Spring barley: When October turns into March in Austria

After late-clearing crops such as sugar beet, spring barley is increasingly sown in autumn in the Pannonian. Experience has shown that the yield can be stabilized compared to cultivation in spring. The stocks develop a deep root system. They take advantage of the winter moisture and can better compensate for the dryness that often prevails in spring. Due to the increasing extent of cultivation, it is now possible to apply for “summer barley (autumn cultivation)” in multiple applications. Sowing should not be done too late, otherwise a loss of yield can be expected. In three-year trials, moving the sowing date from October to mid-November has resulted in reduced yields of 14 to 21%. However, the time of sowing also influences the occurrence and susceptibility to leaf diseases. This year there were some massive Rhynchosporium leaf spots in the dry areas. Damp and cool weather favored the infection of autumn crops. There were large varietal differences. The Leandra variety has shown ...