BARLEY

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 72, Issue 1, 15 January 1946, Page 19

BARLEY

By

R. G. JOLLY,

Fields Instructor, Christchurch.

IN certain districts in New Zealand where the soil and climatic conditions are suitable for its production barley has become an important crop. It is grown for three purposes: for the production of malting barley, of feed barley, and of greenfeed. New Zealand’s requirements of barley for malting and for stock food are about 2,000,000 bushels yearly, and in this article the cultural and harvesting practices which have been developed in the production of the crop are described.

FOLLOWING the introduction of a protected market, a minimum price schedule, and grading standards New Zealand quickly became almost self-supporting in the production of malting barley, but large quantities of feed barley for the pig industry have to be imported each year. In the South Island barley which has been rejected for malting purposes is used as stock feed and any surplus is sold to the North Island, but to meet the deficiency in the North feed barley has to be imported.

In the 1943-44 season a total of 35,811 acres was sown to barley, 7,570 acres being utilised as greenfeed. As a greenfeed crop barley is useful for two main purposes: for the provision of winter and early spring feed and to provide feed in low-rainfall areas during the dry period. Barley has an advantage over other cereals ’in that it is a rapid grower and recovers quickly after grazing. The Cape and Black Skinless varieties are popular for this purpose. •-•• . / . Of the total area of barley grown in the Dominion 3,913 acres were grown in the North Island, and of this 2,825 acres were devoted to greenfeed, the remainder being harvested and used as stock food. In the South Island a total of 31,898 acres was grown with some 4,745 acres utilised for greenfeed. From the foregoing it will be seen that the growing of barley is mainly confined to the South Island. The following table shows the acreages grown and the utilisation of the crop in the different provinces of the South Island for the 1943-44 harvest: — -y ' Acreage of Barley for Acreage of Barley for Province. Threshing. . Greenfeed. Nelson .. .. 1,491 158 Marlborough .. 3,193 227 Canterbury , .. 18,077 2,295 Otago .. .. 4,242 1,761 Southland .. 150 304 Total .. 27,153 Total 4,745

Because of the suitability, of the soil and climate, practically all the barley harvested in the South Island is for malting purposes, only sufficient of the greenfeed varieties being harvested to meet the requirements for seed.

Soil and Climate

Any soil which will yield good crops of wheat or oats in a normal season can generally be regarded as suitable for barley. For greenfeed the crop may be grown on a fairly .wide range of soil types, but for malting purposes, because of the high standard of quality of the grain required, the crop has been confined to those districts which have proved themselves to be suitable for its production. The localities considered most suitable for malting barley are Marlborough, Canterbury, North Otago, and parts of Central Otago and Southland. , In Canterbury, where the major portion of the crop is grown, the main counties are Ellesmere, Springs, Selwyn, and Ashburton. The most suitable soils are the uniform medium to rich free-working loams adequately supplied with lime. Climate plays a most important part in the production of good-quality malting barley, and an adequate supply of moisture during the growing season is required. Relatively dry conditions are essential during the harvesting period. Excess rainfall at this time results in sprouted grain or grain in poor condition.

Preparation of Seed-bed

' The preparation of the land intended for barley is similar to that required for wheat or oats. The land should be ploughed to a good depth and a well-cultivated seed-bed developed. The amount, of work required to be put into its preparation will depend largely upon the type of soil and the preceding crop. On most soils some preliminary , cultivation .' is usually undertaken v before the final deep ploughing, but on some of the heavier soils where natural drainage is ' not good. the land may be ploughed only once and allowed to remain in the furrow through the winter. To assist in drainage ploughing is at times done in'. comparatively . narrow lands. Where the crop is to be spring sown, and the bulk of it is sown at that period, early winter ploughing is desirable, as it ensures good weathering of the soil, and subsequent cultivations interspersed with rolling and harrowing will produce the consolidation and tilth required. It is best to delay this work until the soil is fit, as working wet soil has harmful effects on the seed-bed, especially with some of the stiffer soils.

If the ground is inclined to be weedy, it is sometimes advisable to delay sowing beyond the normal period, so as to allow for a further killing of weeds before sowing takes place, but comparatively few crops are sown later than the early part of November.

Place in Rotation Barley is generally a spring-sown crop and may follow a cleaning crop such as roots or potatoes or after peas, wheat, or grass. Barley does not demand such a high fertility as wheat and . can quite profitably follow wheat in the rotation. In the drier districts barley is often grown after a bare fallow, following a previous barley crop. The fact that barley does not compete successfully with weeds often determines the place it takes in the rotation. Barley is often sown on land intended for wheat . where sowings of the latter crop have been delayed by weather conditions and the prospects of a good wheat crop are poor. As a catch crop to provide winter feed barley is often sown in the autumn after a cereal or in the early summer (November to December) to provide feed to tide over the dry period in late summer . and early autumn when feed is in short supply. Sowing Spring sowing usually commences in August and is carried on through September and October. Occasional

sowings take place in November, but the prospects of securing a good sample and yield from such late sowings are too uncertain, and it is only where cultural work : has been held up on account of weather conditions that such late sowings are practised. Normally the earlier the crop is in, the stronger it is and the better the yield. Occasionally autumn sowing is practised on the lighter and drier soils. In such cases drilling usually takes place in May or June. For malting barley seedings may range from 1| to 2 bushels per acre. These quantities may vary from district to district, the rates adopted being those which have proved most suitable for the locality. The aim should be a seeding which will give a maximum yield of well-developed grain. For greenfeed, where the main object is the production of a quick bulk of fodder, seedings of 2 to 2J and even 3 bushels per acre are common, the last, quantity being most generally used when the seed requires to be broadcast. The use of ' superphosphate at lewt. per acre can be recommended. The normal depth. of sowing is about 2in., and the land is harrowed following drilling. - . Barley is sometimes rolled after the crop is up, when it .is considered necessary to level and consolidate the seed-bed. The crop is also harrowed when weeds are prevalent. As barley

is rather delicate in the seedling stage, anything in the nature of drastic treatment should, however, be avoided. Varieties Feed Barleys: The two varieties most commonly used are Cape and Black Skinless, which are quick growers and produce a great bulk of feed in a very short time. Under normal conditions the crop will be ready for feeding off within 6 to 8 weeks of sowing. Besides producing a bulk of greenfeed, these varieties produce good yields of grain suitable for pig feed, but not for malting. Feed barleys are' of the six-rowed type. , Black Skinless: This variety is quicker growing, produces a bigger bulk of feed, and recovers better after grazing than Cape barley. Cape Barley: This variety has a longer growing period before running to seed than Black Skinless, and is also more drought resistant.

Malting Varieties* The chief varieties of malting barley grown in New Zealand are those which have proved most suitable for malting purposes not only here but in the main barley-growing countries of the world. They are nearly all hybrids whose parents lacked some essential quality, but when crossed have produced desirable characteristics of both parents. They are all of the two-rowed type. Chevallier: This is one of the oldest varieties and is still giving satisfactory results, as shown by farmers’ preference for it over all other varieties. It is tall growing and the head droops when ripe. It produces a plump grain of good quality, but is weak in the straw and tends to lodge on heavy land. Its straw weakness makes it more suitable for the medium to light lands.

Plumage-Archer: This is a hybrid which has combined the qualities of its parents, namely the straw quality of Archer and the grain quality of Plumage. It is short strawed and a high yielder of good-quality grain. The head remains erect when ripe, but has a tendency to break off. Its strong straw and its resistance to lodging make this variety highly suitable for growing on the heavy soils, but it can be used for most types of land. Spratt-Archer: This is another hybrid. It is short strawed and a high yielder of very good quality grain. It is largely used for autumn sowing in Central Otago. Because of its straw quality it is suitable for growing on medium to heavy soils. The head of this variety droops when ripe. • Goldthorpe-Spratt: This is a variety which has given good results in Marlborough, Southland, and in parts of Central Otago where spring sowing is practised. It is one of the more re-

cent varieties introduced, but is not recommended for the heavier soils because of its tendency to lodge. Breeding of new varieties has been carried out by the Agronomy Division, Lincoln, and • hybrid which promises well has recently been handed over to a commercial firm for testing and increasing. Of the four varieties grown SprattArcher is considered the best malting quality. The other three, PlumageArcher, Chevallier, and GoldthorpeSpratt, are about equal. Of the total area in barley Chevallier occupies 40 per cent., Spratt-Archer and PlumageArcher 20 per cent, each, GoldthorpeSpratt 6 per cent., and feed barleys 14 per cent.

Securing Reliable Seed As over 80 per cent, of the barley grown is for malting purposes, more care has been taken with these varieties than with the feed barleys in maintaining pure stocks of seed. Varietal purity is most important. Most varieties differ in time of maturing, therefore the sowing of impure seed results in a poor sample, which eventually means a drop in the malt extract of the line. Consequently the maltsters and brewers who have the crop grown on contract by the farmer each year select for seed purposes the produce of those crops which are most free from disease and varietal impurities. Thus a supply of seed of satisfactory purity and relatively free from disease is made available to growers.

Disease and Control The most common diseases of barley are covered smut, loose smut, and leaf stripe. Covered Smut: Diseased grains are filled with a mass of black foetid spores which are blown about by the wind and spread" - by threshing machines. Since the spores adhere to the outside of the grain, they can easily be destroyed by one or other of the cheap and effective fungicides. The dusting of the seed with one of the proprietary organic mercurial dusts is the simplest and most common method of seed treatment and one which can be recommended. It is easily undertaken by the farmer himself if he has a suitable type of agitator, but practically all lines of seed are now treated by this method before being sent out to the grower. The dust is applied at the rate of 2oz. per bushel of seed. Another method of seed treatment is to use either a formalin or a bluestone solution. In the former case a solution of one pint of formalin (40 per cent, concentration) in 40 gallons of water can be sprinkled on a heap of grain on the floor, 1 gallon per bushel, or the grain can be immersed

in a trough for 10 minutes and allowed to drain for at least 12 hours before sowing. If using the trough method, half-bag lots should be used. Germination of me seed is affected, especially if the seed is allowed to dry. In the latter case loz. of bluestone per quart of water is sprayed over a bushel of seed and the seed well mixed. If used as a steep, a 1 per cent, solution should be used (lib. to 10 gallons), and the seed allowed to soak for 10 minutes. Bluestone lowers the germination. Covered smut is also controlled by hot water treatment (see below). Loose Smut: This disease is characterised by a loose mass of black spores which, when blown away by the wind, leaves the bare stalk. The disease is internally seed borne and cannot be controlled by fungicides, the only means of control being by hot water treatment, which consists of presoaking the seed for 5 hours at 70°F. followed by five minutes at 127°F. This is a somewhat intricate process requiring special knowledge and equipment and should not be attempted on the farm. In recent years maltsters have treated a high proportion of the seed in this way and disease in the malting varieties has been almost eliminated. Leaf Stripe: This disease is characterised by the striped appearance of the leaves. The stripes are first yellow, but turn brown, and finally the leaf splits along these lines. The ears of infected plants often fail to r develop

and sometimes do not emerge from the sheath. The plants are stunted- in growth. There is no effective means . of control. Two other diseases of lesser import- . ance are “rust” and “'take all.” There is no means of control for rust and : the incidence of the disease is due to .climatic conditions. Take all can be controlled only by crop rotation. Harvesting Barley should be fully ripe before cutting. At this stage all green colour has disappeared from the straw and the grain is hard and the skin finely wrinkled. The above is only a guide; the exact time to cut must be left to the individual. Where ripening is uniform no difficulties are presented, but crops which are uneven in ripening because of variation in soil present problems. Most of the varieties grown today can be left with reasonable safety until fully ripe before cutting. It is only in the case of uneven ripening or where the variety sown has a tendency to break at the neck if left too long that the farmer is faced with the question of when and how to harvest his crop without loss. The most common practice is to cut with the binder and to leave in stook from 7 to 14 days or longer according to weather conditions. The crop may then be stacked or threshed from the stook. Another method is to, windrow the crop and to thresh from the windrow with the header' harvester with pick-up attachment. Direct head- : ing of the crop is not common, although this means of harvesting is increasing. For direct heading the crop must be even and left beyond the stage considered ripe for binder cutting. With the varieties grown at present the danger from wind damage and consequent loss is too great to make this method popular. The brewers and maltsters prefer barley from a crop which has been stacked rather than stook-threshed, windr owed, or direct-headed grain. They prefer grain threshed from the stack because while in stack the moisture content evens up and the • grain germinates evenly when malted. Threshing It is often at this stage of harvesting that good crops are ruined, both for malting and for seed purposes, and the grower finds that instead of having grain of good malting quality or a good germinating line of seed, he is obliged to sell the grain for stock food. In many cases the germ is removed or badly damaged and this affects the germination capacity of the line, or the grain may be cracked or . skinned. These features are all important to the maltsters. Grain which has had the germ removed will not

germinate and the broken and cracked grains develop mould on the malt floor and this impairs the quality of the malt. The presence of such damage is usually caused by setting the concave too close to the drum or driving with too high a drum speed. For efficient threshing it is advisable to reduce the drum speed below that required for threshing wheat. While it is necessary to reduce the speed of the drum, it is highly desirable to maintain the high speed of the shakers to assist in the separation of the grain from the straw. This may be achieved by an adjustment to the pulley which drives the belt to the shaker shaft pulley. With the variations in crop, and the changing of humidity and temperature frequent adjustments to the setting of the concave or alteration in drum speed may be necessary during the day’s threshing to avoid injury to the grain. Regular feeding is also important. A good malting sample is one which is dry, plump, bright, sound, and free from other seeds. Too close clipping will give a better bushel weight but usually results in skinning. A little of the awn should be left on the grain. If the grain is for malting, it is left in the field after threshing until inspected by the grain buyer, who grades it according to sample. If accepted, it is delivered to the buyer free on trucks or in store according ■to the district. If rejected, it is disposed of by the grower as feed barley.

Grades

There are four grades for malting barley. Certain standards have been set up to cover the requirements of these grades and each grade is covered by a minimum price. Each year the Barley Advisory Committee fixes a minimum price for malting barley. The grower has the right of appeal, and appeals against grading can be made througn the Department of Agriculture.