Annual Progress Report on Malting Barley Research March, 2002

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SIX-ROWED BARLEY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
Richard D. Horsley
Department of Plant Sciences
North Dakota State University
Objectives
The six-rowed barley improvement research program at the Agricultural Experiment
Station, North Dakota State University, Fargo, is a cooperative effort among the
Departments of Plant Sciences, Cereal and Food Sciences, and Plant Pathology. The
fundamental objective of the program is to develop and release improved six-rowed
barley cultivars acceptable to barley producers in North Dakota and adjacent areas in the
United States, and to those who use or process this barley. Basic and applied research is
conducted at NDSU on barley to provide information that will facilitate achievement of
the barley improvement goals, improve cultural practices, and enhance our understanding
of barley.
Barley Breeding
Advanced Testing Program - General
Important commercial barley cultivars, new cultivars, and promising advanced selections
were evaluated in ten trials at seven experimental locations in North Dakota during 2001.
In addition, "off-station" trials with new and check cultivars were conducted by the
Carrington, Dickinson, Hettinger, Langdon, North Central (Minot), and Williston
Research Extension Centers. Pure seed increase plots of experimental lines (26) in
Varietal and Advanced Yield Trials were grown at Fargo and Casselton. Pure seed
increase plots of experimental lines (44) in the Intermediate Malting Barley Yield Trial
were grown at Fargo. Barley yield trials at all locations were sown between 26 April and
17 May. Sowing at all locations was about seven to ten days later than average due to
wet soil conditions. Regional trials grown were the Mississippi Valley Barley Nursery
and the Canadian Western Cooperative Six-row Trial.
Plant emergence in yield trials was fairly uniform at all locations. As in recent years,
growing conditions during the two halves of the growing season varied drastically.
Precipitation from sowing up to mid-June was below average. These conditions limited
the yield potential of the crop, especially in northeastern North Dakota. From mid-June
to mid-July, precipitation was at levels that favored development of Fusarium head blight
(FHB). Several back-to-back rain storms in July with high winds caused extensive
lodging in all small grain crops grown in northeast North Dakota.
The major disease problem occurring on barley produced in northeastern and northcentral
North Dakota was FHB, incited primarily by Fusarium graminearum. Severity of
FHB was minimal at Fargo, and moderate to high at Carrington, Osnabrock, and Minot.
Levels of FHB at Minot were the greatest observed since the epidemic began in 1993.
Overall, the percent of FHB found in our yield trial nurseries in 2001 was slightly less
than that in 2000. The most disturbing aspect of this disease is that it continues to move
west in the state into areas where it was not a problem previously. All cultivars grown in