Barley

Barley is a self-pollinating annual grass grown for both malting and animal feed, as well as for food use in some regions. Cultivars are classified as two-row or six-row according to the arrangement of fertile spikelets on the spike, a distinction that influences grain size and uniformity.

Because growing conditions and end markets differ so widely, agronomic details such as sowing date, seeding rate, and variety choice are region-specific and should be based on local recommendations.

Family

Poaceae (grass family)

Genus and species

Hordeum vulgare

Spike type

Two-row (one fertile spikelet per node) or six-row (three fertile spikelets per node)

Growth habit

Tillering annual grass producing a terminal spike

Barley was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East alongside wheat and is considered one of the founder crops of Old World agriculture. It spread across Europe, Asia, and North Africa in antiquity and later reached the Americas and other regions.

Barley is now grown across a wide range of temperate and semi-arid regions. Current data on planted area, production, and trade by country are compiled by FAO and national agricultural statistics agencies and should be drawn from those primary sources.

Like wheat, barley includes winter types, which are sown in autumn and require a period of cold to trigger flowering, and spring types, sown after the coldest part of the year in regions where winters are too severe for autumn establishment.

Barley is often considered somewhat more tolerant of drought, salinity, and marginal soils than wheat, though it remains sensitive to waterlogging and to heat stress during grain fill.

Barley grows well on well-drained loams and clay loams and is generally regarded as more tolerant of moderately saline or marginal soils than some other cereals. It is sensitive to strongly acidic soils and to waterlogging, both of which restrict root growth.

Establishment depends on producing an even, well-anchored stand at the correct depth into a firm, moist seedbed. Sowing date, seeding rate, and row spacing are set locally according to variety type, soil, and expected season length.

• Variety selection matched to winter/spring type, end use (malting, feed, or food), and disease pressure
• Crop rotation to manage soil-borne diseases and weeds
• Seedbed preparation appropriate to the tillage system in use
• Timely weed management, since barley competes poorly with weeds during early growth

Nitrogen management is particularly important for malting barley, since excessive grain protein can make grain unsuitable for malting even though it may still be acceptable for feed. Phosphorus and potassium support establishment and grain fill, with requirements depending on soil supply and target yield.

Barley is grown both rain-fed, including in a number of semi-arid regions where its relative drought tolerance is valued, and under irrigation. Water demand is highest around stem elongation, heading, and grain filling.

Crop water requirements are estimated from evapotranspiration and local climate; reference methods and data are published by FAO and national agricultural agencies.

Barley is affected by fungal diseases including powdery mildew, net blotch, and scald, whose importance varies by region and season, as well as by insect pests such as aphids, which can also transmit viruses.

Management combines resistant varieties, crop rotation, field monitoring, and, where warranted, locally authorized control measures used according to their labels.

Barley is harvested once grain has matured and dried to a moisture content suitable for combining and safe storage. For malting barley, grain condition and germination capacity at harvest and during storage are especially important, since damaged or poorly dried grain may not meet malting specifications.

• Malting for beer brewing and spirit distilling
• Animal feed, including whole grain and processing by-products
• Food products such as pearled barley, barley flour, and hulless barley
• Straw used for livestock bedding or as a soil amendment