Barley Purity Project
Current Projects
Past Projects
Grain Trials
Project Outcome
This project ran between July 2008 and December 2009 from co-funding from GRDC and DAFWA. Originally the project set out to road test new DNA based technology that could help the malting barley industry demonstrate varietial purity in the supply chain.
The project compared two methodologies of DNA technology as well as older grain protein analysis technology in determining genetic purity of barley seed samples. Over the course of the project SEPWA found that at this stage the DNA based technology was not yet ready for industry adoption. The project found that the only reliable test was the individual protein profile analysis of 150 individual seed. This test however has relatively low throughput capacity and hence could not be widely adopted by the whole of industry.
At the outset of the project it was hoped that the DNA technology was the next step forward in measuring and managing varieties purity, however this was not demonstrated. As a result industry will need to wait for improvements in technology before a test becomes commercially available.
SEPWA also conducted grower based experiments to learn more about the sources of potential varietal purity issues. This work indicated that varietal purity was more likely to decline as due to a whole grain parcel mix-ups at either seeding, harvest or delivery. Grain hygiene, although important, did not appear as major contributor to loss of genetic purity in malt barley production.
Project Summary
This project looks into introducing new technology into the malting barley industry that helps verify variety purity standards into the future. This type of technology can assist to maintain the Australian grains industry reputation as a quality malting barley producer and ensuring grower's grain has credibility and acceptance in the market place.
In this project SEPWA undertook a preliminary barley variety purity testing as an indicative industry benchmark. This bench marking covered grower's seed for sowing (farmer saved and bought), tissue samples from the field and harvested grain in the Esperance port zone. There was also testing from other sources across WA.
This project will introduce to growers the concept of varietal ID testing for malting barley at production level. It is likely that some form of variety ID testing will become mandatory in the future and this project serves to accustom growers to the concept. Results of this project will be presented to industry and contribute to designing a national approach to varietal purity in malting barley.
Project Funders
The project is jointly funded by the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), with support from the CBH Group.
Project Background
Malting barley varietal purity is vital to the malting industry for performance efficiency in the malting process. There are strict receival standards in place across Australia that dictate malting barley must be varietal pure and that it is to be stored in separate stacks on a variety-by-variety basis.
Over the past 4 harvest seasons CBH (on behalf of the primary WA barley marketer Grain Pool Pty Ltd) has taken grain samples at delivery as well as sampled stacks for purity. Similar work has been done by ABB in the Eastern states. Due to the harvest pressure and bottleneck in testing not all growers' samples were tested. Additionally, feedback from this testing process has not been provided in time for growers to take corrective action in relation to finding out they have a variety purity issue and rectifying it in time for the following season.
The reliability of current testing methodologies for varietal purity, as well as industry-wide application potential, is under question when considering sample throughput, reliability and repeatability.
Through this project SEPWA will be engaging grower's interest in the topic of malting barley variety purity as an overall grain quality characteristic. SEPWA sees this as important proactive step to engage growers at the production level rather than possible negative feedback from marketers in the future when growers will be forced into prescriptive action.
Testing at the farm level will also inevitably lead to integration into existing QA systems such as the Better Farm IQ program and this is a step toward a whole supply chain variety testing from barley breeder to brew house.
Further Information
Contact SEPWA Project Coordinator, Nigel Metz on 9083 1115 or .