P-10
Impact of crop desiccants on barley and malt quality
Presenter: Richard Horsley, Department of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
Co-Authors: J.D. Pederson, R.D. Horsley, J. Barr, and P.B. Schwarz, Department of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND

Weather conditions during the barely harvest season can be very unpredictable. Delayed harvest due to wet conditions can reduce grain quality by increasing preharvest sprouting, mold growth, and/or excessive kernel discoloration. To hasten crop dry-down, many barley producers use pre-harvest herbicides such as Round-up® (glyphosate) as a crop desiccant. However, this treatment is not a registered treatment for malting barley. A field study was conducted using Robust barley over two years at two locations in North Dakota to determine the effect of herbicidal crop desiccants on barley quality. Plots were treated with herbicides either at the soft-dough stage when producers would likely apply the chemicals to get a dry-down response or at the hard-dough stage. Desiccants significantly affected germination, kernel plumpness, and wort viscosity. Germination and kernel plumpness were reduced as compared to the untreated Robust (control), especially in those plots sprayed at the soft dough stage. Wort viscosities of the malts made from the control and treated plots did not differ. Application of crop desiccants had no affect on barley protein, malt extract, fine-coarse difference, wort protein, the S/T ratio, enzymatic activity, and FAN.

Rich Horsley is coordinator of the North Dakota State University Malting Barley Improvement Program, six-rowed barley breeder, and a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University. He joined the faculty in 1988. Dr. Horsley received a B.S. in agronomy from the University of Minnesota, an M.S. in agronomy from North Dakota State University, and a Ph.D. in crop and weed sciences from North Dakota State University. His primary responsibilities are to oversee the expansion of the malting barley varietal development program in western North Dakota and as head of the six-rowed barley-breeding project. The goals of his breeding project are to develop and release improved six-rowed barley varieties acceptable to growers in North Dakota and to those who use and process the grain. Dr. Horsley's research interests include identifying genes that contribute to agronomic, disease resistance, and malting quality traits of barley using molecular mapping techniques.