In this article we will discuss about:- 1. Origin and Distribution of Barley 2. Area and Production of Barley 3. Climatic Conditions 4. Growth and Developmental Processes 5. Varieties and Seasons 6. Tillage and Seeding 7. Nutrient Management 8. Water Management 9. Quality Considerations 10. Barley for Malt.
Origin and Distribution of Barley:
Barley is believed to have originated in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and southeast Asia. The cultivated barley of today is believed to have evolved from a wild two-row Hordeum that has been classified as H.spontaneum and is found growing wild in many areas of southwest Asia and northern Africa today.
Major areas of barley cultivation are USSR, Canada, France, Spain, UK, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Australia, Morocco, USA and Ethiopia. In India, it is predominantly grown in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh.
Barley (Hordeum vulgare), one of the cereal crops, is grown in temperate and subtropical areas of the world. It is the world’s fourth important cereal crop after wheat, rice and maize. In India, it accounts for less than one per cent area and production of total cereals. It is consumed by poor people as chapati or as sattu and used as cattle feed. Barley is used in malt industry for manufacturing fermented drinks.
Area and Production of Barley:
Barley is an important cereal crop of the world with an annual production of 132 M t from around 528 M ha with an average productivity of 2.5 t ha-1. As indicate above, it is grown in all the countries where wheat can be successfully grown either for food, beverage or animal feed. In India, barley is grown in all the states where wheat crop is grown.
In India, as per 2008-09 statistics, barley is grown in an area of 0.71 M ha with a production of 1.69 M t and productivity 2394 kg ha-1. Largest area (0.29 M ha) and production (0.89 M t) under barley is in Rajasthan while the yield is highest (3491 kg ha-1) in Haryana.
Over the past two decades, area under barley in India dropped from 3.0 M ha to 0.64 M ha and production from 3.0 M t to 1.14 M t. However, average yield increased from 1.2 to 1.8 t ha-1 due to development of high yielding varieties. This is due to preference of farmers to more remunerative winter crops like wheat, mustard and bengalgram.
Climatic Conditions Required for Barley Production:
Almost two-thirds of the world’s barley production is in subhumid or semiarid regions. It has a broad ecological adaptation. It is grown at latitude 64°N in Alaska, 67°N in Finland and 70°N in Norway. It is the only cereal that matures at these high altitudes.
In India, cultivation of barley extends from northern plains to elevations of about 4575 m in the Himalayas. Its greatest concentration is in cooler parts of northern states. It is of minor importance in south of 20°N, although it can be grown successfully wherever wheat can be grown.
Like wheat, barley does best in areas where winter is cool and growing period lasts about five months. It is ideally suited to areas where rainfall is either low or uncertain. In any given region, barley crop mature 2 to 3 weeks earlier than wheat and thus escape terminal soil moisture stress, if encountered. Areas that are always warm and moist are not suitable for this crop. Frost at flowering and hailstorms at grain development damage the crop.
Based on agroclimatic conditions, the country is divided into five major zones for barley.
Barley can be grown successfully on those soils, which are suitable for wheat cultivation. However, it thrives well on well drained loams. Permissible soil pH range for barley is 6.5 to 7.8. Barley is more tolerant than other cereal crops in alkaline soils and less tolerant to acid soils.
It is grown on a variety of soils, ranging in texture from sandy to heavy loams in Indo-Gangetic plains and on terraced slopes in the hills. Its cultivation extends to medium black soils of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Growth and Developmental Processes of Barley:
Growth and developmental processes of barley are almost similar to that of wheat. Growth stages of barley are same as that of wheat.
Barley seed begin to germinate at 2°C but emergence is low at such low temperature. Optimum temperature for germination and emergence is 15° to 20°C. Although, young barley plants have considerable tolerance to cold, temperature at which vegetative growth proceeds normally is around 16-17°C.
Temperatures of 40°C during ripening may cause less damage to barley than to wheat. The rate of photosynthesis is high around 25°C. Winter barley is more susceptible to winter killing than is winter wheat.
Varieties and Seasons for Barley Production:
Varieties:
Based on the number of rows of grain and their arrangement, barley is grouped into three types. Hordeum vulgare; six- row barley, H.distichum; two-row barley and H. irregulare; irregular barley with tough rachis. In six-row type, lateral kernels are smaller than central ones. In two row barley, only central florets produce grain. Most of the barley grown for malting belongs to two-row barley.
The six-row types, with hulled grains are by form the most commonly cultivated ones in India. Based on the season of cultivation, it is grouped as spring and winter barley. Spring barley is grown although the world. Winter barley is of longer duration than spring types. Varieties released for cultivation under different agroclimatic conditions, during the past two decades, are listed in Table 3.1.
TABLE 3.1 Barley varieties recommended for different zone.
Seasons:
Barley is cultivated under a wide range of sowing dates depending on latitude, altitude, climatic conditions and cropping systems.
It is grown as irrigated rabi crop in plains and up to elevation of 2300 m. Optimum seeding time extends from middle of October to middle of November. If it is grown as rainfed crop, sowing should be completed during second fortnight of October. If barley is cultivated after the harvest of kharif crops as an irrigated crop, it can be sown as late as January first fortnight.
At elevations above 2,300 m, barley is grown as an irrigated crop during spring season. Depending on melting of snow from fields, suitable temperature for seed germination and emergence and availability of irrigation water, sowing time extends from the end of March to the end of May. In the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu, it can be grown all the year round depending on altitude and rainfall. Generally, it is sown either in May-June or September-October.
Tillage and Seeding of Wheat:
Tillage:
Unlike wheat, barley needs a slightly loose seedbed. One deep ploughing followed by two harrowings are, generally, considered as adequate. For rainfed crop, soil and moisture conservation practices such as deep ploughing, disking after each rain, leveling and bonding should be done during monsoon to ensure adequate soil moisture for crop growth.
Seed and Seeding:
Seed rate depends on available soil moisture and the extent of soil infestation by ants and termites at sowing. For a timely sown irrigated crop, 75 to 80 kg ha-1 is adequate. For a late sown crop and a crop on saline-alkaline soil, optimum seed rate is 100 kg ha-1. For rainfed areas, a seed rate of 80 to 100 kg ha-1 appears to optimum depending on soil moisture at seeding. In cool arid region of Ladakh, higher seed rate of 250 to 300 kg ha-1 may be used.
Seeds are sown either by broadcasting or with a single tube drill (pora, magha or sadde). Broadcasting is followed in eastern UP, Bihar and diara lands. Recommended row spacing is 20 to 22.5 cm under irrigation and 22.5 to 28.5 cm under rainfed conditions. Optimum seeding depth is 4 to 5 cm under irrigation and 5 to 8 cm under rainfed conditions.
Nutrient Management Required for Barley:
A barley crop yielding 5.41 ha-1 of grain removes 170 N, 60 P2O5 and 165 K2O kg ha-1 in both grain and straw. Approximately 1.0 kg N is required to produce 30 kg grain.
Rainfed barley crop is seldom manured. It is grown on fertiliser residues left by the preceding crop in sequence. Irrigated barely is often given FYM to the extent available. Results of experiments conclusively proved the need for fertiliser use for economic returns. Optimum fertiliser schedule for rainfed crop is 40 N and 20 P2O5 kg ha-1.
There is no need for potassium application except for the crop on highly leached sandy loams. For an irrigated crop, 60 N and 30 P2O5 kg ha-1 is optimum. There may not be any economic yield advantage due to addition of potassium except on soils with low levels of potassium. Fertiliser schedule for barley under different situations are given in Table 3.2.
TABLE 3.2 Fertiliser schedules for barley under different situations.
Entire dose of nitrogen and phosphorus should be applied by placement at 10 cm soil depth at seeding under rainfed conditions. For irrigated barley, half of the nitrogen and full dose of phosphorus should be applied at seeding and the remaining nitrogen top dressed at first irrigation. Excess nitrogen affects malting and brewing quality of grain. However, phosphorus application minimises its deleterious effect.
Water Management for Barley:
Barley crop is grown either on conserved soil moisture or with restricted irrigation. It responds to irrigation, especially on soils of low soil moisture retentivity. Usually, the crop needs two irrigations at critical stages of tiller initiation and flowering. Sandy soils may require two more additional irrigations. If water is available for only one irrigation, it should be applied at active tillering stage. On highly alkali – saline soils, frequent light irrigations give higher yield than fewer heavy irrigations.
Wheat and barley are the two rabi cereals. As such, wherever soil and environment are not ideal for wheat, as a cereal crop, barley is the only option. Hence, the cropping systems of wheat holds good for barley also if barley replaces wheat crop. Weeds are, usually, controlled by hand weeding within a month after sowing. Herbicide use is uncommon. If necessary, herbicides recommender for weed management in wheat crop can be applied for weed control in barley crop also.
Quality Considerations of Wheat:
Quality of barley is often evaluated for test weight and protein content. Test weight, in general, varies between 35 and 45 g. On an average, barley contains 11.5 per cent protein, 70 per cent carbohydrates, 1.3 per cent fat and 1.2 per cent mineral matter.
Barley grains are graded based on width into thins or needles which are less than 2.2 mm. Larger grades are above 2.8 mm. Usually medium sized bold grains are preferred to malting. Grain colour, wort colour, wort protein, diastatic power and alpha amylase activity are other quality traits of barley grain.
Cooked whole grains are used for human consumption. In western countries, porridges and soups are prepared using barley. Malted and unmalted flakes and milk-based puddings are the relished products of barley. Barley is preferred in breweries. Vinegar, cider and sugar syrups are other modes of utilising barley.
Barley for Malt:
For malting, fully matured, medium sized, plump, mellow grain, free from cuts and blemishes and possessing a bright golden yellow colour with hundred per cent viability containing 1.2 to 1.4 per cent nitrogen on dry weight basis are regarded suitable. Gurgaon district of Haryana and adjacent areas have been traditionally considered to produce better quality barley by the malt industry.
Optimum time of sowing (mid-October to mid-November) assures fully ripe and well developed grains. Choice of an extremely fertile soils or excessive application of nitrogen to the crop should be avoided since protein content in the grain may increase. For optimum yield and grain quality, application of 30 N, 20 P2O5 and 20 K2O kg ha-1 as basal dose at sowing appears to be appropriate.
Malting is a controlled limited germination that is designed to achieve production of alpha and beta amylases that hydrolise starch to dextrin and fermentable sugars.