DWRB 137
A six-row feed barley for irrigated, timely-sown fields in the eastern plains and the Central Zone. The grain also tests well for malt, but the release is for feed.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Barley
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 130–135 days
- Expected yield
- 38–42 q/ha (zone trial averages)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Yellow rust resistant
- Release
- Notified 27 March 2018 (Gazette S.O. 1379(E)) by ICAR-IIWBR, Karnal, for the North Eastern Plains Zone and Central Zone
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
DWRB 137 (also called Central Barley 137) is a six-row barley bred by ICAR-IIWBR, Karnal. The Central Varietal Release Committee released it and it was notified on 27 March 2018 (Gazette S.O. 1379(E)). The release paper in the Journal of Cereal Research calls it a high-yielding, stripe-rust-resistant feed barley for irrigated, timely-sown fields of the North Eastern Plains Zone and the Central Zone. It is not a North Western Plains release. The grain also tests well for malt: 90% bold grains, 61 kg/hl test weight, 87.1% malt yield and 4.9% beta-glucan.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose DWRB 137 if your fields are in the North Eastern Plains Zone or the Central Zone, you irrigate and you sow on time. The release paper gives a mean grain yield of 42.49 q/ha in the Central Zone and 37.93 q/ha in the North Eastern Plains Zone. In the eastern trials it out-yielded Jyoti, the old check variety, by 10.20%. Choose K 560 instead if your land is rainfed. Do not pick it for Punjab or Haryana, where DWRB 182 and RD 2552 are the North Western Plains barleys. And do not sow it on a malt contract: it is released as feed, even though the grain tested well.
Sowing & cultivation
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Mean grain yield of 42.49 q/ha in the Central Zone (genetic potential up to 67.44 q/ha) and 37.93 q/ha in the North Eastern Plains Zone, beating check varieties by roughly 5–11% across both zones
- Malting-quality metrics (90% bold grains, 61 kg/hl test weight, 87.1% malt yield) are strong even though the variety is officially classified as feed barley, giving it some flexibility beyond straight feed use
Things to consider
- DWRB 137 was released for the North Eastern Plains Zone and the Central Zone. It was not released for Punjab, Haryana or the rest of the North Western Plains, so ask your KVK before sowing it there.
- It is a feed barley on paper. The grain numbers look good for malt, but a maltster buys against their own grade, so do not count on a malt premium.
- The release paper gives yields and malt figures but not days to maturity. The 130–135 days shown here is a general figure, so check with your seed supplier.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
- West Bengal
- Madhya Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Gujarat
Feed barley that tests like malt: what to tell the buyer
The release paper calls DWRB 137 a feed barley. Its grain numbers look like a malt barley's: 90% bold grains, 61 kg/hl test weight, 87.1% malt yield and 4.9% beta-glucan.
That does not make it a malt variety. A maltster buys against their own specification and tests every lot. If you hope to sell to one, take a clean sample to the buyer before you sow, not after harvest.
Unless a buyer has agreed in writing to grade the lot as malt, sell it as feed. Then a good test result is a bonus and a bad one costs you nothing.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Barley variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DWRB 137this page | A six-row feed barley for irrigated, timely-sown fields in the eastern plains and the Central Zone, with grain that also tests well for malt | 130–135 days | 38–42 q/ha (zone trial averages) | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat |
| DWRB 182 | A two-row malt barley for irrigated, timely-sown fields in the North Western Plains, grown for a maltster | 120–125 days | 45–50 q/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh |
| DWRB 223 | India's first released hulless barley, for the food and health-food market with no dehulling step | 115–120 days | 40–43 q/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh |
| Jyoti | An older irrigated barley with recorded resistance to loose smut, still the yardstick in eastern-plains trials | 120–130 days | 35–40 q/ha | Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal |
| K 560 (Haritma) | Rainfed barley for eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, where there is no assured water | 115–120 days | 30–32 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal |
| RD 2035 | A dual-purpose barley (grain and green fodder) with nematode resistance, for irrigated fields in Rajasthan and the North Western Plains | 120–125 days | 35–40 q/ha | Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh |
| RD 2552 | Grain-and-fodder barley for irrigated, timely-sown fields in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab | 115–120 days | 38–46 q/ha | Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab |
| RD 2660 | Rainfed six-row feed barley for the dry parts of Rajasthan | 110–115 days | 25–30 q/ha (rainfed) | Rajasthan |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Barley is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Barley plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Barley variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Barley into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Barley in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Barley rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Barley seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is DWRB 137 a malt barley or a feed barley?
It is officially a feed barley. The release paper recommends it for irrigated, timely-sown fields of the North Eastern Plains Zone and the Central Zone. The grain does test well for malt (90% bold grains, 87.1% malt yield), which is why it is sometimes sold on the malt angle. That is not its official recommendation.
Can I grow DWRB 137 in Punjab or Haryana?
It was released for the North Eastern Plains Zone and the Central Zone, not for the North Western Plains. For Punjab and Haryana, ICAR-IIWBR lists DWRB 182 (malt) and RD 2552 (dual-purpose). Ask your KVK before trying DWRB 137 there.
How much better is DWRB 137 than Jyoti?
In the North Eastern Plains trials it gave 10.20% more grain than Jyoti, with a mean of 37.93 q/ha. In the Central Zone it beat BH 959 by 10.67%, PL 751 by 9.01% and RD 2786 by 5.46%, with a mean of 42.49 q/ha.
Is DWRB 137 safe against yellow rust?
The release paper calls it stripe (yellow) rust resistant. In the artificial-inoculation test the highest reaction was 5MS, with an infection coefficient of 1.00. That test is harder than a normal field, but still check the crop in cool, humid weather.
DWRB 137 or K 560 in the eastern plains?
It depends on water. DWRB 137 is for irrigated, timely-sown fields and gave 37.93 q/ha in the North Eastern Plains trials. K 560 is the rainfed variety for eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, 115–120 days and 30–32 q/ha. With assured irrigation, take DWRB 137. With no assured water, take K 560.
How many days should I plan for DWRB 137?
Plan on 130–135 days, but treat it as a general figure. The release paper gives yields and malt figures but not days to maturity. Check with your seed supplier or KVK, and keep a margin before the next crop. Count from the day of sowing.
Sourced from: DWRB137: Six row, high yielding and stripe rust resistant feed barley for irrigated timely sown conditions of north eastern plains zone and central zone — Journal of Cereal Research. editorial policy.