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New hulless barley reduces pollution potential from hog manure

New hulless barley lines under development at the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre (CDC) can reduce the potential of pollution from hog manure and boost barley’s feed value.

The new barley will benefit both the environment and the agriculture industry in Western Canada, which has seen a dramatic expansion in hog production over the past five years, says Dr. Brian Rossnagel, CDC barley breeder. Rossnagel hopes to have Breeder seed of the most promising line available in as soon as 2005, and Certified seed available to farmers a few years later.

“We see significant advantages for both barley growers and hog producers,” says Rossnagel. “Growers will have a higher valued product to sell, and hog producers can reduce the impact their operations might have on the environment.” This research is supported in part by the Barley Check-off Fund, administered by Western Grains Research Foundation.

Rossnagel is developing the barley lines in collaboration with Dr. Victor Raboy of the USDA in Aberdeen, Idaho. What makes the lines unique is that they are low in phytic acid — a form of phosphorous that is almost indigestible by monogastric livestock and typically ends up in manure, says Rossnagel. Approximately 70 percent of the phosphorous in conventional barley is in the form of phytic acid.

The new low phytate (LP) barleys contain the same amount of phosphorous, but in a form that is more available for pigs and poultry, he says. The line most likely to result in the first commercial variety has 50 percent less phytic acid than conventional barley.

“There’s still some phytic acid in our barley lines so we haven’t eliminated phosphorus in the manure, but it’s a definite improvement,” he says. Several studies in the U.S. show that feeding LP corn and barley significantly reduces the amount of phosphorus in manure, reducing the potential for pollution.

LP barley is based on germplasm first developed by Raboy’s team in Idaho, says Rossnagel, who is sharing resources with his U.S. colleague. Raboy is developing hulled LP lines for the U.S. and Rossnagel is concentrating on hulless lines for Western Canada. Similar work on corn and soybeans is also underway in the U.S.

LP barley has good potential to reduce livestock production costs, says Rossnagel. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for both plants and animals and Canadian regulations require retail feed manufacturers to add dicalcium phosphate to every ration to meet minimum levels of available phosphorus.

“On a pound-for-pound basis, dicalcium phosphate is one of the most expensive ration ingredients,” he says. “If we can reduce the amount required, there should be an economic benefit for producers.”

Results of recent small-scale feeding trials are positive, Rossnagel says. “Our studies indicate that LP barley provides adequate levels of digestible phosphorus, which suggests producers would not require as much dicalcium phosphate as they do now.”

Plant breeding isn’t the only tool researchers are using to unlock the phosphorus in phytic acid, says Rossnagel. Some are evaluating synthetic phytase, the enzyme that can help non-ruminants digest and absorb the phosphorus in phytic acid. In another approach, animal scientists at the University of Guelph have developed transgenic pigs, called Enviropig, which can produce their own phytate-degrading enzyme.

The Barley Check-off Fund contributes over $600,000 annually to barley breeding programs in Western Canada. Breeding targets include improved agronomy, disease resistance and quality for both feed and malting varieties.

WGRF information at www.westerngrains.com

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