How to Grow Barley: Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Key Techniques

Barley is a grass family plant, and it is grown in many regions of our country, so how do you grow barley? What varieties are there?

1. How to Grow Barley

First, select a barley variety suited to local growing conditions, then choose flat, fertile, deep soil for planting, sow at the appropriate time according to the local climate, and pay attention to planting density. After planting, carry out management such as fertilizing, watering, and weeding.

1. Seed selection

Choose barley varieties suited for special forage use or dual-purpose use, such as: Minmai No. 2, Fudamai No. 1, Fudamai No. 2, etc. Before sowing, carefully select the seeds, choosing plump seeds with good color, removing diseased, shriveled, and rotten grains, and sun-dry the seeds for 1-2 days on a sunny day.

2. Land selection

For soil selection, choose flat land with a deep, fertile plough layer, an active soil layer of more than 25cm, good soil structure, and no obstacles to cultivation.

3. Sowing

This depends on local conditions. Taking Fujian Province as an example, a soil temperature of 10-20°C is suitable for sowing.

4. Planting density

The sowing rate is generally 135-180kg/hm2, and the basic seedling number should be controlled at about 2.25 million/hm2.

5. Other management

Fertilizing: In fields with medium fertility, the recommended fertilizer rate is pure N 285kg/hm2, P2O5 120kg/hm2, K2O 285kg/hm2. Apply sufficient base fertilizer to promote early and rapid growth of the barley seedlings and build a good seedling population.

Watering: Barley seedling production requires a relatively large amount of water, so keep the field in a moist state as much as possible, especially after cutting the seedlings, keep the soil moist. If the soil is relatively dry at this time, it must be irrigated to meet the water needs of the barley seedlings for regrowth.

Weeding: To ensure the food safety of the barley forage, it is generally not recommended to apply herbicides. Under normal environmental conditions, the barley forage grows more vigorously than weeds, and individual fast-growing weeds can be pulled out by hand.

2. Varieties of Barley

1. Naked barley

Annual, with three upright culms, about 100 cm tall, 4-6 mm in diameter, with 4-5 nodes, often cultivated in the northwestern and southwestern provinces of our country. Suitable for cool plateau climates.

2. Tibetan naked barley

Annual. Culms upright, smooth, about 100 cm tall. Leaf sheaths smooth, shorter than the internodes, with two lanceolate auricles on both sides; ligule membranous, 1-2 mm long; leaf blades 18-25 cm long, 1-1.8 cm wide. Often cultivated in Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu and other provinces and regions of our country, and also grown in North China and other areas.