Estimation of the spring barley grain quality in the Middle Volga region

Taking into account the main purposes of barley use (food, feed, brewing), one of the main tasks is to develop highly productive and high-quality varieties with specified grain protein parameters that meet Russian and international standards for targeted use, since the requirements for protein percentage in grain are different. The purpose of the current study was to estimate the productivity and protein percentage in grain of spring barley varieties, to identify correlations between productivity, protein percentage and grain hoodness. There has been established that, depending on the weather conditions of the vegetation period, the yield decrease of spring barley grain from 3.96 t/ha to 1.56 t/ha during the years of study was due to a decrease in productive tillering, grain weight per head, and number of grains per head. According to the results of the correlation analysis, barley productivity did not depend on 1000-grain weight. On average, in 2018–2022, the largest productivity was formed by the barley varieties ‘Kholzan’ with 2.93 t/ha and ‘Sarych’ with 2.88 t/ha. There has been identified a group of such varieties with an increased amount of protein, regardless of the weather conditions of the vegetation period as ‘Lun’, ‘Prairiya’, ‘Bezenchuksky 2’, ‘Kholzan’, ‘Orlan’, with the maximum protein percentage of 14.5 % formed by the variety ‘Lun’. These spring barley varieties are suitable for food (cereals) and feed purposes. There has been established that the maximum percentage of protein substances was formed in very dry years (17.0 % by the variety ‘Lun’). There has been found a significant inverse correlation between grain productivity and protein content only in years with contrasting weather conditions, namely in the extremely dry 2021 (–0.65*) and in the favorable for plant growth and development 2022 (–0.60*). There was seen a similar situation between protein percentage and grain hoodness with –0.66* in 2021 and –0.73** in 2022. On average, over the years of study, there was no significant correlation between these indicators, which demonstrates the possibility of breeding highly productive spring barley varieties with protein percentage in grain at the level of existing standards.

The purpose of the study is to identify the optimal sowing time and the predecessor to obtain high-quality grain of spring durum wheat and spring barley in the conditions of the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia. Object of study: varieties of spring durum wheat – Jemchujina Sibiri and Omskij corund; varieties of spring barley – Omskij 90 and Beatrice. The sowing was held on May 7, 14, 21, 28 and June 4. The biochemical assessment of grain quality indicators included the content of raw gluten, protein, starch, crude fat, grain hardness, grain unit. The fallow sowing of spring durum wheat on May 7 increased the values of the thousand grain weight, grain hardness, gluten, protein, color of dry pasta; when sowing from May 14 to 28 – yields, grain unit, color of dry pasta for cereals. For spring barley, an increase in yield and protein content was observed during sowing on May 14; during sowing on June 4 – protein and oil content. Fallow sowing made it possible to increase yield and grain quality both in varieties of spring durum wheat and spring barley.

Purpose. Determine the content of heavy metals in the grain of spring barley varieties of different application as affected by the duration of storage.
 Methods. In the years 2018–2020, 11 spring barley varieties of different applications were studied: grain ‘Stalker’, ‘Vodohrai’, ‘Vzirets’, ‘Ahrarii’, ‘Shchedryk’; universal ‘Enei’; malting ‘Kozak’, ‘Dokuchaievskyi 15’, ‘Etyket’, ‘Helios’, ‘Sviatohor’. The content of chemical elements in the grain (cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic, copper, zinc) was determined in the dynamics: immediately after harvest, after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days.
 Results. In the studied varieties of spring barley, the lead (Pb) content in the grain varied immediately after threshing and after 7 days ranged from 1.01 to 1.12 mg/kg. Reduction of the studied element after 14 days was observed in all varieties. In particular, the lead content was 1.03 mg/kg in ‘Shchedryk’, 1.01 mg/kg in ‘Stalker’, 1.00 mg/kg in ‘Vzirets’, 0,78 mg/kg (the lowest) in ‘Vodohrai’, and 1.12 mg/kg (the highest) in ‘Ahrarii’. Studies have shown that the most sensitive to cadmium (Cd) grain variety of spring barley was ‘Vzirets’ with the content of 0.09 mg/kg immediately after threshing and on the 7th day of storage; on the 14th, 21st and 28th days, the content was 0.08 mg/kg. The content of cadmium in malting barley grain immediately after threshing and after 7 days was 0.08 mg/kg in ‘Sviatohor’, and 0.09 mg/kg in all other varieties. On the 14th day, the accumulation remained unchanged in varieties ‘Dokuchaievskyi 15’, ‘Etyket’, ‘Helios’, ‘Sviatohor’; insignificant decrease was noted in ‘Kozak’ (0.07 mg/kg). After the storage for 21 and 28 days, the cadmium content was 0.07 mg/kg in ‘Sviatohor’ and ‘Kozak’, and 0.08 mg/kg in all others.
 Conclusions. The lowest cadmium content was determined in variety ‘Shchedryk’. Immediately after threshing and after 7 days of storage it was 0.05 mg/kg, and on the 14th, 21st and 28th days it decreased to 0.03 mg/kg. Immediately after threshing and after 7 days, the mercury content of the varieties varied from 0.07 to 0.03 mg/kg. After 14, 21 and 28 days, the following values were determined: in ‘Vodohrai’ 0.06 mg/kg, in ‘Stalker’ and ‘Vzirets’ 0.05 mg/kg, in ‘Ahrarii’ 0.04 mg/kg, ‘Shchedryk’ 0.3 mg/kg. Depending on the varietal characteristics and duration of storage, the highest content (14.05 mg/kg) was determined in ‘Ahrarii’, and the lowest (12.55 mg/kg) in ‘Shchedryk’. The study of the ‘Enei’ variety of spring barley of universal application allows us to note that the accumulation of heavy metals, as affected by the duration of storage, did not differ significantly from the grain varities.

In order to use efficiently barley varieties for such purposes as food, fodder and brewing, an objective and thorough study of grain quality is of great necessity, with adjustment for the features of hulles varieties. The purpose of the current study was to estimate the biochemical and technological indicators of grain varieties of hulled and hulles barley, to determine the correlation between quality indicators. On the experimental basis of the Samara Research Institute of Agriculture, there were studied grain quality indicators of hulled and hulles barley varieties of the Competitive Variety Testing in 2019–2021. There has been established a high-protein group of varieties, such as ‘Orlan’, ‘Bezenchuksky 2’, ‘Lun’, ‘Streletsky golozerny’ and ‘Omsky golozerny 1’ with 14.9–16.8 % of protein. The largest ‘1000-grain weight’ (43.7–44.1 g) and low activity of α-amylase in grain (352–421 c of ‘falling number’) over the years of study was established among the hulled barley varieties of this group. Barley varieties with such qualitative traits could be widely used in the food industry and feed production. There has been noted that hulles barley varieties with a high protein percentage (16.8 %), the absence of hulls and low amylolytic activity (471 c), when adapting to growing conditions, will improve not only the quality of cereals, grain fodder, but can also be used for baking purposes. When summarizing the correlation analysis results, there was established that the correlation between a grain protein index and other qualitative traits was identified only under the extremely dry conditions of 2021. Grain husk content closely correlated inversely with grain unit (–0.94**; –0.64*; –0.84**) through all years of study. The ‘falling number’ in 2019 was somewhat less correlated with 1000-grain weight (0.60*) and grain unit (0.61*); negatively correlated with grain husk content both in 2019 and 2020 (–0.65*; –0.82**).

Pollution of agricultural landscapes with heavy metals has led to a disruption of the ecological balance, which primarily affects the soil and plants, since they are the main accumulators of toxicants. The purpose of the paper is to determine ways to reduce the risks of contamination of grain plant products with heavy metals in the zone of technogenesis influence. The research was conducted in the field crop rotation of the Donetsk state agricultural research station of the NAAS of Ukraine during 2021–2023. Methodology of the study is based on general research methods and methodological recommendations in crop production. Research methods: field, laboratory, mathematical and statistical. Results. Selection of spring barley and winter wheat varieties resistant to the accumulation of heavy metals make it possible to obtain high-quality grain in industrial regions. The coefficient of biological absorption of zinc varies for winter wheat and spring barley within 0.52–0.97 and 0.61–0.99, respectively. For copper, this indicator has a value of 0.54–0.86 for winter wheat and 0.41–0.59 for spring barley. The coefficient of biological absorption of cadmium and lead is almost 5–6 times lower. In terms of the intensity of the transition from soil to plants of winter wheat and spring barley, the elements are arranged in the order Zn > Cu > Cd > Pb. Changes in hydrometeorological conditions affect the content of mobile forms of heavy metals in the soil and their translocation into grain. With increasing moisture availability, a tendency was observed for the content of the mobile form copper to increase, the content of lead under these conditions practically did not change. In conditions of excessive moisture, the content of cadmium in grain, an element of the first hazard class, increases by 40%. Polymyxobacterin in complex use with stimulants Humisol-plus and Vermistim exhibits a protective effect against lead and cadmium. When using Polymyxobacterin, the accumulation of lead in winter wheat grains decreased by 2.3 times, cadmium – by 1.8 times. The use of Vermistim provided almost the same effect: the biological absorption coefficient for lead was 0.10, for cadmium – 0.12, the lead content decreased by 1.8 times, cadmium – by 1.6 times. Under the conditions of seed inoculation with microhumin, the lead content in spring barley grain decreased by 21.6%, cadmium – by 22.9% compared to the control. Spraying of vegetative plants with potassium humate against the background of pre-sowing treatment of seeds with microhumin increases the resistance of plants to heavy metals. In this variant, the lowest accumulation of heavy metals - zinc, lead and cadmium in grain products was found. Compared to the control, the zinc content in spring barley grain decreased by 8.2%, lead – by 29.7%, cadmium – by 31.3%. Practical implications. We can recommend the winter barley varieties Donetska 48, Vezha, Belosnezhka, Igrista and the spring barley varieties Donetskiy 14, Stepovik, Shchedryk, Rezerv as resistant to the accumulation of heavy metals in technogenic regions. Value/originality. It has been experimentally established that the use of microbial preparations for pre-sowing seed treatment and spraying of winter wheat and spring barley crops with plant growth regulators ensures an increase in crop productivity and a reduction in the risks of contamination of grain plant products with heavy metals in the industrial region.

The production of winter wheat, spring barley, spring oilseed rape, and field beans requires detailed experimental data studies to analyze the quality and productivity of spring barley grain under different cultivation and tillage conditions. As the world’s population grows, more food is required to maintain a stable food supply chain. For many years, intensive farming systems have been used to meet this need. Today, intensive climate change events and other global environmental challenges are driving a shift towards sustainable use of natural resources and simplified cultivation methods that produce high-quality and productive food. It is important to study different tillage systems in order to understand how these methods can affect the chemical composition and nutritional value of the grain. Both agronomic and economic aspects contribute to the complexity of this field and their analysis will undoubtedly contribute to the development of more efficient agricultural practice models and the promotion of more conscious consumption. An appropriate tillage system should be oriented towards local climatic characteristics and people’s needs. The impact of reduced tillage on these indicators in spring barley production is still insufficiently investigated and requires further analysis at a global level. This study was carried out at Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy (Lithuania) in 2022–2024. Treatments were arranged using a split-plot design. Based on a long-term tillage experiment, five tillage systems were tested: deep and shallow plowing, deep cultivation–chiseling, shallow cultivation–disking, and no-tillage. The results show that in 2022–2024, the hectoliter weight and moisture content of spring barley grains increased, but protein content and germination decreased in shallowly plowed fields. In deep cultivation–chiseling fields, the protein content (0.1–1.1%) of spring barley grains decreased, and in shallow cultivation–disking fields, the moisture content (0.2–0.3%) decreased. In all fields, the simplified tillage systems applied reduced spring barley germination (0.4–16.7%). Tillage systems and meteorological conditions are the two main forces shaping the quality indicators of spring barley grains. Properly selected tillage systems and favorable climatic conditions undoubtedly contribute to better grain properties and higher yields, while reducing the risk of disease spread.

Purpose. Investigate the content of heavy metals in spring barley varieties for different applications depending on the duration of grain storage.
 Methods. Laboratory, analytical, statistical.
 Results. It was found that the studied varieties, regardless of the application had an individual accumulation of heavy metals. Grain varieties have an inverse relationship with the intensity of lead concentration in the grain of spring barley: the longer the storage, the lower its content in the grain. The accumulation of heavy metals of mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) in the grain of spring barley varieties of grain use allows us to note that with increasing storage, their content decreases. It was found that the accumulation of heavy metals copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in the grain of spring barley for grain increases as affected by the storage period. There was a decrease in zinc content after a month of storage and depending on varietal characteristics. A slight increase, in the varieties of the brewery application was found after three and six months of grain storage. When analyzing the data, it can be noted that after nine months and a year of storage, there was an increase in the copper content, but to the maximum permitted level.
 Conclusions. Varieties of spring barley, regardless of the application, had an individual accumulation of heavy metals. Varieties ‘Stalker’ and ‘Ahrarii’ are sensitive to lead: the content of this element immediately after threshing was 1.08 mg/kg and 1.12 mg/kg. A month later, these figures were 0.73 mg/kg and 1.02 mg/kg. Storage of spring barley grain for 9 and 12 months shows that the accumulation of cadmium has increased compared to the indicators obtained immediately after threshing. Thus, in the varieties ‘Stalker’ this figure was 0.09 mg/kg, and in ‘Ahrarii’ 0.13 and 0.014 mg/kg. The most sensitive to the accumulation of copper (Cu) immediately after threshing were varieties ‘Ahrarii’ with 3.00 mg/kg and ‘Vzirets’ with 2.56 mg/kg, and the lowest content had varieties ‘Shchedryk’ with 2.27 mg/kg and ‘Stalker’ with 2.31 mg/kg. ‘Enei’ variety of universal application was characterizing by a lower content of heavy metals in comparison with grain varieties. In spring malting barley, depending on the duration of grain storage, it was found that as in previous grain and universal application, the content of heavy metals accumulates differently depending on the varietal characteristics.

Purpose. Investigate the content of heavy metals in spring barley varieties for different applications depending on the duration of grain storage. Methods. Laboratory, analytical, statistical. Results. It was found that the studied varieties, regardless of the application had an individual accumulation of heavy metals. Grain varieties have an inverse relationship with the intensity of lead concentration in the grain of spring barley: the longer the storage, the lower its content in the grain. The accumulation of heavy metals of mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) in the grain of spring barley varieties of grain use allows us to note that with increasing storage, their content decreases. It was found that the accumulation of heavy metals copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in the grain of spring barley for grain increases as affected by the storage period. There was a decrease in zinc content after a month of storage and depending on varietal characteristics. A slight increase, in the varieties of the brewery application was found after three and six months of grain storage. When analyzing the data, it can be noted that after nine months and a year of storage, there was an increase in the copper content, but to the maximum permitted level. Conclusions. Varieties of spring barley, regardless of the application, had an individual accumulation of heavy metals. Varieties ‘Stalker’ and ‘Ahrarii’ are sensitive to lead: the content of this element immediately after threshing was 1.08 mg/kg and 1.12 mg/kg. A month later, these figures were 0.73 mg/kg and 1.02 mg/kg. Storage of spring barley grain for 9 and 12 months shows that the accumulation of cadmium has increased compared to the indicators obtained immediately after threshing. Thus, in the varieties ‘Stalker’ this figure was 0.09 mg/kg, and in ‘Ahrarii’ 0.13 and 0.014 mg/kg. The most sensitive to the accumulation of copper (Cu) immediately after threshing were varieties ‘Ahrarii’ with 3.00 mg/kg and ‘Vzirets’ with 2.56 mg/kg, and the lowest content had varieties ‘Shchedryk’ with 2.27 mg/kg and ‘Stalker’ with 2.31 mg/kg. ‘Enei’ variety of universal application was characterizing by a lower content of heavy metals in comparison with grain varieties. In spring malting barley, depending on the duration of grain storage, it was found that as in previous grain and universal application, the content of heavy metals accumulates differently depending on the varietal characteristics.

The purpose of the current study was to determine the correlation between adaptability parameters of the spring barley varieties and grain productivity and the main indicators of its quality. The study was conducted from 2011 to 2019 in the conditions of the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia. The protein percentage in grain, raw oil, starch and husk content of grain were determined according to the Pleshkov and Berkutova methods. The mathematical processing was carried out according to the methodology of Dospekhov, Eberhard and Russell. According to the trial, low productivity of spring barley was recorded in 2012, 2013 and 2016 (2.36–2.92 t/ha) with low values of the index of environmental conditions (-1.32; -1.88). Higher productivity was recorded in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2019 (5.26-5.89 t/ha), with high values of the index of environmental conditions (1.02–1.65). The productivity of the standard variety ‘Omskiy 95’ varied from 2.11 t/ha (in 2016) to 5.91 t/ha (in 2015). The varieties ‘Sibirskiy Avangard’, ‘Sasha’, ‘Omskiy 100’ exceeded the standard variety (+0.47; +1.97 t/ha to standard). An increased content of raw oil in grain was recorded in the varieties ‘Omskiy 9’1 and ‘Sasha’ (0.4-0.6% to standard). The varieties ‘Omskiy 91’, ‘Sibirskiy Avangard’, ‘Omskiy 90’, ‘Omskiy 96’ and ‘Omskiy 100’ were characterized by a reduced husk content of grain (-0.7; -1.4% to standard). The barley varieties ‘Sibirskiy Avangard’ and ‘Sasha’ (bi > 1; σ2 d < 1) were highly responsive and stable to improving environmental conditions. The improvement of adaptability (bi) of barley varieties did not have a significant effect on grain productivity and quality (r = 0.109±0.020 and 0.232±0.035). The stability (σ2 d) of the varieties was characterized by an average direct correlation with starch content in grain (r = 0.429±0.120), a strong direct correlation with oil content in grain (r = 0.656±0.105). There was identified an average inverse correlation between stability (σ2 d) and protein and husk content in grain (r = -0.399±0.060 and -0.447±0.055). There was a weak correlation with productivity (r = -0.204±0.040).

In recent decades, the demand for naked barley grain on the market has increased, that is why the breeders of the leading institutions of the Russian Federation resumed breeding research to develop new naked barley varieties. In this regard, the purpose of the current study was to develop a breeding material for naked spring barley, adapted to the conditions of the Rostov region and, on its basis, new varieties. There have been developed the new naked barley variety with high productivity and grain quality, adapted to the conditions of the North Caucasus. The study was carried out in the scientific crop rotation of the department of barley breeding and seed production of the FSBSI Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” (Zernograd) in 2014–2020. Based on the best local spring barley varieties (‘Leon’ and ‘Shchedry’) and naked varieties of the VIR collection (‘Mancuria’ (Sweden), ‘NB-OWA’ (Nepal), ‘CDC-Dawn’ (Canada), ‘K-3780’ (Tajikistan) and ‘Golozerny’ (RF)) there have been developed and studied the new naked barley lines. There was found that according to the trait ‘plant height’ the lines ‘Leon x Golozerny’ and ‘Leon x Mancuria’ belonged to the middle-height group (90.2 cm and 83.4 cm, respectively). The rest of the lines belonged to the tall group, their height varied from 96.5 cm to 100.3 cm. According to the trait ‘earing date’ there has been identified the line ‘Leon x Golozerny’ (24V), which is more early-ripening (5 days less than that of the standard). The same line turned out to be the only one that significantly exceeded the standard (the standard variety ‘Ratnik’ on 4.5 t/ha) according to productivity +0.3 t / ha, and taking into account the absence of hulls, this difference significantly increased to +0.7 t/ha. There was established that according to the trait ‘1000-grain weight’, the lines ‘Leon x Mancuria’, ‘Leon x CDC-Dawn’, ‘Leon x K-3780’ and ‘Leon x Golozerny’ significantly exceeded the standard variety. The best indicators of grain quality were identified for the lines ‘Leon x K-3780’ and ‘Leon x Golozerny’. The lines ‘Leon x Mancuria’ and ‘Leon x Golozerny’ were the most resistant to powdery mildew. The current paper has presented the characteristics of the new naked spring barley variety ‘Zernogradsky 1717’, which has a great productivity and a set of positive economically valuable traits.

The influence of cropping system, weather conditions and genotype on arabinoxylan content in wheat and barley grains

Theresearch results are presented conducted during 2016-2018 on southern chernozem with two varieties of spring barley to study the impact of nutrition optimization on grain yield and elements of its structure. It is determined that the treatment of crops with growth regulating drugs in the main growing seasons provides a significant increase in grain productivity of barley, which is the highest when formed by three foliar nutrition with modern growth regulating drugs in the tillering phase and plant emergence in the tube at the beginning of earing. The grain yield of spring barley of the Stalker variety increased on average over three years, depending on the growth regulator taken for processing, in the range of 3.25 – 3.60 t / ha at its level in control, respectively, for treatment of plants with water 2.50 t / ha, and the variety Vakula – to 3.41 – 3.71 compared with 2.47 t / ha in the control. It was found that the increase in grain yield by the studied varieties of spring barley was due to the increase in ear length, and most significantly – due to more grains in the ear, the weight of grain from the ear and the weight of 1000 grains. These indicators increased and changed under the influence of power optimization. Key words: spring barley, varieties, elements of crop structure, grain yield, foliar fertilization, growth regulators.

The characteristics of formation of the quantitative and qualitative composition of protein in grain of spring barley varieties differing in provenance and character of use under the effect of markedly contrasting natural and climatic conditions during the years of investigation are presented.

The article presents experimental data on the yield of various varieties of grain of spring barley, depending on the use of mineral fertilizers and their influence on the accumulation of mineral nutrition in barley plants and some economic valuable traits. The studies were carried out on ordinary black soil in the conditions of the central black earth. The influence of fertilizers on the content of nutrients in plants, yield and quality of grain on various varieties of spring barley is considered. It has been established that with an increase in the level of fertilization and the direct application of mineral fertilizers for barley, a significant increase in the yield and quality of barley grain is observed. The varietal characteristics of barley in response to the conditions of mineral nutrition are noted.

The purpose of the current study was a bioenergy estimation of different seed sowing rates of spring barley and oat varieties in the conditions of the Krasnoyarsk forest-steppe. The trials were carried out in the village of Minino, Emelyanovsky district, Krasnoyarsky Krai in 2021–2023. The objects of the study were the spring barley varieties ‘Abalak’, ‘Takmak’, ‘Oplot’, ‘Biom’ and the spring oat varieties ‘Tubinsky’, ‘Sayan’, ‘Kazyr’, ‘Uspekh’. Experimental schemes were as follows: barley varieties with seeding rates of 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 million germ. grains per hectare; oat varieties with seeding rates of 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 million germ. grains per hectare. High yields (5.60–5.71 t/ha) were produced by the barley varieties ‘Oplot’ and ‘Takmak’, while other varieties produced less on 0.9–1.4 t/ha. There has been revealed that the reproduction coefficient of barley seeds increased to 34.6 at a seed-sowing rate of 3.5 million germ. grains per hectare and decreased to 22.2–31.3 at a seed-sowing rate of 4.5 million germ. grains per hectare. There has been established that among oats, the variety ‘Tubinsky’ produced the highest yield of 4.79 t/ha at a seeding rate of 5.0 million germ. grains per hectare, followed by the variety ‘Sayan’ with 4.85 t/ha, the new promising variety ‘Uspekh’ with 4.67 t/ha and ‘Kazyr’ with 4.53 t/ha. The reproduction coefficient reached 26.9–29.7 with 4.0 million germ. grains per hectare and 21.3–23.5 at 5.0 million germ. grains per hectare. The energy estimation has shown that the optimal seed-sowing rate is 4.5 million germ. grains per hectare for barley varieties and 4.0 million germ. grains per hectare for oat varieties. The total energy increase (the difference between the total energy and energy costs) was 94.4 and 83.2 GJ/ha for the barley varieties ‘Takmak’ and ‘Oplot’, respectively and 58.9 and 59.0 GJ/ha for the oat varieties ‘Tubinsky’ and ‘Sayan’.