The Chinook Applied Research Association (CARA) added another year of reliable results to its bank of barley data, thanks to an excellent 2012 growing season and a very consistent plot site.
Gadsby, a two-row feed variety, topped the yield charts at 111 bushels per acre on the plots that were grown west of Hanna. CARA managed the plots in co-operation with Blake Robinson, a producer CARA has partnered with for 20 years.
The plots were seeded on May 4 and combined on Aug. 29, with overall yield slightly above average. The average yield for the two-row varieties was 92 bu/ac, with AAC Synergy, a new malt variety, second to Gadsby at 103 bu/ac. Xena, a two-row feed variety that has been in the Regional Variety Trials for more than a decade, also performed well at 102 bushels per acre.
Six-row varieties outperformed two-row varieties with an average yield of 94 bu/ac. Muskwa, a feed variety, yielded 103 bu/ac with Vivar, a semi-dwarf feed, close behind at 100 bu/ac.
CARA’s top yielding barley
Yields are shown in bu/ac.
Two-row
- Gadsby: 111.0
- AAC Synergy: 103.0
- XENA: 102.0
Six-row
- Muskwa: 103.0
- Vivar: 100.0
- Breton: 91.0
If you have any questions about the varieties in the CARA regional trials, contact the CARA office at 403-664-3777.