Key Points
- In 2000/01 at Geraldine, yields of barley were on average more than 2 t/ha greater when sown in May compared with September. At Sheffield, the yield increase averaged 1.1 t/ha
- In 2001/02 at Eiffleton, there was a slight yield advantage from spring sowing, due to disease and lodging in the May sown plots. Grain numbers were greater from the May sowing but size was low, indicating that the yield potential was greater
- Winter barley types tested in these trials have not performed significantly better than our current spring barleys
- The main advantages of autumn sown barley are the reduced risk of drought during grain fill and the spread of workload, both at sowing and harvest