USA: Malting barley breeding in Idaho seen as very productive

Malting barley production in the western United States was dominated by two-rowed varieties introduced from Europe until the release of the variety Klages in 1973. There are numerous reasons for this, but two stand out. Breeding programs focused on feed varieties during prohibition so it was some time before they were able to incorporate the desired malting and brewing quality into varieties adapted to the region. Secondly, 90% of the malt US brewers were using in the 1950s was made from six-row varieties, so European two-row varieties like Betzes from Poland, Moravian from Czechoslovakia, and Piroline from Germany were able to supply the industry with all the two-row it needed, AG Weekly reported on May 7.

In the mid-50s though, beer production was escalating and there was a growing interest in two-row varieties and western barley production in general. The American Malting Barley Association (AMBA) began funding research to improve varieties for the western US, and work with extension agronomists to promote the growing of malting barley there. Dr. Darrell Wesenberg was hired by the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to work on barley in 1968 and brought a good understanding of malting quality from his time at the University of Wisconsin and his interactions with researchers at the USDA - ARS Barley and Malt Laboratory. Within a few short years, Wesenberg evaluated and combined 35 lines from a cross between Betzes, and the Norwegian variety Domen, and released Klages.

It represented a big advancement in amount of carbohydrates and proteins that could be extracted from malted barley and was quickly embraced by the brewing industry. Dr. Michael Davis, President, AMBA, noted “Klages has been replaced by higher yielding, plumper malting varieties, but some in the industry still speak fondly of its quality characteristics.”

Wesenberg released other spring malting varieties that may not have garnered the acreage of Klages, but provided some important advances. There were several six-rowed varieties beginning with Karl that exhibited low barley protein. Having the lower protein increased the chances of a variety being selected for malting, particularly in hot, dry years. Other breeders are now using this low protein germplasm in their malting barley development programs.

There was also the winter malting barley program. The selection of lines from crosses made in 1994 and 1995 was carried out by Dr. Donald Obert when he took over the barley enhancement program after Wesenberg retired in 2001.

This resulted in the release of Charles in 2007, which was the first winter barley recommended for malting and brewing in the US.

In cooperation with University of Idaho researchers, Obert expanded field testing, adding a number of additional sites for evaluating both spring and winter barley germplasm. When Obert left, in 2011, Dr. Gongshe Hu took over the program and began making crosses and continuing to advance the lines from crosses made by Obert.

“The Idaho program is very productive with eight spring and winter two - row lines either in, or eligible for, commercial malting and brewing trials,” said Davis.

“With our limited resources, we have to support those programs with the greatest potential for coming up with the next malting variety, and the Idaho program is one of those.”

09 May, 2014