Influence of sprinkler irrigation and nitrogen fertilization on the quality of malt and wort from barley grains

The aim of the research was the evaluation of sprinkler irrigation and nitrogen fertilization on some selected features of the quality of malt and wort from ‘Marthe’ and ‘Mauritia’ malting barley grains. The field experiment was carried out in the years 2010-2012 at the Research Station of the University of Science and Technology in Mochełek near Bydgoszcz. As a result of 3-year field experiment and laboratory test of grain, malt and wort, it was found that introducing sprinkler irrigation into the production process of malting barley is a step justified by the obtained quality effects. It was found that in the case of irrigated malting barley cultivations nitrogen fertilization at the rate of 30 kg·ha-1 provides (in relation to control, non-irrigated treatment) the highest values of such parameters as weight of the technical barley crops, content of protein, extractivity of Pilsen type malt, amount of obtained wort and simplified mashing efficiency. The combination of sprinkler irrigation of malting barley plants with their nitrogen fertilization at the increased rates of 60 and 90 kg·ha-1, resulted in the following effect – high mass of the usable grain of crops remained but their quality deteriorated. Malt produced from malting barley fertilized with nitrogen at the rates of 60 and 90 kg·ha-1, in spite of applied sprinkler irrigation, was characterized by unacceptable – from the technological point of view - increased content of protein in malt in the amount of over 11.5% d.m., as well as huge decrease in malt extractivity (even by 2%) and lower, simplified mashing efficiency (below 70%).

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Opracowanie rekordu w ramach umowy 509/P-DUN/2018 ze środków MNiSW przeznaczonych na działalność upowszechniającą naukę (2018).