Malting Barley Variety Trial 2016 Results

Malting Barley Variety Trial 2016 Results (PDF)

Ellen Mallory and Tom Molloy, University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Twenty five varieties of two- and six-row spring malting barley were trialed at two locations in Maine in 2016 (Table 1). The trials were conducted in collaboration with 10 other institutions as part of the Eastern US Spring Malting Barley Evaluation project, organized by North Dakota State University and funded in part by the Brewers Association.

Table 1. Spring malting varieties evaluated in Old Town and Presque Isle, Maine 2016.
Variety Type Developer
2ND28065 2-row North Dakota State University
AAC Synergy 2-row Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Brandon)
AC Metcalfe 2-row Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Brandon)
Acorn 2-row Ackermann (Germany)
Bentley 2-row Field Crop Development Center (Lacombe, Alberta, Canada)
CDC Copeland 2-row Crop Development Center (University of Saskatchewan)
CDC Meredith 2-row Crop Development Center (University of Saskatchewan)
Cerveza 2-row Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Brandon)
Conlon 2-row North Dakota State University
Explorer 2-row Secobra (France)
Innovation 6-row Busch Agricultural Resources, LLC
KWS Beckie 2-row KWS (Germany)
KWS Fantex 2-row KWS (Germany)
Lacey 6-row University of Minnesota
LCS Odyssey 2-row Limagrain Cereal Seeds (United Kingdom)
LCS Genie 2-row Limagrain Cereal Seeds (United Kingdom)
ND Genesis 2-row North Dakota State University
Newdale 2-row Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Brandon)
Pinnacle 2-row North Dakota State University
Pioneer 2-row Secobra (France)
Quest 6-row University of Minnesota
Robust 6-row University of Minnesota
Steffi 2-row Ackermann (Germany)
SY Sirish 2-row Syngenta
Tradition 6-row Busch Agricultural Resources, LLC

METHODS

The trials were conducted at the University of Maine Rogers Research Farm, in Old Town, and the Aroostook Research Farm, in Presque Isle. Agronomic practices for both locations are described in Table 2. Agronomic and basic grain quality data were collected by the University of Maine and grain samples were submitted to North Dakota State University for comprehensive grain and malt quality analysis.

Table 2. Agronomic practices in Old Town and Presque Isle, Maine in 2016.
Old Town Presque Isle
Previous Crop Fallow/fall-planted oat cover crop Potato
Soil Type Nicholville very fine sandy loam Caribou gravely loam
Fertility 20 tons/acre solid dairy manure 200 lbs/acre of 30-0-6
Planting Date, Rate April 28, 1.25 million live seeds/acre May 24, 1.25 million live seeds/acre
Weed Control Tine harrow, May 17 and 21 MCPA Rhomene – 0.75 pt/acre, June 22 Harmony – 1 oz/acre, June 22
Harvest Date August 3 August 17

RESULTS

Grain yield was well above the historical state average of 59 bu/acre at both sites (Table 3; National Agricultural Statistic Service). Three of the highest yielding varieties at both sites were SY Sirish, Bentley, and LCS Odyssey, while lower yielding varieties were Conlon, Pinnacle, CDC Meredith, and CDC Copeland.

Varieties that dry down quickly after reaching physiological maturity are advantageous in humid climates like Maine, especially for growers with limited or no capacity to dry grain after harvest. Grain moisture measured at time of harvest averaged 14.7% at the Old Town location and all of the varieties were within about 1% of each other (Table 3). In contrast, grain moisture at the Presque Isle location, which was harvested 10 days later, averaged 18.1% and there was a wider range among varieties. Conlon had the lowest moisture (15.4%); Robust, Innovation, and Tradition had the highest (20.7–22.5%).

Leaf diseases were moderate among varieties due to dry growing conditions with the exception of Pinnacle, which had severe foliar disease symptoms at both locations (Table 3). Pinnacle also exhibited extremely high levels of the DON mycotoxin produced by Fusarium head blight at the Presque Isle site, as did AAC Synergy, Bentley and ND Genesis, making these poor variety choices for Maine (Table 4).

Pre-harvest sprouting is another key challenge for growing malting barley in Maine. RVA, Falling number, and germination energy, all measures of sprouting damage, were within the acceptable range in Old Town, but not in Presque Isle where most varieties showed evidence of severe sprouting damage, most likely due to not drying down the high moisture grain samples quickly enough after harvest (Table 4). Many varieties showed greater tolerance to sprouting damage than Newdale, a popular variety in Maine. Grain from the Old Town site was suitable for malting; malt quality results are reported in Table 5.

Table 3. Agronomic characteristics of malting barley varieties grown in Old Town and Presque Isle in 2016.
Yield† (bu/acre) Grain Moisture
at Harvest‡
(%)
Foliar Disease Severity
(1 – 9) §
Height
(in)
Stem Breakage
(1 – 9) §
Spike Density (num/ft2) Heading date
(days after 5/31)
Variety Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle
2ND28065 104 96 15.4 17.9 5.0 4.7 41 28 1.0 1.0 65 78.3 20 36
AAC Synergy 127 107 14.7 17.4 2.3 3.7 38 29 1.0 1.3 67 71.3 22 41
AC Metcalfe 93 91 14.8 18.3 4.7 4.7 38 30 1.0 1.3 59 66.0 22 36
Acorn 105 114 14.6 18.4 5.3 4.3 30 26 1.7 2.7 78 102.7 32 36
Bentley 125 110 15.0 17.4 2.3 4.7 39 32 1.0 1.7 58 60.7 22 36
CDC Copeland 92 78 14.8 17.3 4.3 5.0 38 31 1.3 2.3 46 65.3 29 48
CDC Meredith 80 85 15.1 18.3 4.7 3.7 36 29 2.0 2.7 60 60.3 32 48
Cerveza 122 101 14.5 17.0 3.0 4.7 37 27 1.0 1.0 65 81.7 27 36
Conlon 89 70 14.8 15.5 4.3 4.3 37 26 1.0 2.3 69 67.7 20 31
Explorer 109 94 15.1 18.0 5.7 5.0 29 22 1.7 1.7 81 77.3 29 36
Innovation 117 87 14.1 20.9 2.0 5.0 39 27 1.0 1.0 36 50.0 20 31
KWS Beckie 111 108 14.4 16.8 5.7 6.0 27 22 1.3 1.3 84 95.7 32 36
KWS Fantex 126 109 14.4 17.5 5.7 4.3 29 21 1.3 1.7 85 93.3 29 36
Lacey 116 89 14.9 19.0 2.0 4.3 41 29 1.0 1.0 35 41.3 20 31
LCS Odyssey 125 114 14.3 18.5 4.3 5.0 31 25 1.0 1.3 82 92.3 32 41
LCS Genie 108 110 14.6 17.5 4.7 5.3 30 26 1.7 2.7 83 83.7 31 41
ND Genesis 108 78 15.4 17.9 3.7 5.3 37 26 1.0 1.0 71 65.7 20 36
Newdale 115 105 14.6 16.7 3.7 3.7 35 27 1.3 1.7 77 76.3 27 41
Pinnacle 73 83 15.2 17.7 9.0 6.3 38 29 3.0 4.7 49 72.7 20 36
Pioneer 113 87 14.7 17.1 5.7 6.3 28 23 1.3 1.7 72 75.3 32 41
Quest 105 81 14.5 19.5 2.7 3.3 43 31 1.3 1.0 39 49.3 20 36
Robust 108 86 15.1 22.5 2.3 4.7 46 30 1.0 1.0 36 40.3 20 36
Steffi 110 90 14.5 16.4 4.7 5.7 35 25 1.3 2.3 66 80.7 22 36
SY Sirish 130 112 14.6 18.6 5.0 4.3 31 23 2.3 2.0 83 93.3 29 41
Tradition 110 82 14.3 20.7 2.7 4.3 37 29 1.3 1.0 41 45.3 20 36
Site average 109 95 14.7 18.1 4.2 4.8 36 27 1.4 1.7 64 71 25 38
LSD (0.05) 17 17 0.4 2.3 1.7 1.2 4 3 0.9 1.3 22 23
CV% 15.4 16.8 2.6 10.3 42.8 22.5 15.2 12.1 49.3 60.2 32.0 29.1

† Yield is reported at 13.5% moisture.
‡ Measured at time of harvest.
§ Scored visually using a scale from 1 = none to 9 = high.  Disease pressure was scored on July 18 in Old Town and Aug 4 in Presque Isle. Stem breakage was scored at harvest.

Table 4. Grain quality characteristics of malting barley varieties grown in Old Town and Presque Isle in 2016.
Test Wt.
(lbs/bu)
TKW
(g)
DON
(ppm)
Protein§
(%)
Plump Kernels
(%)
RVA#
(stirring
number)
Falling Number#
(seconds)
Germ. Energy¥
(%)
Variety Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle Old Town Presque Isle
2ND28065 53 48 49 51 0.0 1.4 10.6 9.5 96 96 182 106 403 251 99 76
AAC Synergy 52 44 52 54 0.1 9.4 9.5 9.6 99 98 174 20 388 79 97 26
AC Metcalfe 52 47 46 50 0.0 0.9 10.3 10.4 93 95 176 7 393 60 99 25
Acorn 47 44 44 52 0.0 0.3 8.5 9.3 92 98 182 96 404 231 99 84
Bentley 51 45 51 56 0.0 7.0 9.9 10.1 98 98 190 43 419 125 99 32
CDC Copeland 48 45 47 48 0.0 0.4 9.9 8.9 93 93 192 25 424 90 98 57
CDC Meredith 48 43 45 48 0.0 2.9 10.3 9.4 91 92 129 15 297 70 99 47
Cerveza 51 44 47 50 0.0 3.2 10.5 9.1 92 97 135 4 311 60 100 26
Conlon 52 47 56 56 0.0 1.0 11.4 11.5 99 98 133 32 306 104 99 60
Explorer 49 43 54 54 0.0 2.4 9.4 10.1 95 95 142 49 323 138 99 61
Innovation 51 46 44 48 0.0 1.0 11.4 12.0 98 98 184 107 407 254 100 65
KWS Beckie 46 42 46 51 0.0 0.5 8.8 9.3 95 97 191 108 422 256 100 85
KWS Fantex 49 44 50 51 0.1 1.9 8.9 9.4 97 96 176 89 392 217 99 49
Lacey 51 46 43 47 0.0 1.7 10.5 10.8 97 98 172 78 384 196 100 70
LCS Odyssey 49 45 48 53 0.0 0.5 8.9 9.3 96 97 148 107 337 254 98 66
LCC Genie 48 45 46 50 0.3 2.2 8.3 9.1 94 96 157 105 355 249 97 56
ND Genesis 53 45 52 52 0.0 9.6 9.9 10.4 98 95 192 35 423 110 99 30
Newdale 51 46 48 50 0.0 1.8 9.8 9.6 94 94 203 47 446 133 100 51
Pinnacle 47 45 47 54 0.0 17.2 10.2 9.3 88 96 240 43 519 126 99 56
Pioneer 48 44 53 51 0.0 0.2 9.3 9.4 95 96 184 110 408 260 98 91
Quest 50 46 39 44 0.0 0.6 10.6 10.6 88 95 171 104 382 248 99 74
Robust 51 46 42 46 0.0 2.1 11.6 11.3 97 97 171 139 383 317 100 66
Steffi 50 47 50 51 0.0 2.4 9.3 10.0 96 97 173 111 385 263 99 70
SY Sirish 49 46 49 53 0.0 0.1 10.2 10.0 98 99 176 95 393 229 100 91
Tradition 51 46 43 47 0.0 1.8 10.8 11.5 97 97 210 117 460 273 100 55
Site average 50 45 48 51 0.0 2.9 9.9 10.0 95 96 175 72 391 184 99 59
LSD (0.05) 2 1 2 3
CV% 4.1 3.3 8.8 6.8

† Thousand kernel weight.   ‡ Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin caused by Fusarium head blight.   § Protein is reported on a dry matter basis. Acceptable range is 9.5-12.5%.
≠ Kernel plumpness is measured as the percentage of barley that remains on top of a 6/64” by 3/4” slotted sieve after shaking.
# Rapid Visco-Analyzer (RVA) and Falling number are both indicators of pre-harvest sprout damage. Samples with RVA>120 and Falling number >250 are considered sound with high probability of maintaining germination energy in storage. Values below these levels indicate sprout damage with severity increasing as values decrease.
¥ Germination energy is the percentage of kernels that germinate over 3 days under standard moisture and temperature conditions. >95% is considered acceptable.

Table 5. Malt quality results for malt made from the barley varieties grown in Old Town in 2016.
Friability Fine Grind Extract Diastatic Power Alpha-Amylase Soluble Protein§ Soluble N/Total N Wort Color Wort Viscosity FAN# Beta-glucan¥
Variety (%) (%) (°L) (DU) (%) (%) (ASBC) (mPa.s) (ppm) (mg/L)
2ND28065 68.5 81.5 103.3 81.1 5.56 52.5 2.1 1.59 231 613
AAC Synergy 78.5 82.6 99.3 95.7 5.39 57.0 2.6 1.57 225 384
AC Metcalfe 70.0 81.4 131.4 98.2 5.26 51.1 2.7 1.51 217 397
Acorn 85.1 84.0 96.7 87.3 3.93 46.2 2.6 1.51 186 376
Bentley 71.8 81.9 93.7 84.0 4.88 49.4 2.6 1.60 218 547
CDC Copeland 78.5 81.0 105.2 89.7 5.93 60.2 3.3 1.49 241 248
CDC Meredith 73.3 80.5 106.0 87.3 5.62 54.6 3.5 1.51 226 434
Cerveza 60.7 82.7 103.2 87.5 4.86 46.4 2.5 1.69 190 737
Conlon 65.4 81.9 112.3 77.6 4.45 39.1 2.4 1.72 190 733
Explorer 83.3 81.4 97.4 96.2 4.81 51.4 2.8 1.47 221 260
Innovation 73.1 81.5 151.5 89.2 5.02 43.8 2.0 1.71 239 620
KWS Beckie 82.0 83.4 95.9 79.5 4.85 55.4 2.9 1.48 203 279
KWS Fantex 81.2 83.3 96.0 78.4 4.31 48.3 2.7 1.51 195 435
Lacey 82.1 81.5 137.0 69.1 4.78 45.7 2.0 1.54 222 376
LCS Genie 89.1 83.1 105.0 77.8 4.75 57.1 2.9 1.49 200 237
LCS Odyssey 78.5 82.9 94.5 85.6 4.89 54.7 2.8 1.51 200 441
ND Genesis 70.4 81.1 124.6 95.8 5.19 52.5 2.4 1.64 223 727
Newdale 73.8 81.9 105.1 90.5 4.71 48.0 2.7 1.56 205 489
Pinnacle 63.0 80.1 111.2 61.2 4.16 41.0 2.0 1.62 185 698
Pioneer 83.9 81.5 94.4 96.7 4.99 53.5 2.9 1.47 224 248
Quest 79.1 81.3 127.9 73.0 4.78 44.9 2.0 1.64 225 557
Robust 75.9 80.5 155.9 52.7 5.17 44.7 2.2 1.57 233 502
Steffi 65.3 81.3 93.6 74.5 4.55 44.5 2.5 1.51 201 476
SY Sirish 83.7 82.8 105.8 83.8 5.26 56.9 2.7 1.46 221 299
Tradition 72.4 81.1 159.7 65.8 4.84 44.7 1.9 1.72 219 602
Site average 75.5 81.8 112.3 82.3 4.92 49.7 2.5 1.56 214 469

† Indicator of the maximum yield of soluble components in the wort (hot water mixed with ground malt). Soluble components are primarily carbohydrates, the source of fermentable sugars, and proteins. Reported as a percentage of original malt weight on a dry matter basis. Minimum acceptable level is 80%.
‡ Indicator of the strength of all starch-degrading enzymes in the malt. Reported in “°Lintner”.
≠ Indicator of the strength of the alpha-amylase enzyme. Reported in dextrinizing units (DU). Acceptable levels for an all-malt mash is >30%.
The amount of soluble proteins in the wort expressed as a percentage of malt weight. Acceptable range is 4.5-5.5%.
# FAN = Free amino nitrogen. A measure of amino acids and small peptides available in the malt to support yeast during fermentation.
¥ The concentration of beta glucan (cell wall material) is associated with lautering issues.

Updated June 30, 2017


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