Screening Barley Lines for Adaptation in Texas.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) has been largely absent from Texas cropping systems in recent memory with no current breeding program in the state. Therefore, there is currently little to no screening of new barley germplasm in Texas.  However, there has been recent interest by producers and malt brewers for locally grown barley. New barley variety options might allow some producers to cash in on the increasingly popular “local food movement” for malted barley used in local microbreweries or in cropping systems as a more drought resistant grain or forage alternative to wheat. To address this issue, over 830 advanced breeding lines from the Triticeae Coordinated Agricultural Project (TCAP) were screened under Texas environments for superior malting quality, forage and silage production, Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) resistance, and yield stability across environments.

The objectives of this study were to 1) Identify barley lines with superior forage and silage production in Texas, 2) Screen barley lines for Hessian fly resistance, and 3) Evaluate a wide-range of barley types and germplasm from Barley TCAP to identify adapted lines for feed and malting across different growing environments/climates in Texas. The initial year of screening resulted in a reduction of over 800 barley lines to 150 lines based on characteristics such as disease resistance, vernalization requirements, and grain production. In subsequent years, lines were grown at more locations and larger plots for better yield estimation and evaluated for yield and malting quality. Replicated yield trials began in the third year for forage and silage production and screening for Hessian fly resistance. The goal of these trials was to identify lines with high grain or forage production capabilities for barley production in Texas.