Results Field Trials – Harvest 1999 Executive Summary

Submitted on behalf of the EBC Barley & Malt Committee

Abstract

For many years the EBC  Barley & Malt Committee have organised a trials system for the evaluation of potential new malting barley varieties. The trials are conducted on the basis of 4 regions: North, West, Central and South, and include both winter and spring varieties. Varieties accepted into the trials system are judged over 2 years against standard varieties, varieties that are grown on a large scale and also wiedely used by the Malting and Brewing Industry. For Harvest 1999 trials the dandard varieties are Esterel (6-row), Angora, Clarine, Regina (winter varieties), and Alexis, Scarlet (spring varieties). The results of each years trials are published in the following spring as ‟Results Field Trials Harvest 1999”. The results of both barley and malt analysis are listed on both national and regional bases. Traditionally the results have been published without any interpretation. In May 2000 the EBC Barley & Malt Committee were granted approval by the EBC Council to produce a critique of the results. The 4 chairmen of the regional trials groups have been asked to comment on varieties in their trials that appear to have properties that may be of future interest to the Malting and Brewing Industry, particularly where varieties show improvement on the standards. It should be noted that the comments may only be based on 1 year′s data and are no more than an informed judgement. However further data on the highlighted varieties can be obtained from the ‟Results Field Trials Harvest 1999”.