Detailed Explanation of Key Technical Points for Malting Barley Cultivation

There is not much difference in appearance between malting barley and feed barley; malting barley is the main raw material for brewing beer. Let's take a look at the techniques for cultivating malting barley.

1. Land Selection and Preparation 

Malting barley has a wide adaptability to soil; loam and light loam are both suitable for planting, and the previous crop is best as green manure, legumes, corn, oil sunflower and other crops. According to measurements: organic matter content 1.3%, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen 57 mg/kg, available phosphorus 7 mg/kg, available potassium 140 mg/kg; plots with sufficient water sources and medium-to-upper soil fertility are most suitable for planting malting barley. 

In order to strive for timely early sowing, the plot for planting barley should preferably undergo autumn plowing and autumn turning, and be prepared into a ready-to-sow state before winter. 

2. Pre-Sowing Preparation 

1 Fertilization 

In fertilizing malting barley, besides increasing yield, quality improvement should also be taken into account. The fertilization approach should be “heavy application of base fertilizer, proper use of seed fertilizer, early topdressing of seedling fertilizer.” The base fertilizer should combine organic fertilizer and inorganic fertilizer. Among the inorganic fertilizers, more than 80% of the nitrogen fertilizer should be used as base fertilizer; except for a small amount of phosphate fertilizer used as seed fertilizer, all the rest should be used as base fertilizer. 

2 Seed Treatment 

At present, the malting barley varieties relatively suitable for planting in Tacheng City mainly include: Xinyin D8, Ganpi 4, Xinyin D5, etc. 

Before sowing, dress the seeds with carbendazim to prevent barley smut. 

3. Sowing 

1 Timely Early Sowing 

Malting barley is an early spring crop and is suitable for growing under cold climate conditions. The suitable sowing period in Tacheng City is around April 12. 

2 Sowing Method 

The sowing rate is 12-15 kg per 667 m2. Sowing is carried out in rows with a 24-row seeder, using small beds 1.2 m wide for sowing, with a row spacing of 15 cm. 2 Shallow sowing is beneficial for emergence; the requirements are uniform seed drop, consistent sowing depth, straight rows, and good soil covering and pressing. 

4. Field Management 

Barley has a short growth period and fast growth and development, so field management measures should be appropriately advanced, with early management promoting early development. For wheat fields with a relatively large population, seedling growth should be properly controlled at the jointing stage to prevent lodging. 

1 Irrigation 

Irrigation during the growth period should follow the principle of “early irrigation, frequent irrigation, light irrigation,” and do a good job of irrigation at 4 stages: seedling stage, jointing stage, booting stage and grain-filling stage. The first irrigation should begin at the 2-leaf 1-heart stage. Throughout the growth period, increase the number of irrigations and reduce the amount of water per irrigation, so as to prevent water shortage and drought on the one hand, and prevent waterlogging caused by flood irrigation on the other. 

2 Fertilization 

Barley is weaned early at the seedling stage, so it needs much fertilizer, and topdressing should be advanced. In the middle and later stages, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer used must be strictly controlled. Spraying foliar fertilizers such as potassium dihydrogen phosphate in the late heading stage of barley has the effect of defending against dry hot wind and increasing 1000-grain weight. Because the stems are thin and weak, high-yield fields are prone to lodging; prevent excessive tillering and an excessively large population, and spray chlormequat as appropriate before jointing to inhibit elongation of the basal internodes. 

3 Pest, Disease and Weed Control 

At the seedling stage, spray 50 g of Daluoma and 50 g of tribenuron-methyl per 667 m2, mixed with foliar fertilizer, to control weeds. 

During the growth period, use 80 g of triadimefon per 667 m2 mixed with water for spraying to control rust; use 80 g of carbendazim per 667 m2 mixed with water for foliar spraying to control net blotch. 

Use 80 g of dimethoate per 667 m2 mixed with water for spraying to control aphids, generally spraying twice. At the same time, spray a mixture of potassium dihydrogen phosphate and Fengleding on the leaves to help the grains plump up and play a role in resisting dry hot wind. 

5. Timely Harvest 

The late dough stage is the suitable harvest period for barley; harvest early.