Malting barley crops planted in mid-February or very early March have pushed through their growth stages over the past few days.
As a result, they should be well positioned for management actions, such as wild oat control and fungicide application.
However, the delayed planting of a lot of barley means these crops have most of their management actions still to be completed.
Malting barley
The early season management of malting barley becomes increasingly crucial when the planting season is being pushed toward the end of April. Spring crops need to get up and running fast, and then stay growing to the end.
On the most recent Tillage Edge podcast, Teagasc agronomist Shay Phelan highlighted the key management criteria, associated with these later-sown crops.
He confirmed the need for adjusting spring barley sowing rates to account for crops’ reduced tillering capacity in order to achieve the highest possible yield.
For spring barley which is still to be sown, rates need to be increased to 325 seeds/m2 to compensate for expected lower tiller production.
It takes an average of 10 days for a new leaf to appear in April. This figure drops to seven days during May.
A typical thousand grain weight of 54g would require 206kg/ha at 85% establishment. If seedbed conditions are excellent, this can be reduced to 195kg/ha.
All crops should be planted on seedbeds that are fine, firm, and level. This approach will promote uniform germination and establishment.
Having the seedbed right will also aid in root to soil contact for nutrient uptake and growth, as well as moisture transfer for germination. This is very important with later planting as the season is shortened.
Nitrogen management
Nitrogen (N) management is a critical factor in spring malting barley, as it impacts both yield and protein.
It is very important to make a decision regarding N rates on malting barley. These need to be taken on a field-by-field basis.
Certain growers will have fields where producing lower protein levels is quite achievable, while other growers may have stronger fields that can generate higher proteins.
However, as later-sown crops are slightly later maturing, it may be important to reduce the total N applied to help keep protein down in the required range.
N needs to be applied early – no later than the three-leaf stage for malt and distilling and ideally earlier.
If all is applied on the seedbed, there is a greater risk of leaching as N is very soluble. But, if it all goes on late, the chances of hitting required grain specification diminishes.
There will be fast uptake of N, if it is incorporated into the seedbed and that will allow for early tillering. There is also a chance of late tillers by delaying the application of n, which may not make it to harvest.
The result here is green, immature grain that has the potential to increase protein, according to the Teagasc specialist.
A good compromise is to consider incorporating 70-80% of compound fertiliser into the seedbed and the remaining amount once tramlines are visible in order to achieve the required combination of yield and quality.