How are barley seeds selected? What are the seedling-raising methods?

Barley is actually a kind of crop, with a very wide growing environment, and it has spring and winter growth habits. Barley is also one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world, with multiple uses such as food, feed, brewing, and medicinal use.

1. How are barley varieties classified?

1. Cultivated barley has 3 species: six-rowed barley, whose flower spike has two opposite grooves, each groove bearing 3 spikelets, each spikelet bearing 1 floret, setting 1 grain. Two-rowed barley is of the two-row type; among the spikelets there is one central floret, which can set grain, while the lateral florets are usually sterile. Irregular barley, or the Abyssinian intermediate type, is rarely cultivated; the central floret is fertile, and the lateral florets are fertile or sterile. 

2. Barley is the general term for hulled barley and naked barley. Generally, hulled barley is called covered barley, characterized by the husk being attached to the grain; in naked barley the husk and grain are separated, and it is called naked barley, known as highland barley on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, yuanmai in the Yangtze River basin, and mimai in North China, etc. 

3. In botanical classification, barley belongs to the grass family - Hordeum genus. The economically valuable ones are two subspecies of the common barley species, namely the two-rowed barley subspecies and the multi-rowed barley subspecies. We usually call multi-rowed barley six-rowed barley.  In two-rowed barley, of the triplet spikelets on each node of the rachis, only the central spikelet sets grain, while the lateral spikelets are underdeveloped or degenerated and cannot set grain. Two-rowed barley has few grains per spike, and the grains are large and uniform. In the Yangtze River basin of China, people generally prefer to grow two-rowed barley.  In six-rowed barley, all the triplet spikelets on each node of the rachis set grain. Generally the central spikelet develops earlier than the lateral spikelets, so the grains of the central spikelet are slightly larger than those of the lateral spikelets. Because the density of the triplet spikelets on the rachis differs, it is divided into three types: sparse (7-14 within 4 cm), dense (15-19 within 4 cm), and very dense (more than 19 within 4 cm). Among them, the sparse type of triplet spikelet arrangement has 4 corners in the cross-section of the spike, which people call four-rowed barley, actually sparse six-rowed barley.

2. What are the barley seedling-raising methods?

1. Planting time

Barley seeds can be sown in both spring and autumn; spring sowing is suitable from February to May, and autumn sowing is from August to October. The climate conditions in these two periods are more suitable for seed germination and can give a higher germination rate. The sowing time of barley is not as strict as that of wheat; it is a very easy-to-grow plant.

2. Selecting seeds

The first thing in growing barley is to select high-quality seeds; good seeds are the prerequisite for everything, and can give a higher germination rate, thus affecting the final yield. It is best to choose barley seeds harvested in the current year; old seeds must not exceed three years, otherwise it will seriously affect germination and also reduce yield. Only by choosing mature, plump new seeds for planting can yield be guaranteed.

3. Planting soil

Barley does not have high soil requirements, but before sowing the land still needs to be finely prepared; the planting site should be plowed, the soil broken up fine, and sufficient base fertilizer applied to keep the soil fertile, which is very helpful for seed germination and subsequent growth.

4. Points to note

After all the preparatory work is done, sowing begins. Barley seeds are generally broadcast directly; note that when sowing, the seeds must not be buried too deep, otherwise it will affect germination; a depth of about two to three cm is enough. After sowing, management work must also be done well. Barley likes moisture, so it should be watered appropriately, but in the rainy season drainage work must be done well, otherwise waterlogging in the soil will cause big problems.

In fact, barley is a very good food crop, with both edible value and medicinal value. Farmers who choose to grow barley can consider varieties according to the local ecological environment.

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