Screening Barley Lines for Forage Production and Hessian Fly Resistance in Texas.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) has been largely absent from Texas cropping systems in recent memory with no current breeding program in the state. However, barley may become increasingly important due to a rapidly growing dairy industry especially in the Texas panhandle. Barley would provide a more drought tolerant alternative to other small grains as a forage source for dairy cattle which would be highly beneficial to the High Plains region due to the depletion of the Ogallala aquifer. Additionally, roughly three million acres of small grains are grazed in Texas and barley may offer a source of fall forage for beef cattle. Moreover, barley may provide more resistance to insects such as Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor), which can be devastating to wheat. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to 1) Identify barley lines with superior forage and silage production and 2) Screen barley lines for Hessian fly resistance.

Forage and Hessian fly screening trials began in the fall of 2015 with 140 winter and facultative barley lines obtained from the Triticeae Coordinated Agricultural Project (TCAP). Two years of replicated field trials laid out in alpha lattice designs with two replications revealed significant differences (P < 0.0005) among entries for evaluations of fall forage at four out of six environments as well as significant differences (P < 0.05) for silage dry matter production at three out of four environments. Similarly designed trials for evaluating Hessian fly resistance found significant differences (P < 0.05) at one out of two locations although the coefficient of variation (CV%) was very low for both environments. These trials will provide important information for eliminating unadapted lines with low disease resistance, long vernalization requirements, and low spring frost tolerance.