Variation in starch, protein, and fibre of Canadian barley cultivars

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a major feed in the Maritime region of Canada, but information on the chemical composition of barley cultivars grown in the Maritimes is lacking. Therefore, a study was undertaken to determine if starch, protein, neutral-detergent fibre (NDF), and acid-detergent fibre (ADF) of barley vary from region to region in Canada and to determine if barley cultivars that originated from Eastern Canada exhibit different chemical composition than those that originated from Western Canada The chemical composition of two-row and six-row, covered and hulless, and feed and malting cultivars were also compared. Seventy-five cultivars were tested in eight environments (i.e. Charlottetown, Ottawa, Brandon, and Bentley in 1991 and 1992). These cultivars were classified into eight classes in four comparisons: eastern vs. western, two-row vs. six-row, hulless vs. covered, and feed vs. malting. Charlottetown grains were relatively low in protein, high in starch, and intermediate in NDF and ADF in comparison with grains produced at the other three locations. This suggests that more research in cultivar development and crop management is needed to increase the protein concentration of barley in the Maritimes. On average, two-row cultivars contained more starch and less fibre than six-row cultivars. Eastern two-row cultivars contained more protein than western two-row cultivars. As expected, hulless barleys contained more starch and protein, but less fibre than covered barleys. Canadian barley cultivars exhibited considerable variation in chemical composition. The cultivar x environment interaction was much smaller than the cultivar effect. Therefore, it is important to identify barley cultivars with high nutritional quality for use in commercial production.