No abstract

Fusarium head blight (FHB) challenges the malting and brewing industry due to the presence of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) in infected grain. New barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars must have improved resistance while still providing producers with robust, high yield. 'Lowe' (Reg. no. CV-369, PI 689750; Canadian Food Inspection Agency Reg. no. 8132; Canadian PBR Cert. No. 5884) is a two-rowed, hulled, spring barley developed for malting use, especially for the craft brewing industry. Lowe has a high level of resistance to FHB, accumulating 50% less DON than 'AC Metcalfe', with levels similar to the most-resistant check, 'Chevron'. Lowe was created using a modified bulk breeding method with the headrow that produced Lowe derived from a F 6 population. It was tested as TR13609 in trials managed by the Prairie Recommending Committee for Oat and Barley from 2013 to 2015. Lowe outyielded the malting checks AC Metcalfe and 'CDC Copeland' in 2 yr of agronomic evaluation. It is a tall cultivar with better lodging resistance than the malting checks. Lowe matures 3 d later than the malting checks. Lowe has excellent properties for malting and brewing, with low protein, high extract, and low b-glucan concentrations in the wort. Lowe is resistant to surface-borne and loose smuts and moderately resistant to scald, spot form of net blotch, and FHB. Lowe combines excellent agronomic, disease, and

Malting barley is important in western Canada, yet many malting cultivars do not make malt quality, in part due to lodging. Lodging can decrease barley yield and quality thereby reducing the acceptability for malting. In other countries plant growth regulator applications are used to mitigate lodging. Chlormequat chloride (chlormequat), trinexapac-ethyl (trinexapac) and ethephon were tested at five locations over 3 years in western Canada for their ability to limit lodging, as well as their effects on yield, agronomic traits, and pre-malt quality characteristics. PGR applications occurred between GS 30-33 for chlormequat and trinexapac and GS 37-49 for ethephon. Seeding rates of 200, 300, and 400 seeds m-2 of CDC Copeland barley were used to increase the likelihood of lodging. Increased seeding rate decreased tillers per plant, height, days to maturity, kernel protein and kernel weight. Ethephon increased the number of tillers per plant, and decreased plant height, kernel plumpness and kernel weight. Trinexapac decreased plant height and kernel weight. Days to maturity was investigated across site-years with ethephon increasing maturity in 60% of comparisons. Trinexapac and chlormequat had limited effects on maturity. Lodging was investigated across site-years with trinexapac showing the largest number of lodging reductions and scale of reductions. Ethephon reduced lodging in 36% of comparisons, while chlormequat had inconsistent effects. None of the products affected yield, or grain protein. Plant growth regulators may not be the solution to lodging for CDC Copeland barley on the Canadian Prairies, however trinexapac shows the most promise of the products tested.

Interest has been growing in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars that meet the specialized needs of a diverse marketplace while still providing producers with robust, high‐yielding types. In response to this challenge, the Alberta Barley Commission worked closely with Sanwa Shurui Co., Ltd. and the Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) to develop selection criteria in barley for shochu production. Shochu is a popular alcoholic beverage in Japan. As part of the project, ‘Canmore’ (Reg. No. CV‐366, PI 685640; Canadian Food Inspection Agency Reg. No. 7392; Canadian PBR Appl. No. 5237), a two‐rowed, hulled, spring barley for food and general purpose uses, was developed. Canmore was derived using single seed descent from one F2 seed to a F5 headrow. It was tested as J02039005 in FCDC trials from 2004 to 2012 and as TR10694 in Prairie Recommending Committee for Oat and Barley trials in 2010 and 2011. It was registered in Canada as Canmore. Canmore has excellent pearling properties, starch content, and alcohol yield for shochu production. It is resistant to surface‐borne and loose smuts, moderately resistant to scald and spot form of net blotch, and intermediately resistant to common root rot, spot blotch, and Fusarium head blight. Canmore has good potential in the food barley market for shochu as well as good yield, disease resistance, and agronomic traits for general production in the northern Great Plains.

No abstract