The Barley Growth Guide

Winter and spring barley crops are grown throughout the UK for markets with differing requirements.The potential yield of this important crop is high, but on-farm performance can often be disappointing. Improving performance depends on understanding how the crop develops and grows in the field. Such knowledge
is vital to improve on-farm management and supporting research.This is why HGCA with the Scottish Executive Environmental and Rural Affairs Department funded a research project from 2002 to 2005 to provide data for a guide on barley, similar to The wheat growth guide (1997). The aim is to enable barley growers to identify where production may be falling short of potential. The first step was to make a detailed analysis of high yielding winter barley crops grown in different parts of Britain over three seasons. From this data ‘benchmarks’ were developed for each facet of barley development through the growing season.These benchmarks have been interpreted and summarised in this guide. During the project, spring barley production increased in the UK, while the winter barley area fell.Therefore, each section of this guide includes information to highlight key differences between winter and spring crops. This guide clearly illustrates that barley and wheat differ in many important respects and need different management techniques.