich source of organic matter helps improve water retention capacity, soil aeration, permeability, and erosion reduction, and increases soil stability. The traits studied in this experiment included measuring grain yield, number of grain per spike, number of spike m^-2, 100 grains weight, harvest index, grain protein and some nutritional elements in grain and forage ( N, P and K).
Results and Discussion
The results indicated that the application of sheep manure and zeolite at moderate rates improved all measured traits. The highest 1000-grain weight (45.62 g), grain yield (2997.75 kg ha⁻¹), and harvest index (34.28%) were obtained with the application of 3 t ha⁻¹ of sheep manure. In addition, the application of 4 t ha⁻¹ of zeolite, compared with the highest rate (12 t ha⁻¹), increased 1000-grain weight, grain yield, and harvest index by 11%, 22%, and 14%, respectively. The interaction effect of sheep manure x zeolite showed that the highest number of grain per spike (21), the number of spike m^-2 (1069), grain nitrogen (2.05%) and grain protein (11.93%) from the combination of 3 ton ha^-1 of sheep manure and 4 ton ha^-1 of zeolite. Also the most grain phosphorus (0.37 %) and grain potassium (1.78 %) were obtained from the combination of 6 ton ha^-1 of sheep manure and 4 ton ha^-1 of zeolite.
 Conclusion
In general, the results of this study showed that the use of manure and zeolite can increase plant yield. Zeolite acts as a soil conditioner and manure as a source of nutrients, and the combination of the two can improve soil quality, increase nutrient absorption, and ultimately increase plant growth and yield.
Acknowledgement
We would like to express our gratitude to the respected professors and staff of the Agronomy Laboratory of the Faculty of Agriculture, Khorramabad Azad University, for their guidance and assistance throughout the project.

Keywords

Grain yield

Harvest index

Nitrogen

Number of grains per spike

Protein

Subjects

• Crop yield

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Authors retain the copyright. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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