Pink barley straw!

[ewald]

Started spring barley yesterday, Laureate. Yielding pretty well and nice looking sample, but the straw is a dusty pink - is this drought stress or a varietal characteristic?

 

[B'o'B]

Started spring barley yesterday, Laureate. Yielding pretty well and nice looking sample, but the straw is a dusty pink - is this drought stress or a varietal characteristic?

Drought. Potash not been washed out of the straw.

 

[Hindsight]

Started spring barley yesterday, Laureate. Yielding pretty well and nice looking sample, but the straw is a dusty pink - is this drought stress or a varietal characteristic?

LGBQT compliant. New box to tick for your Red Tractor inspection next year. So well done. You heard it here first.

 

[DrWazzock]

Same pink stubble here on Westminster. Drought stress.

 

[Badshot]

Drought. Potash not been washed out of the straw.

This.
If you're selling it, beware the amount of potash being removed will be double or triple normal.

 

[Still Farming]

Glysophate?

 

[egbert]

This.
If you're selling it, beware the amount of potash being removed will be double or triple normal.

eh? If it's 'washed out', wouldn't it be back on the deck?
(ignoramus question mind)

 

[Pan mixer]

The colour of any 'green' plant is made up of 3 main components I understand.

Chlorophyll is green and is the main one and deteriorates fastest of the 3.

The other two, Xanthophyll and Carotene (IIRC) are also involved, the first red, the second orange.

They both deteriorate less quickly (and give colour to autumn leaves for example)

Your straw still has some left of the latter two, the stubble will soon go brown but the bit under the swath if you don't bale soon will still be pink when you bale.

No need to have a conspiracy theory about chemicals applied by nasty farmers, it has just been harvested a bit earlier than normal.

Spring barley straw Tuesday

 

[BenAdamsAgri]

Likewise on our wheat, happened 3/4 years ago too if I remember correctly

 

[7610 super q]

At least we can see the potash leaving the farm now. Might concentrate a few mind viz a viz the straw price.

 

[jd2013]

At least we can see the potash leaving the farm now. Might concentrate a few mind viz a viz the straw price.

BUT THEY ALREADY PAY SO MUCH FOR IT!!!

 

[Northern territory]

Winter barley was the same here.

 

[Badshot]

eh? If it's 'washed out', wouldn't it be back on the deck?
(ignoramus question mind)

It's not washed out, that's the problem, there's more potash left in the straw than usual

 

[tw15]

So more £ going up the road in the form of potash in the straw if only selling for £40 ish acre better of chopping and keping the potash that you paid for on your own land .

 

[CPF]

Pink straw is not good for livestock can cause major issues especially with dairy cows
You’ll have to google this item it has a copy right on it. But worth a damn good read.

 

[Skintagain]

I had some 2018 sheep wouldn’t touch the stuff usually munch the bedding with gusto.

 

[egbert]

It's not washed out, that's the problem, there's more potash left in the straw than usual

thanks...so leached to outside, but 'held onto'?

As a buyer of straw, I like this!

 

[Vader]

 

[whitefox]

did it get digestate by any chance?

 

[ewald]

Thanks for the replies - it isn’t something I had seen before, even in dry years (although I don’t really remember 1976 too clearly!)

No, it hadn’t had digestate.