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Cereal grains often vary sufficiently in protein content or amino acid composition to produce significant growth differences in experimental animals. A study was undertaken to determine the influence of fertilization and cultivar on the nutritional value of wheat. Two relatively unrelated hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, Era and Waldron, were grown during 1977 and 1978 on Heimdal (coarse‐loamy , mixed, thermic Udic Haploborolls) soils in eastern North Dakota. Fertilizer N, P, and K were applied in several combinations to determine if differences would occur in grain protein. Sprague‐Dawley albino rats were fed vitamin and mineral‐fortified grain diets from 11 of the fertility treatments and the two cultivars each year to determine if treatment and cultivar would result in differences in diet consumed, rate of gain, feed per gain, protein efficiency ratio (PER), and protein digestibility coefficient (PDC). In 1977, with relatively high initial available N, additions of fertilizer N increased grain protein 1.6 percentage units and caused highly significant increases in diet consumed and rate of gain, and a decrease in feed per gain; PER and PDC were not affected. In 1978, with low initial available soil N, fertilizer N increased grain protein by 2.1 percentage units, reduced PER and increased PDC values. Adding micronutrients and S to the soil after planting did not affect PER values but significantly improved PDC values. The fact that the grain from the low N treatments and the low residual N site tended to have low protein contents, but higher nutritive value of the protein, tends to support the widely acknowledged inverse lysine‐protein relationship. Improved protein utilization at lower dietary protein levels may also have been a factor in improving PER values.

This study investigated the incorporation of the plant growth promoter Vitazyme as an additional seed‐dressing component to pearl millet, along with a regularly recommended systemic fungicide. Preliminary in vitro examination indicated a significant enhancement in seedling vigor for all of the concentrations tested. Vitazyme seed treatments, alone or in combination with Apron 35SD, resulted in improved field emergence. Yield analyses indicated Vitazyme seed treatment alone or in combination with foliar spray showed yield measurements comparable to Apron 35SD. Furthermore, the combination of seed treatments/foliar applications with Apron 35SD provided the best yield improvement.