Joint International Conference on Long-term Experiments ...

YIELD OF RYE AS AFFECTED BY THE CROPYEAR IN THE WESTSIK`S
CROP ROTATION LONG-TERM FIELD EXPERIMENT
István Henzsel – Gyulané Györgyi
University of Debrecen, Centre of Agricultural Sciences,
Research Centre Nyíregyháza
Rye is grown on different types of soils, including sandy soils low in humus, brown
forest soils and on soils with shallow fertile layer, often eroded. Early growth and
tillering is favored by a mild, rainy and long autumn, and a cool, long spring. A critical
period for rye is the time when late frosts occur in May during flowering, accompanied
by cool, rainy days (Kruppa-Szabó, 2005). Cool and rainy weather at flowering may
result in reduced seed set. In case June is too hot, grains will not develop well, which
also results in reduced yield. The best yields can be expected when rainfall is abundant
in May and the weather is cool in June (Szabó, 1992).
The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of the yearly
rainfall and temperature on the yield component of rye under different regimes of
organic manure supply.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted in the Westsik’s crop rotation long-term field experiment
located at the Nyíregyháza Research Center of the University of Debrecen. The crop
rotation experiment was established by Vilmos Westsik in 1929 with the overall
objective to improve the fertility of sandy soils. The crop rotation experiment offers
possibility to study different regimes of organic matter supply. The experiment consists
of 14 rotation-treatments of three-year-cycle and one treatment of four-year-cycle.
The soil of the experiment is a loose sandy soil, slightly acid, low in O.M. This
study was conducted in four rotation regimes including one with no nutrient supply, one
with straw manure treatment, one with farmyard manure treatment, and one with a
second crop green manure treatment.
The design of the selected treatments is as follows:
Sand-improvement with the periodical use of fallow (I):
Crop 1: fallow (weeds are ploughed under before flowering)
Crop 2: rye without fertilization
Crop 3: potato without fertilization
Sand-improvement with fermented straw manure (V):
Crop 1: rye with N, P and K fertilizers after the application of straw manure
fermented with calcium-ammonium-nitrate
Crop 2: potato with N, P and K fertilization
Crop 3: rye without fertilization
Sand-improvement with farmyard manure (XI):
Crop 1: fodder crop with farmyard manure, P and K fertilization
Crop 2: rye with P and K fertilization
Crop 3: potato with N fertilization
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