Summary:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects and interaction of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization on the shape of the quantity and quality of grain yield of malting barley cultivar 'Signora' cultivated on sandy soil with the concise undersoil. Field experiment was carried out in the years 2013-2014 on the experimental field of the Department of Land Reclamation and Agrometeorology UTP, located in Mochełek near Bydgoszcz. During the study period there were average needs of irrigation in barley, mainly due to the uneven distribution of rainfall in the studied growing seasons. Seasonal irrigation dose averaged 72.5 mm. The research focused on grain quality that affects its suitability for malting. It was found that irrigation resulted in a significant increase in grain yield, although the effectiveness of this treatment per unit was lower than those achieved in previous experiments with other cultivars. Barley grain derived from irrigated plots contained significantly less protein and had better indicators of malting, compared to the grains of plants not irrigated. The optimal dose of nitrogen in both the irrigation conditions and the non-irrigated was 30 kg.ha-1. Admittedly, application of top-dressing (variant N3) significantly increased the yield, especially within irrigation variants, but the grain had the lowest usefulness for malting.