Influence of nitrogen supply on spring barley productivity and nitrate reductase activity

The aim of the present study was to obtain some informations on the productivity of four chosen barley varieties growing at low and high nitrogen level. Some parameters of the yield structure and nitrate reductase activity were taken into consideration. It was found that there exist some differences in the yield between the compared varieties and some differences in their reaction to a high N level in the soil. The grain yield increase of the plants treated with high nitrogen doses was above all the result of the increase in dry matter of the lateral shoots and in leaf area. Distinct increase in the number of grains per ear and 1000-grains weight was also observed. The amount of reduced nitrogen collected during the growth season depended, in part, on the nitrate reductase activity and in part on the amount of the enzyme present in the plant. A rise of the nitrogen level caused an increase in nitrate reductase activity, in all varieties. The different influence of nitrogen on the growth of green organs in the compared varieties caused differences in the amount of the enzyme present in the plants and in protein yields.