Agronomic Management of Malting Barley and Research Needs to Meet Demand by the Craft Brew Industry

Abstract

Core Ideas Agronomic management and environment affect malting barley yield and quality.Most agronomic guidelines are from the Northwest and Northern Rockies and Plains.Breweries in the Upper Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Northeast want local grain.Research on cropping sequence, seeding date and rate, and N management is needed. Malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) requires agronomic management that maximizes grain yield while meeting quality standards. The majority of published literature on agronomic management of malting barley is from the US Northwest and Northern Rockies and Plains where barley is traditionally grown. However, the majority of craft breweries are located in the Upper Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Northeast, creating a demand for locally sourced grain. The objectives of this review were to: (i) summarize the current body of knowledge regarding agronomic management of malting barley, and (ii) identify research needs in the Upper Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Northeast. Across all regions, planting date and N management were major factors influencing grain yield and quality. Timely planting of malting barley generally improved yield and quality. Barley yield tended to increase with N application rate while quality decreased due to increased protein concentration. Planting malting barley following corn (Zea mays L.) or small grains resulted in disease problems that could affect grain quality and yield. In the Upper Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Northeast regions, the prospect of double crop soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production after winter malting barley should be investigated, in addition to typical cropping sequences. Agronomic strategies to mitigate the negative effects of late‐planting situations are also needed as these regions often have delayed planting due to wet soil conditions. Furthermore, N fertilizer management is much different in humid regions compared with the Northwest and Northern Rockies and Plains, and warrants future research on developing in‐season N management strategies.

Evaluating winter malting barley grain yield with fractional green canopy cover

“…In Ohio, just under 10,000 acres of winter malting barley were planted in 2019 compared with 3,994 acres in 2017 and acreage is predicted to increase (Bernot, 2020; USDA‐NASS, 2020). As an added benefit, barley provides farming operations in the region an opportunity to increase crop diversity and profitability while also reducing environmental impact (Clark, 2012; Shrestha & Lindsey, 2019).…”

Cultural practices to improve malt barley quality in the northeast with focus on the craft sector

“…The majority of agricultural production in mid-west to western North America is under no-till conditions. Finally, for most experiments evaluating the effects of malt barley management on qualitative analysis, studies have focused on the industrial brewing sector; however, there is a growing need for management data specifically for the craft sector, particularly in the northeast (Shrestha and Lindsey 2019).…”

Partitioning and Translocation of Dry Matter and Nitrogen During Grain Filling in Spring Barley Varieties and Their Roles in Determining Malting Quality

“…In addition to achieving high yield, both grain protein content and size that are specific quality criteria for malting barley must be met to maximize the efficiency of the malting process and the quality of the products. The requirements for grain protein content and size range from 9.5 to 12.5% and >2.38 mm in North America (Shrestha and Lindsey, 2019 ), while the grain protein content is from 10 to 12%, and the requirement for the grain size is >2.5 mm (>70%) and <2.2 mm (<5%) in Australia (Fox et al, 2003 ). In France and Germany, the malting barley grain protein content must be in the range of 9.5 to 11.5% of the dry weight, and the retention fraction (proportion of grains larger than 2.5 mm) must be >90% (Incograin, 2014 ; Bundessortenamt, 2016 ; Beillouin et al, 2018 ).…”