Effect of Drought stress and Zinc Foliar Application on fresh biomass yield and Quality of Three Barley Cultivars

• Hadi Jalil Attia1*, Hasan Najem Mansoor 2

  Author

A field experiment was conducted during the two winter seasons of 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 at the experimental field of the Extension Farm in Al-Mahnaweiyah, affiliated with the Agricultural Extension and Training Center in Babylon, located approximately 15 km north of Babylon city. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of water stress and foliar zinc application on the green forage yield and quality of three barley cultivars (Hordeum vulgare L.).                

The experiment was conducted using a RANDOMIZED COMPLETE BLOCK DESIGN  (RCBD) in a split-split plot arrangement with three replications. Water stress was assigned to the main plots at three levels: 100% irrigation applied at 50% depletion of available water (control treatment) (S1), 80% of the irrigation water amount applied in the control treatment (S2), and 65% of the irrigation water amount applied in the control treatment (S3).Foliar zinc application was assigned to the subplots at three levels: 0, 0.4, and 0.8 kg Zn ha⁻¹, whereas the three barley cultivars—Buhuth 244, Ibaa 99, and Ibaa 265—were assigned to the sub-subplots. The results showed that the full irrigation treatment (S1; control) significantly outperformed the other treatments in green forage yield, recording the highest mean values of 32.09 and 35.24 t ha⁻¹ in the first and second seasons, respectively. Foliar application of zinc at 0.8 kg Zn ha⁻¹ also produced the highest mean green forage yields of 28.30 and 31.14 t ha⁻¹, while the cultivar Buhuth 244 recorded the highest values of 26.97 and 29.80 t ha⁻¹ in the two respective seasons. Regarding crude protein content, the full irrigation treatment and the cultivar Buhuth 244 were superior only in the first season, recording 18.17% and 18.36%, respectively. In contrast, foliar application of zinc at 0.8 kg Zn ha⁻¹ resulted in the highest crude protein percentages in both seasons, reaching 18.24% and 24.37%, respectively. For crude fiber content, the severe water-stress treatment S3 produced the highest mean values of 28.70% and 27.39% in the two seasons, respectively. Likewise, zinc application at 0.8 kg Zn ha⁻¹ recorded the highest means of 27.76% and 26.58%. The cultivar Ibaa 265 was superior, with mean values of 27.37% and 26.30% in the first and second seasons, respectively. With respect to plant zinc concentration, the S3 water-stress treatment recorded the highest mean values of 40.18 and 30.88 mg kg⁻¹ in the two seasons, respectively. Foliar zinc application at 0.8 kg Zn ha⁻¹ also achieved the highest mean concentrations of 37.74 and 30.94 mg kg⁻¹. Furthermore, the cultivar Ibaa 265 exhibited the highest zinc concentrations, recording 35.92 and 30.94 mg kg⁻¹ in the first and second seasons, respectively.

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