Development of nitrogen guidelines for feed and malt barley in Maine
Principal Investigator: Lakesh Sharma, UMaine/UMPI Cooperative Extension
Partners: Sukwhinder Bali UMaine/UMPI Cooperative Extension; Jim Dwyer, UMaine Cooperative
Abstract: Barley has the potential to be a successful rotational crop that can benefit Maine’s economy, create more jobs, and be profitable for growers. At present, Maine’s barley economy represents approximately $2.4 million in crop value. Currently, Maine’s brewing industry relies on malted barley that is primarily imported from other regions. The brewing industry is growing rapidly in Maine into an $874 million industry (Maine Brewers Guild) with a workforce development of more than 10,000 jobs. University of Maine Cooperative Extension has identified highly productive feed and malting varieties, but there is a significant gap related to soil fertility recommendations. Robust fertility guidelines for feed and malting barley are crucial because of their specific sensitivity towards available soil nitrogen (N) due to its impact on barley protein value and lodging. The objective of this study is to generate soil and climate based guidelines ($ grain/fertilizer value) for nitrogen (N) for feed and malting barley for conventional and organic farming in Maine. With the data gathered from all these sites, we will be able to submit a proposal to USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program for developing more reliable nutrient recommendations for Maine barley growers. With this data, we will be able to provide separate nutrient management guides for feed and malting barley. New N recommendations will help improve yield, quality, and profitability. There will be two management models (feed and malting barley) considering soil types and weather conditions after three years of study. The reason of developing two models is because of industry requirements (feed and malt). There is the possibility to test Ground-Based Active Optical sensors for their ability to predict barley yield and protein which could be used to predict quality early in the season so that grower can take appropriate management steps to assure a high quality, profitable crop. An online N recommendation web page will be developed for easy access to N recommendations for Maine growers.