BARLEY

Barley is the most popular cereal crop grown in Northern Ireland with over 20,000ha grown annually. The majority is used for animal feed with a small amount grown for malting. Barley is a flexible crop which can be used for combining, crimping and whole crop silage.

Establishment

Seed beds should be fine, moist, and well drained with a target soil pH of 6.5. Establishment can range from 55-70% in poor seed beds up to 80-95% in good conditions.

Nutrition

Apply phosphorus and potassium in the seed bed as per soil analysis. Spring barley has a nitrogen requirement of 150kg/ ha (120 units/acre) and winter barley will require 185kg/ha (150 units/acre). Barley has a high requirement for manganese and an early application followed again with the first fungicide will be beneficial especially following grass and in high pH situations.

Disease control

The major diseases to watch out for in barley are mildew, net blotch, rhynchosporium and ramularia.

Yields

Target yields for spring barley should be 6-7.4t/ha (2.4-3t/acre) and 7.4-10t/ha (3-4t/acre) for winter barley.

Cereals

Spring Barley

Skyway

• Very high treated and untreated yield and good grain quality.

• Medium maturity, medium straw height with good resistance to lodging and brackling.

• Very high resistance to mildew, medium resistance to rhynchosporium.

Resistance

Prospect

• High treated and average untreated yield with good grain quality.

• Medium maturity, medium straw height with good resistance to lodging and brackling.

• Very high resistance to mildew, good resistance to rhynchosporium.

SY Splendor

• High treated and average untreated yield with good grain quality.

• Medium maturity, medium straw height with good resistance to lodging and brackling.

• Very high resistance to mildew, medium resistance to rhynchosporium.

Cereals

LG

• Good treated and untreated yield with good grain quality

• Late maturing, medium straw height with mediumhigh resistance to lodging and brackling

• Very high resistance to mildew, medium resistance to rhynchosporium.

Rockway

• High yielding with very good grain quality

• Medium maturity and good resistance to lodging

• Very good resistance to mildew, good resistance to rhynchosporium and net blotch.

Evelina

• Good yields in West region.

• Tall variety with good resistance to brackling.

• Vigorous early growth and early maturing.

Cereals

Winter Barley

KWS Tardis

• Very high treated and average untreated yields with very good grain quality.

• Medium maturity, medium straw height with very good resistance to lodging.

• Medium resistance to mildew and net blotch, medium-high resistance to rhynchosporium.

Bolton

• Very high treated and average untreated yields with very good grain quality.

• Medium maturity, medium straw height with very good resistance to lodging.

• Medium resistance to mildew, net blotch and rhynchosporium.

Bordeaux

• Very high treated and good untreated yields with excellent grain quality.

• Medium maturing, mediumshort straw height with very good resistance to lodging.

• Medium resistance to mildew and net blotch, low resistance to rhynchosporium.

Cereals

KWS Cassia

• Lower yielding, yet consistent performer with outstanding grain quality.

• Slightly later maturing, medium straw height and mediumhigh resistance to lodging.

• Medium resistance to mildew, net blotch and rhynchosporium.

Cereals

Hybrid Winter Barley

Kingsbarn

• Very high treated and average untreated yields with very good grain quality.

• Tall straw with good resistance to lodging.

• Good disease resistance.

Belfry

• High treated and good untreated yield with good grain quality

• Medium maturing, tall straw height and medium resistance to lodging and brackling

• Medium resistance to mildew and net blotch, medium high resistance to rhynchosporium

Bazooka

• Very high treated and average untreated yields with very good grain quality.

• Tall stiff straw with good resistance to lodging.

• Good disease resistance to rhynchosporium.