Winter Malt Barley Cultivar Response to Disease Incidence and Management Effects on Grain Yield and Quality.

According to the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild, the number of craft breweries is expected to increase by 50% over the next five years. In order to supply this industry with quality raw materials, and to produce as much of this raw material in Virginia as possible, we need adapted malt-type barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars and management recommendations. Nine and eleven malt-type cultivars were grown at two locations in 2013 and 2014, respectively, in a factorial arrangement of treatments with either: no fungicides, only propiconizole at GS 45, only prothioconizole+tebuconizole at GS 54, or both propiconizole at GS 45 and prothioconizole+tebuconizole at GS 54. Disease levels were rated qualitatively on a scale of 0-9 at GS 60 and grain yield, moisture and test weight data collected at harvest. Both fungicides decreased the incidence of foliar disease while there was very little head scab (Fusarium graminearum L.) at any site. Grain yield and test weight varied among cultivars but was only occasionally increased by fungicide applications highlighting the need for disease scouting and integrated management.