World’s oldest cropNative to Middle EastAncestral form is •winter habit •2-row •hulled

The ancestral state

2-row vs. 6-row

1 gene/30,000 genes

Winter vs.Spring

What is the difference between winter and spring barley, and what the *%^&(+ is a facultative barley? The three growth habit classes of barley are winter, facultative and spring. A winter barley is planted in late fall and is harvested the following summer. A spring barley is planted in the spring and harvested the same summer. If you plant a winter barley in spring, it will not flower, or it will flower too late. If you plant a spring barley in the fall, it will (in many temperate environments) die from low temperature injury. A facultative barley can be planted in the spring or the fall, and it is cold-tolerant. There are three principal physiological traits involved: vernalization sensitivity, photoperiod sensitivity, and low temperature tolerance. Vernalization sensitivity means the plant needs exposure to low temperature before it can flower. Winter barleys are vernalization-sensitive whereas facultative and spring types are not. Photoperiod sensitivity means the plant will not flower until the day length reaches a critical threshold. Many winter barleys, most facultative barleys, and few spring barleys are sensitive to short days. Low temperature tolerance is an induced trait. Winter and facultative barleys are more cold tolerant than spring barleys. Since the traits are controlled by different genes our bets are on photoperiod-sensitive, cold-tolerant facultative varieties.

http://barleyworld.org/FAQ_sheet.php

Hulled vs. Hull-less

The headache of pearls

Malt vs. FeedWhy some varieties are better for making beer than others•Barley malt is the perfect combination of starch, enzymes, flavors, and aromas for brewing, distilling, baked goods, cereals and confections. There are many types of barley malt – from light to dark – but all are variations on two principal themes: germination and kilning. Different end-uses require different malt quality specifications. Some of the principal characteristics used to define malting quality are protein (low, moderate, or high), malt extract (high), enzyme activity (moderate to high), and beta glucan (low). •Feed barley is used as food for animals. Varieties also differ in their feeding properties but unfortunately feed barley is simply sold by the ton. Feed barley prices are often so low that farmers grow other crops - if they can do so. As a consequence, barley’s adaptability to extreme climates makes it an important feed grain only in areas where it is unprofitable to grow (or import) maize. •Hooded barley is a unique type of feed barley that has hoods, rather than awns. These types are usually cut green for hay or silage. The lack of awns allows for easy chewing by the animals.

Malt

Feed

Forage

A rule of thumb is that good malt barley is good feed barley, but not the reverse. In general, malt barley commands a premium over feed barley, but yield less.  Many genes determine malting and feed quality; two genes determine the hooded trait.

http://barleyworld.org/FAQ_sheet.php

Malting barley variety development Grain to Glass 11 – 13 years

2-3

3-4

3

3

Time frame (yrs)

Activity

Breeding and selection; initial agronomic assessment

• Segregating generations• Doubled haploid populations

Preliminary to advanced agronomic testing and micro-malting of samples

from multiple environments

AMBA Pilot Scale Test must be rated satisfactory in 2/3 years of testing

AMBA Plant Scale malting and brewing trials must be rated satisfactory in 3/3 brewing trials

Amount of seed required for one malting quality assessment

Amounts of seed available and scale

0

200 grams

7 kilograms/location2 locations

800 metric tons

0g – 1 kg for breeding program

1 kg – 20 kg for breeding and extension programs

20 kg –100 kg for breeding and extension programs. Initiate large-scale increase of pure seed for commercial scale quality assessment and variety release

Large volumes for on-farm testing and commercial scale malting and brewing

Molecular breeding

Measure meaningful genetic diversity

Measure the traits that matter

Why Barley?

•Diversify • New products• Rotation

•Whole grains in a complete diet •Full spectrum local supply•We have very productive areas for growing barley

Raising barley – from seed to seed

• Variety choice

• Planting

• Management

• Harvest

• Storage

• End uses

Varieties

•Self-pollinated• Breed true

• Variation due to limited cross-pollination, mixture, mutation, breeding method

•Growth habit• Winter, spring, facultative

•Seed source • Certified, farmer-farmer, saved

•Ownership• Public, PVP, licensed, patented

Planting

•How• Broadcast, drill

•Seedbed preparation• Tillage, minimum-tillage, no-

tillage •Seeding rate • Lbs/acre; seeds/square foot

•Seeding date • Growth habit

• Don’t spring-plant a winter• Diseases

• Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus is a problem in early-seeded winters

Management and who to contact at OSUMike Flowers (CSS Extension)

Weeds: Andrew Hulting (CSS Extension)• Companion Crops• Herbicides • Tillage • Mulches

Diseases: Chris Mundt (BPP)• Yield and quality loss

• Stripe rust • Contamination

• Smut• Health hazards

• Ergot• Fusarium Head Blight

• Genetic resistance • Fungicides

Insects: Sujaya Rao (CSS)• Cereal Leaf Beetle

Nutrition:John Hart, Dan Sullivan (CSS)• N,P, K, +, +,+

Harvest

Combine• Plot • Small• Standard

Cutting• Hand tools• Mowers• Binders

Threshing• Abrasion• Mechanical threshers

Cleaning• De-hulling• Removing chaff• Removing other seeds

Storage

•Moisture•Insects•Rodents•Fungi

MarketingProtein, seed weight/size (test weight, plump/thin)

• Malt (extract, enzymes), • Food (beta glucan),• Feed (protein, test weight), • Forage (protein, fiber)

Bringing it all home to Oregon

Maja. Hyslop Farm. Lewisburg, OR 2010

Growth habit, end-use and disease resistance are key considerations for making management decisions and

income projections

Maja. Hyslop Farm. Lewisburg, OR 2010

Growth habit: winter, facultative, and springHighest yields with winter or facultative barley Seeded mid-October and harvested in early July

At least 6,000 lbs per acre and test weights > 50 lbs./bu

Winter breeding nursery. CBARC. Pendleton, OR 2009

Late spring (March/April) plantings of barley will likely yield less than fall plantings and will require irrigation to

achieve maximum yield

Spring breeding nursery. Hyslop Farm, Lewisburg, OR 2010

Facultative varieties: plant any time Late winter/early spring (~ February) seeding of winter,

facultative, or spring varieties is an option for some growers

Spring breeding nursery (foreground) and winter breeding nursery (background). Hyslop Farm. Lewisburg, OR 2010

Principal end-uses are feed, food, forage, and malt

Rogue ale hour. OR 2010

Malting varieties must meet specific quality criteria for malting and brewing

The maltster and brewer will specify which variety (ies) will be contracted

Feeders will typically specify test-weight

The food barley market is developingThe driver is Beta glucan = soluble dietary fiber

Key differentiators are hulled vs. naked

waxy vs. normal starchThe hull is removed by genetics, de-hulling, pearling, or

milling

Forage varieties are hooded – no awnsHarvested for hay, green chop, silage

Grazed Grain

The barley form of stripe rust can be very severe in the Willamette Valley: complete crop loss

Scald: a matter of degreeBYDV can be a problem in early fall plantings

Stripe rust on susceptible varieties.Hyslop Farm. Lewisburg, OR Any year

Choose adapted varieties

541-737-5878Patrick.m.hayes@oregonstate.edu

Barleyworld.org

Variety recommendations Winter

Feed – Strider, Alba (2012)Food – Streaker (2012), WinCrisp (2013)

Forage – Verdant (2011)Malting – Endeavor (2-row), Maja (6-row; facultative)

Spring2-row