50 Years of Progress in Quality of Malting Barley Grown in the Czech Republic

V. Psota^1,6, J. Hartmann², Š. Sejkorová³, T. Loučková⁴ and K. Vejražka⁵
¹ Research Institute of Brewing and Malting, Mostecká 7, 614 00 Brno, Czech Republic (CZ).
² Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture, Hroznová2 656 06 Brno, CZ.
³ Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, Zemědělská 1. 613 00 Brno, CZ.
⁴ Czech University of Life Science Prague, Kamýcká 129. 165 21 Praha 6 – Suchdol, CZ.
⁵ Agricultural Research, Ltd. Troubsko, Zahradní 1. 664 41 Troubsko, CZ.
⁶ Corresponding author. E-mail: psota@brno.beerresearch.cz.

J. Inst. Brew. 115(4), 279–291, 2009 | VIEW ARTICLE

ABSTRACT
This paper summarizes the results of study of malting and agronomic characteristics of barley varieties grown in the territory of the Czech Republic over the period 1955–2005. Mean year-onyear increase in the grain yield was 53 kg/ha. Mean increase in TGW was 0.177 g/year over the studied period. Accumulation of protein in the studied varieties declined ca by 12%. Varieties from the beginning of the 21st century displayed a 4% higher extract content than those grown in the second half of the 1950s. Mean year-on-year increase in extract (d.m.) was a 0.0641 percentage point. By the end of the 1970s most of the varieties achieved values of diastatic power higher than 300°WK. In the 1970s to 1980s, diastatic power declined to under the level of 300°WK. In the 2nd half of the 1990s and at the beginning of this century, activity of amylolytic enzymes increased considerably in some modern varieties and values of diastatic power frequently moved over 350°WK. Activity of proteolytic enzymes increased by 6%. Mean year-on-year increase in Kolbach index was a 0.1456 percentage point. Value of relative extract at 45°C increased by 3%. Mean year-on-year increase in relative extract at 45°C was a 0.0645 percentage point over the studied period. Value of the apparent final attenuation, a trait characterizing quality of wort composition, increased by 3%. Mean inter-year increase in apparent final attenuation was a 0.0756 percentage point.

Key words:
Barley, breeding progress, malting quality, yield components.