Key Points of Highland Barley Cultivation Techniques and Field Management Methods
Highland barley, English name: hullessbarley, is a cereal crop of the grass family (Poaceae) and the Hordeum genus. Because its inner and outer glumes are separated and the grain is naked, it is also called naked barley, yuanmai, or rice barley. It is mainly produced in Tibet, China, Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan and other places, and is the staple food of the Tibetan people. Highland barley has a cultivation history of about 3500 years on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It extends from material culture into the spiritual and cultural realm, forming a highland barley culture with rich connotations and strong ethnic characteristics on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It has a wide range of medicinal and nutritional value, and highland barley products such as highland barley fine dried noodles, highland barley steamed buns, and highland barley nutritional powder have already been introduced.
Cultivation Methods
1. Land preparation
Land preparation for highland barley varies according to the cropping system, soil, weather and other factors. Dryland fields should promptly conserve moisture through precipitation during the fallow period. For autumn-harvested crops such as potato and corn used as the previous crop for winter highland barley, plow promptly after harvest, with deep plowing of 20~25 cm. During land preparation, the requirements are "level, even, loose, fine, clean, and moist." Preparing the land before sowing helps improve sowing quality, and applying heavy base fertilizer in combination with land preparation is an important measure to increase highland barley yield.
2. Apply sufficient base fertilizer
The fertilization principle is generally "heavy application of base fertilizer, proper use of seed fertilizer, and early application of seedling fertilizer," combining organic fertilizer with inorganic fertilizer. All organic fertilizer and about 80% of the nitrogen fertilizer and a small amount of phosphorus fertilizer, apart from being used as seed fertilizer, should all be applied into the soil before plowing. Suitable fertilizer types and application rates should also be determined according to the local soil nutrient supply capacity, yield targets, and other factors.
3. Seed preparation
To achieve high yield, good-quality seed is necessary. Good seed should meet four conditions: first, good quality; second, high yield and great yield-increasing potential; third, the variety should adapt to the local cropping system and soil conditions; fourth, it should have strong resistance to local diseases, insect pests, weeds, and other natural disasters.
4. Spring sowing
Sow early at the appropriate time. For sowing time, in semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral areas (altitude 2600~3000 m), sowing is required in mid-March; in grassland pastoral areas (altitude 3000~3400 m), sow in early April. Winter highland barley is sown in early October. The sowing rate depends on variety type, different regions, planting methods, and so on. Generally, varieties with strong tillering ability and a high ear-bearing rate should be sown less, while varieties with weak tillering ability and a low ear-bearing rate should be sown more. Broadcast sowing requires a larger sowing rate than drilling. Generally, the seed rate is 15~17.5 kg per mu, generally 300,000 grains/mu. For drilling, the row spacing should preferably be 20~22 cm. Before sowing, use 15% triadimefon for seed dressing (50~80 g per mu) to control smut and prevent various rust diseases of highland barley, and chemically control wild oats. Apply 1000 kg of farmyard manure per mu as base fertilizer, 15 kg of superphosphate, and 5 kg of urea as seed fertilizer. When broadcasting, try to scatter the seeds into the furrows as much as possible. The seed covering depth is 2~3 cm, and must not exceed 5 cm at the deepest.
5. Field management
After highland barley emerges, promptly inspect the seedlings and fill gaps, thin dense areas and fill missing spots, and break soil crusting, so as to achieve uniform and complete stands and lay the foundation for strong seedlings. Manual and chemical weeding are important field management measures to ensure the normal growth and development of highland barley. In addition to manual weeding, chemical weeding methods are mostly used, among which 2,4-D butyl ester is the most widely used. Generally, at the 3~4 leaf stage of highland barley, combine cultivation and weeding to chemically control broadleaf weeds in the field. Before the jointing stage of highland barley, spray 60~80 ml of 2,4-D butyl ester per mu. At the same time, pay attention to disease and pest control. Irrigation and topdressing are needed to ensure the nutritional and water requirements for the growth and metabolism of highland barley. Timely irrigation at the seedling stage can promote spike differentiation of highland barley and form large spikes. Irrigation at the heading, flowering, and grain-filling stages can promote plump grains and the accumulation of nutrients in highland barley. Apply chemical fertilizer as a topdressing as appropriate according to seedling conditions, mainly nitrogen fertilizer (urea), preferably combined with irrigation. At the 2-leaf 1-heart stage of highland barley, apply 4~5 kg of urea per mu as topdressing, and before the heading stage, apply 3~4 kg of urea per mu.
6. Harvesting and storage
Highland barley should be harvested promptly after dough stage; delayed harvest will affect yield and also affect the storage quality of highland barley. The best time to harvest highland barley is at the yellow-ripe stage, that is, when the plants and spikes are all yellow and the moisture content is less than 20%~22%, harvest and thresh without damaging the grains. After harvest, dry promptly in the sun, prevent mixing, and sieve to remove impurities, so that the grain moisture content drops to 10%~12%, which is beneficial for safe seed storage.
Disease and pest control. To control highland barley bunt, triadimefon seed dressing should be used, or spray with a 1000-fold solution of 15% triadimefon wettable powder. After several years of large-scale control, rodent damage in farmland has been reduced, but it is still relatively serious in some places. Comprehensive measures should continue to be taken for control, and the protected area should be expanded as much as possible, so as to ensure increased production and income of highland barley.