Barley nutrient composition

A ready reckoner for the amount of N, P and K removed by certain representative crops is shown in Table 5.2. The requirement for P and K may be expressed in terms of the element rather than the oxide (P205 or K20). P205 contains 0.43 units of P K20 contains 0.83 units of K. The depletion of N, P and K from the grain of wheat, barley and oats is pro rata for yield, but the nutrient composition of the straw is different, oat straw containing very much more potassium than wheat or barley straw. Potatoes and kale are very much more exhaustive of N and K than the cereal crops. 

The use of many varieties and crosses to improve yield and grain quality in triticale as well as adaptation to local conditions has resulted in a variation in nutrient composition. The protein content of newer varieties is in the range of 95-132g/kg, similar to that of wheat (Briggs, 2002 Stacey et al, 2003) Typical lysine contents (g/kg) reported by Hede (2001) from work in Mexico and Ecuador are triticale 50.4, barley 29.4, wheat 43.0 and maize 22.7. 

Malting and milling of barley yield a variety of products which differ widely in their nutrient compositions. Food Composition Table F-21 gives nutrient data for selected barley products. 

Table 1 Composition of the nutrient medium for Pd exposure studies of barley plants...

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