SRUC in barley defect research project

SCOTLAND’S Rural College (SRUC) has embarked on a three-year research project looking into a physical defect in barley which last year proved a major problem for arable farmers in Scotland.

Grain skinning causes the husk coating the barley grain to become weak and results in it detaching from the grain. Barley is the main cereal crop grown in Scotland and the most valuable at £286 million.

Most of the spring barley grown in Scottish barley is used in whisky distilling and poor quality grains – often those which have lost or partially lost their husk – are frequently rejected for malting. The dominant variety grown in Scotland, Concerto, has shown particular susceptibility to skinning in recent seasons.

Dr Steve Hoad, who leads SRUC’s agronomy team, said: “This is a very topical issue for the industry right now. Many farmers are concerned about the problem of grain skinning.”

Research teams from SRUC and the James Hutton Institute will study hundreds of varieties of barley looking for genetic markers for poor or good resistance and hope that at the end of the project they will have identified varieties that will hold fast against skinning.

Weather conditions could be a factor as well as the genetic make-up of each variety. Long, drawn out harvests seem to exacerbate the problem.

l Kinross farmer George Lawrie has been appointed to the board of the Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA) for a three-year term.

Lawrie, treasurer of NFU Scotland, is chairman of arable co-op Scottish Agronomy.