El Niño seemed to have taken its toll on Virginia's barley crop in 1997-98. A normal fall was followed by an unusually warm winter and early spring, which was interrupted by a late freeze. Heading occurred approximately one week earlier than usual. Lower than normal temperatures and excessive moisture throughout most of the season resulted in high disease pressure and, subsequently, poor test weights. Scald (Rhynchosporium secalis), net blotch (Pyrenophora teres), leaf rust (Puccinia hordei), and scab (Fusarium sp.) were prevalent across the state. The late spring freeze caused significant damage to some genotypes. Early development of tillers and lack of significant snowfall to serve as insulation allowed the late freeze to take its toll on the crop. Excessive lodging caused by heavy rains throughout the growing season also contributed to lower yields. Overall, the unpredictable and unusual weather patterns of 1998 resulted in low test weights and low yields across the state.

Production

Virginia producers harvested 70,000 acres (28,350 ha) of winter feed-barley for grain in 1998. Grain yields across the state averaged 61 bu ac^-1 (3279 kg ha^-1). This figure is 24 bu ac^-1 (1290 kg ha^-1) lower than the state yield-record set in 1997. Total grain production in 1998 was 4.3 million bushels (93,706 metric tons).

State Cultivar Tests

A total of 40 winter feed-barley entries were evaluated at 5 Virginia locations in 1998. Thirty-six experimental lines and four released cultivars were included in the test. The experimental line VA96B-248 had the highest average yield with 115 bu ac^-1 (6181 kg ha^-1). Of the top 10 yielding entries, 7 were Virginia Tech experimental lines and 3 were released cultivars. Callao ranked second, Starling ranked fourth, and Nomini ranked seventh with yields of 112 bu ac^-1 (6020 kg ha^-1), 109 bu ac^-1 (5859 kg ha^-1), and 106 bu ac^-1 (5698 kg ha^-1), respectively. Average test weights of all entries ranged from 43.7 lb bu^-1 (562 kg m^-3) to 48.7 lb bu^-1 (627 kg m^-3). The experimental line VA96B-248, in addition to having the highest overall yield, also had the highest overall test weight. Test weights among the released cultivars ranged from 44.8 lb bu^-1 (576 kg m^-3) for Starling to 48.1 lb bu^-1 (619 kg m^-3) for Callao.

1998 Virginia Barley Yield Contest

Among participants, David Hula of Charles City County had the highest yielding barley at 129 bu ac^-1 (6934 kg ha^-1) over a minimum area of three acres (1.2 ha). Other producers had yields ranging from 92 to 112 bu ac^-1 (4945 kg ha^-1 to 6020 kg ha^-1).

Congratulations go out to all producers for persevering last year's bizarre weather conditions and tremendous disease pressure!

Barley Research and Outlook for 1999

Although 1998 proved to be a tough year for Virginia producers, both agronomically and economically, barley continues to be the subject of many innovative and exciting research projects