THE EFFECT OF IRRIGATION ON YIELD AND MALTING QUALITY OF BARLEY IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA

Comparisons were made of the yield and malting quality of Montcalm barley grown on dryland and on irrigated plots in two different rotations at the Experimental Sub-station, Taber, Alberta. A supplementary study of the effect of fertilizer was introduced into the experiment. Irrigation significantly increased the yield of grain and improved malting quality, mainly by increasing extract. An increase in yield was also shown on fertilizer treated plots under irrigation, but the amount of increase depended on environmental factors associated with the crop rotation system. The effect of fertilizer on malting quality was insignificant.