Growers new to Spring Barley this year could be better off focusing on maximising yields of feed quality grain than aiming for premium malting markets, says ProCam marketing and technical director Dr. Tony John.

Producers switching from Winter Wheat as a result of low drillings last autumn shouldn’t underestimate the very different management and agronomy needed to achieve the best returns from the crop, he warns.

“We estimate the area of UK wheat planted could be down as much as 25% this year with many growers now looking at Spring Barley to fill the gap.

“It is likely the usual 650,000 acres of Spring Barley will increase to close to 1,000,000 ha this year and much of this will be new growers on less than perfect land and with limited knowledge of the crop’s husbandry.”

Whilst ProCam’s 4cast agronomy databank shows Spring Barley performing well in gross margin terms in recent years being comparable to a second wheat, this tends to be based on experienced growers with land suited to the crop.

“One concern is that this year, many producers going for Spring Barley will be naturally tempted to aim for malting markets without the experience required to achieve the necessary quality.

“Furthermore, growers going for the malting premium may not make the grade simply because of the 50% greater volume grown and they will be left with low yields to sell into the feed market.”

But growers must make their decisions as to which route to take early in March as Spring Barley is unforgiving when it comes to poor early management, Dr. Tony John says.

“Growers able to work their land in preparation for the crop should do so now and be planning for drilling in late March and early April.

“If you’re going to go for yield you’ve got to get the Nitrogen on good and early if you are to stand any chance of getting a good yield – particularly this year when soil indices are likely to be low as a result of the heavy rainfall.”

The first 6 - 10 weeks after drilling are critical in delivering high yields later and these are likely to be taking place when there are many other demands on time, so extreme vigilance is necessary.

“Spring Barley differs from Wheat in that yield in Wheat is very much dependent on drymatter in the leaf and stems being converted into grain in the later stages of the plant’s growing cycle so it responds better to late fungicides that will protect this process.

“With Barley, sugars and protein are directly stored in the grain, so it is not so dependent on drymatter production meaning early disease control is critical.”

Being a Spring crop, everything happens very quickly with a new leaf being out every 3-5 days and the first three sprays being necessary in quick succession and timely if the yield potential is to be fully protected, Dr. Tony John warns.

“As much of the new acreage will be grown on wheat land and because 80% of this now has severe blackgrass problems, early season weed control is key with a pre-emergence herbicide spray essential.

“From there, T0 should be based on a fungicide such as cyprodinil and growth promotion should also be a priority. This should be quickly followed at T1 with a second fungicide, preferably a Strobilurin or SDHI to encourage greening and clear up any emerging diseases.”

“Generally speaking, Spring Barley will always respond well to fungicide treatments so three sprays are well worth doing.”

One of the problems many will face this year is getting crops drilled in sufficient time so they do not present knock-on problems into subsequent years, Dr. Tony John warns.

“It’s going to be tough but protecting the rotation has got be a key priority on many farms. If you’ve decided Spring Barley is the right option for you to do this, then be realistic about what you can achieve with the crop.

“Be prepared for a busy spray period in a rapidly growing crop and don’t forget the importance of sticking to the spray programme when many other priorities will be distracting you from it over the next few weeks.”