Barley: A Major Cereal Grain

Barley, Hordeumvulgare L is a major cereal grain and a member of the grass family. It is among the major grains by quantity produced behind corn, Rice and wheat. Barley is mainly used in malting, Animal feed and food for human consumption.

Background
In the grasslands where people liked to live, barley grew wild, and people gathered it to eat boiled or ground into flour and baked when it came ripe every spring. People first began to farm barley (instead of picking it wild) around 11,000 BC in West Asia, possibly because of a climate change that made the world hotter and drier.

Barley farming spread south from West Asia to Egypt and North Africa around 8500 BC and to Sudan by about 5000 BC. Barley also spread to Greece and Italy about 7000 BC, and reached northern Europe about 5000 BC, travelling along the Danube and Volga rivers. Barley reached India by about 6000 BC, and got to China about 3000 BC. By about 1000 BC, people were farming barley in Korea, and by 500 AD Tibetan people were also eating a lot of barley. Barley reached Ethiopia about 500 BC, and West Africa in the Middle Ages. The Dutch brought barley to South Africa in the late 1650s.

British settlers brought barley to the Americas in the 1600s AD in order to make beer, but they ate mostly wheat and oats. Spanish traders brought barley to South America, Mexico, and California. Settlers introduced barley to the rest of the world.

Ideal Growing conditions
Compared to wheat, barley has a better drought, salt and cold tolerance and grows well in temperate and semiarid subtropical climates. Soils with a pH of 6.5-8.0 and of medium texture are ideal for the cultivation of barley.

The crop requires well-drained loam soils with moderate rainfall of between 400-800 mm or irrigated and with a moderate temperature of between 15-30oC. Anaerobism (lack of oxygen in the soil), low or high temperatures and drought lead to severe grain losses.

Growing areas in Kenya
Barley is majorly grown in Mt Kenya Region, Narok, North Rift and Naivasha.

Agronomic Practices
propagation: Barley is propagated by seeds. It is highly advisable to use certified seeds for the following reasons:

• Certified seed does not contain weed seeds such as wild oats, Setaria spp., Rye, Browe, Beckeropsis and grasses.

• It has good germination because it contains sound kernels - neither broken nor cracked.

• Are of one variety to ensure even ripening and uniformity of the crop.

Fertilization: Owing to the greater tendency of barley to lodge, as compared with wheat, stem stabilizers are being used in intensive growing systems. Potassium silicate is recommended to prevent lodging of the crop.

The use of fertilizer in barley farming depends on the soil use practices used by the grower and the previous fertilizer use on the same piece of land. Soil tests are highly recommended for accurate fertilizer application.

Establishment: Nitrogen is required for rapid early growth. Phosphate is needed to supply energy for early growth and development especially for gaining significant root mass.

Tillering: Nitrogen is important for leaf development and size and for increasing the number of tillers per plant. Manganese is essential for the structure of proteins and enzymes that help in the photosynthesis.

Stem extension: Nitrogen for rapid growth and germination and large leaves. Phosphate for energy needed for growth and development Potassium is needed for structural strength and water regulation. Sulfur is a vital part of plant proteins, and certain plant hormones. Zinc for internode elongation, formation of enzymes and hormones.

Flag leaf and grain filling: Nitrogen for higher yields through green leaf duration, grain site survival, grain size and protein levels. Magnesium for green leaf duration. Phosphate for dry for yield improvements through remobilization of dry matter Boron improves pollen viability for better fertilization.

Pests and diseases
Notable insect pests affecting barley include: Barley Thrips. Cereal leaf beetle, Grasshoppers, Wheat stem sawfly and Wireworms. Main diseases are, Stripe rust, Smut, Septoria, Ergot, Fusarium Head Blight and Leaf Rust

Weed control
Like all cereals, barley requires a weed free growing environment. Use of preemergence and post-emergence herbicides is very important in the cultivation of the crop because it is extensively affected by broadleaved weeds and annual grasses.

David Mulandi
Agronomist Amiran Kenya Ltd.