Barley at sunset

Spring barley, as opposed to winter barley, is planted in the spring and harvested in the summer or early autumn.

Crop development or its progress through its ‘growth stages’, is driven by temperature. The warmer the weather, the faster a crop will develop.

Crop growth is dependent on the interception of sunlight and its conversion into crop biomass. The ideal conditions to maximise crop growth are therefore cool, bright, weather.

The greater the crop’s green area (canopy size), the higher the proportion of sunlight that will be intercepted by the crop, and the faster it will grow.

However, light interception by a crop canopy follows the law of diminishing returns. For every additional unit of green area produced, a smaller amount of light is intercepted.

There is a cost associated with the production of green area: nutrients for canopy growth; herbicides to control weed competition; fungicides to avoid leaf loss to disease.

There is therefore a desirable canopy size and structure which optimises economic return to the grower, and that optimum is not necessarily the maximum possible.

Thus, knowing how well a crop is growing and developing is useful for growers. This knowledge will assist in the selection of the level of inputs required for an individual crop.

Information from Teagasc spring barley guide. Read the full guide here.

 

AHDB Spring Barley Variety Selection Tool

 

Please share information, tools and resources relevant to spring barley cultivation.

Related Organisations

Content below is from across the PEP community and is not necessarily endorsed by Stewards or by PEP

Connected Content

International Barley Hub

The International Barley Hub is an initiative seeking to create a platform for the translation of barley research into economic, social, environmental and commercial impacts for the breeding, farming, malting, brewing, feed, food, health and related industries

Yellow Rust

Yellow rust is an important economic disease of wheat. Often occurring more in the east of the UK and areas with mild winters and cool, damp summer weather. A good selection of resistant varieties and well-timed chemical applications can provide effective control of the disease and minimise losses.

NiCCs (Nitrogen release from Cover Crops)

Project objectives To quantify the impact of contrasting cover crop mixes and destruction techniques on over winter nitrate leaching, soil nitrogen supply (and hence crop nitrogen fertiliser requirements) and performance of the following cash crop. In particular to determine the: effect of cover crop species mix on the quantity and timing of nitrogen returned to the soil effect of cover crop destruction method e.g. glyphosate & min till/direct drill vs mechanical destruction & min till/direct drill To determine the timing of nitrogen release from cover crops and potential legacy (year 2) effects on nitrate leaching and crop performance

AHDB Recommended List

The AHDB Recommended Lists for cereals and oilseeds (RL) publications and resources provide information on yield and quality performance, agronomic features and market options to assist with variety selection. The RL is updated annually with the latest update for 2024/25 being published on 27th November 2023. The latest lists can be accessed online here.

RAGT

At the root of all the best seed varieties.

Claydon Seed Drills

The Claydon Opti-Till® System, is a holistic approach to crop establishment which delivers consistent, high yielding crops at low cost, providing maximum profitability. At the centre of Opti-Till® Seed Drilling System is the Claydon direct strip Hybrid drill, with its unique leading tine technology.

Arable

Arable crops in the UK make up just under half of the farmed area (3.9M ha out of 9M ha)

Ramularia

Ramularia (Ramularia collo-cygni) is a disease that affects only winter and spring barley. 

Inchdairnie Distillery Ltd

Inchdairnie Distillery Ltd produces Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Single Grain Scotch Whisky. At present we consume 5,000 tons of malted cereal per year.

Rhynchosporium

Rhynchosporium (Leaf Blotch or Scald) affects barley, rye and triticale. 

Barley

Barley is the fourth most important cereal crop in the world, grown in more than 100 countries and used for animal feed, human food and the production of alcohol.

From Theory to Field – Better spring barley nutrition

Tailoring nitrogen rates to optimise yield from modern spring barley varieties and hit the qualit

AHDB Recommended List

The AHDB Recommended Lists for cereals and oilseeds (RL) publications and resources provide infor

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