There has been plenty of growth since the last update, and it's starting to look like a real crop! No insects or diseases yet...

It has been 570.5 growth degree days (GDD) now since emergence, which according to the U Idaho blog, should put us at the 7 leaf stage with advanced tillering. Actually, the tillering is so advanced, that it has become very difficult to count the leaves of the main shoot:



So is the barley still on track? Up until now it has been, so I'm not worried. I know it is not ahead of schedule, because the next milestone will be jointing and elongation, which should happen around 830 GDD. This will happen sometime near the beginning of March, according to the Weather Channel's GDD predictor.

GDD are turning out to be a pretty good metric for developmental progress. My barley has been tracking the Merit barley in the U Idaho blog, even though it has taken me 65 days to achieve what only took 35 days in the Idaho springtime. The GDD are just building up more slowly for me since I'm growing in the middle of winter. See, it does get cold in California!

The fence seems to be working -- it has remained intact, with minor repairs, for a week now, and the field manager says he hasn't seen the Guinea hens in my plot.



As you can see it's just a mesh netting help up with wooden stakes. It's knee-high, and the birds could so easily fly over it. I'm just hoping it acts as a deterrent. So far, I don't have any new leaf damage to report -- so perhaps it is working? Fingers crossed.

Happy Friday everybody!

There's even a rainbow for good noon...

Haha, Good Noon indeed.

Well, check out this difference in color:



Unfortunately, there are a lot of differences that may account for the color (this is not a controlled experiment!)

• The right side is planted at 90 lb/acre, 24 seeds/ft, while the left is half that.

• The soil on the left and right have different histories -- the left grew corn last year and had a compost treatment, while the soil on the right grew soybeans that were plowed under.

• I fertilized the left side at a rate of 79 lb N/acre, and the right side at 56 lb N/acre.

I hear that Nitrogen is what usually accounts for green/yellow color differences, and more yellow indicates less N. I fertilized at different rates because I didn't really know how much N was already in the field, and I wanted at least part of the crop to have the right amount. Too much, and you'll get poor malting and brewing qualities, but too little N will reduce yield.

I won't know until I actually brew with the crop on the left if it has too much N. But I'll know earlier if the right side has too little, because the plants should turn a brighter yellow!

Anybody with experience growing malting barley know if one side looks more correct than the other?

This is really cool man, keep us posted.

Mills

Aphids.



I've got 'em.



What to do? Well, the real problem is Barley Dwarf virus. Do I have it?



Maybe so.

And that may account for why a large patch of the field is growing slowly.







Sigh...

There's no way to cure plants of a virus. And Dwarf viruses typically reduce yield and grain plumpness, which makes for bad malting qualities. At this point, I'd just like to stop its spread.

I want to use an insecticide -- any recommendations?

Any insecticides you guys have used and liked?

The insect in your hand doesn't look to be an aphid. IF there is a virus and you have aphids moving around, they can be a viral vector since they are feeding on plant fluids.

If that virus is caused by your soil I don't think there is anything you can do about it, unless you start with a GMO strain of Barley that is resistant to BYDV. If it's being spread by those bugs, (are they soft bodied?) you might stop the spread with a beneficial like Lady Bugs. I have the nematode in my garden soil that causes Tomato Wilt Virus and it also affects Bell Peppers and other related plant species so I just grow hops now. Using Lady Bugs and indigenous Assasign Bugs, I do pretty well against almost all the pests that attack my crop.

Are the yellowed plants under any different nutrient or watering regime? It kinda looks similar to nitrogen deficiency...