Effect of rate and timing of a pre-harvest glyphosate application on seed germination, yield and quality of malting barley

This Barley Research Cluster project was funded by Alberta Barley in collaboration with the Atlantic Grains Council, the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute, Rahr Malting and the Western Grains Research Foundation via the AgriInnovation Program.

Project lead:  Dr. John O’Donovan, Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Start Date: April 2013

End Date: March 2018

Alberta Barley’s contribution:  $37,052
Total funding from other partners: $239,934

Benefits for barley farmers:
A pre-harvest application of glyphosate on malting barley can provide control of perennial weeds, but may also provide harvest management benefits by drying down the crop and mitigating the negative effects of secondary growth on seed uniformity and quality.

Summary:
The project aims to assess the feasibility of, and risks associated with, using a pre-harvest glyphosate application as a dry-down on malting barley. Preliminary results indicate that pre-harvest glyphosate, when applied at the correct rate and stage, can increase yield without compromising kernel germination or resulting in unacceptable glyphosate residue in the seed. However, applying at the incorrect rate and stage sometimes resulted in reduced yields and unacceptable residue.