DRUMMOND Barley

‘DRUMMOND’ is an F₄ selection from the cross ND9712//Stander/ND12200.  It has kernels with a white aleurone, long rachilla hairs and a semi-smooth awn.  The experimental line designation of DRUMMOND was ND15477. 

DRUMMOND is named in honor of Bill DRUMMOND who has served barley growers and industry throughout his working career.  Bill was the first executive director of the North Dakota Barley Council, an agronomist with the Malting Barley Improvement Association, and worked for the North Dakota Extension Service.

Agronomic and disease evaluation of DRUMMOND have been conducted in North Dakota since 1994 and in the Mississippi Valley Regional Barley Nursery since 1997.  DRUMMOND has an average yield potential better than ‘Morex’, ‘Robust’, and ‘Foster’, and similar to ‘Stander’ (Tables 1-4).  DRUMMOND has greater straw strength than currently grown six-rowed cultivars (Tables 3 and 5).  Heading date of DRUMMOND and Robust are similar and plant height of DRUMMOND is similar to Stander (Table 5).

DRUMMOND is resistant to spot blotch and is moderately susceptible to net blotch; It has better net blotch resistance than currently grown six-rowed barley cultivars (Table 6).  Fusarium head blight susceptibility of DRUMMOND and Robust are similar.  Based on limited data, accumulation of deoxynivalenol (DON) on DRUMMOND is similar to that on Stander and Foster but greater than that on Robust.  DRUMMOND is resistant to races of wheat stem rust prevalent in North Dakota before 1989 but is susceptible to pathotype Pgt-QCC.

DRUMMOND is being evaluated in the American Malting Barley Association (AMBA) plant scale evaluation program.  In its first year of evaluation (1998 crop), DRUMMOND was found to have satisfactory malt and brewing quality as compared to the check.  Barley of DRUMMOND grown in 1999 plant scale growouts was not purchased by AMBA for malting because it did not meet their specifications for malting.  About 600 acres of DRUMMOND is being contracted by AMBA for the 2000-plant scale evaluation.  Approximately 2000 acres also is being contracted by Busch Agriculture Resources, Inc. in order to produce additional barley for malting and brewing evaluation by Anheuser-Busch.

DRUMMOND is widely adapted to the six-rowed malting barley growing regions of the upper Midwest United States.  Because of its good agronomics and excellent malt quality profile, we view DRUMMOND as a possible replacement for Robust and Foster if it is recommended by AMBA for malting and brewing.