For some South Australian growers, the risk of head loss in barley outweighs the potential returns of including it in a rotation.
Now, a three-year trial supported by SAGIT has investigated the problem and discovered several avenues with the potential to protect yields.
Plant scientist Associate Professor Matt Tucker from the University of Adelaide led a team of agronomists, geneticists and technicians who studied the nature of head loss caused by the barley stem breaking at the peduncle – typically within the first 3 centimetres immediately below the head.
X-Ray technology points the way to reducing head loss in barley
