Condensed annual report - Malting Barley Improvement Association

A. J. Lejeune

Abstract
The 1966 malting barley crop was of generally satisfactory quality although total production was lower resulting in more limited domestic supplies than in 1965. Four new barley varieties showed superior agronomic performance in 1966 and were responsible for some significant changes in the 1966 barley variety surveys. New barley selections being increased for plant scale testing included the first midwesternn winter 6-row barley bred for malting quality and a promising American bred 2-row barley. An appropriation by Congress for an addition to the U.S.D.A. National Barley Malt Laboratory is expected to accelerate preliminary quality evaluation of new selections. Continuation of research becomes more imperative as increasing sales and relaxation of wheat acreage controls makes the maintenance of adequate supplies of malting barley increasingly difficult.