Research results: Can winter barley be grown in Central Saskatchewan?
By Gursahib Singh, Garry Hnatowich, Mitchell Japp
Irrigation Crop Diversification Corporation (ICDC), Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley).
Winter barley is a frequent topic of inquiry to the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley). A field trial was established in the South Saskatchewan River Irrigation District to evaluate the survivability of winter barley varieties. Despite the best winter barley genetics in Canada, good fall establishment and ideal winter conditions, the trial indicated that no – the winter barley did not survive a Saskatchewan winter.
The Details
Four winter barley varieties and one winter wheat variety (control check) were seeded in early September, 2021 in a randomized complete block design. The trial was established on an irrigated Elstow loam, previously planted in canola. The treatment consisted of two seeding rates (200 vs. 400 seeds/m²) and seed treatment (none vs. treated).
All five varieties emerged and successfully established in the fall. The canola stubble provided ideal snow-trap potential, with good snow cover for most of the winter. New growth in the winter wheat plot was observed in early May, whereas none of the four winter barley varieties had new growth in the spring. The project was terminated at the end of May due to no growth in winter barley plots.
Despite having the best conditions Central Saskatchewan could offer – moisture in the fall, good snow-trap potential, high seeding rate and seed treatment, the winter barley in this trail still failed to survive the winter.
Exploring Winter Barley Potential in Western Canada: Trials and Insights
Winter barley is not grown in Western Canada. Fowler (2018) reported lower winter survivability of winter barley compared to fall rye or winter wheat. Winter barley has been grown in southern Ontario, with some indications of renewed interest in winter barley in the prairies.
SaskBarley receives inquiries about winter barley. Seed grower, Greg Stamp with Stamp Seeds, at Enchant, Alberta, has experimented with winter barley. Pursuing the interest and building on Stamp’s on-farm testing, SaskBarley partnered with Irrigation Crop Diversification Centre (ICDC) to demonstrate the winter hardiness of four new winter barley varieties recently introduced to southern Ontario.
Beres et al. (2016) led research on winter wheat cropping systems from 2011-13. The team showed that increasing seeding rate, using a seed treatment and using vigorous seed improved the stability of both yield and test weight across 26 site-years.
We hypothesized that the combination of optimal agronomics, irrigation for good establishment and the newest winter barley genetics available in Canada would identify a winter barley variety able to over-winter in Central Saskatchewan. The results were less than promising.
Winter Barley Field Trial Design and Agronomic Treatments
The trial was sown near Outlook, SK on September 10, 2021, under irrigation to aid in establishing healthy plants. The previous crop was canola, with good snow trapping potential. Soil nutrient levels were determined to be low. At seeding, 85 kg/ha of N (urea) was side-banded, with an additional 50 kg/ha broadcasted in the spring (May 3). As well, 60kg/ha of actual phosphorus (MAP) was fall banded (August 28) prior to the seeding, and an additional 30 kg/ha was seed placed.
Five varieties (four winter barley and one winter wheat) were tested with four agronomic factors (listed below), resulting in a total of 20 treatments.
- Treatment 1 Low seeding rate (200 seeds/m²), no seed treatment
- Treatment 2 Low seeding rate (200 seeds/m²), seed treatment *
- Treatment 3 High seeding rate (400 seeds/m², no seed treatment
- Treatment 4 High seeding rate (400 seeds/m²), seed treatment *
* dual fungicide/insecticide – CruiserMaxx® Vibrance® Cereals seed treatment
Winter wheat variety AAC Goldrush was grown with all 4 agronomic treatments, to compare winter survival in the winter barley to a hardier crop. The four-winter barley varieties included in the field trial were: SC18-012WB, SC18-02WB, SC19-003WB and SC19-004WB.
Plants were counted in four one-metre rows and flagged in the fall, and the same area was visited again for spring establishment.
The Results: Emergence Success but Overwintering Challenges
Emergence improved with improved agronomics. All plots had adequate fall emergence and both seeding rates (high and low; P = 0.0057), and seed treatment (treated vs untreated; P = 0.0032) had a significant effect on plant emergence. Spring establishment was only noted in winter wheat, as no new growth was observed in winter barley plots.
The winter wheat check plot indicates that the conditions in the trial were optimal overwintering conditions for Central Saskatchewan. Despite the optimal conditions, the winter barley failed to establish in the spring. The trial was terminated in early June.
The results of this trial are consistent with on-farm experiences in southern Alberta (Stamp, 2021). Screening germplasm in Central Alberta had similar challenges to finding suitable germplasm for production in Western Canada (Capettini, 2020).
