Seeding Rate

Plant barley based on the number of seeds per acre. Planting by pounds per are or bushels per is inaccurate due to variability in seed size from one year to another and from one variety to another. This is particularly important for winter malting barley because the seed is often larger (fewer seeds per pound) than winter wheat. See Table 6.1 for pounds of seed needed to plant from 1.2 million to 2 million seeds per acre with seed of varying size. Winter malting barley should be seeded at 1.5 million to 1.8 million seeds per acre under normal planting and growing conditions. If the field is susceptible to low winter temperatures (below 5 degrees Fahrenheit) without snow cover, seeding rate should be increased to greater than 2 million seeds per acre due to increased risk of winter injury reducing plant stand. In general, grain quality parameters of protein, germination, and deoxynivalenol tend to improve with increasing seeding rate.