Augur is a spring barley variety for brewing, of intensive type, developed by the Institute of Plant Growing named after V.Ya. Yuryev of NAAN and registered in the State Register of Varieties of Ukraine in 2017. It is characterized by high ecological plasticity and is recommended for cultivation in Steppe, Forest-Steppe, and Polesie zones. The variety is medium-late maturing, low-growing (about 60 cm), with high productive tillering — on average 2.8 stems per plant. The ear is two-rowed, medium length, with long, serrated awns and weak waxy coating. The grain is light yellow, membranous, elongated-elliptical in shape, with 1000-grain weight ranging from 44-50 g, and grain density of 700 g.
Augur possesses excellent brewing qualities: grain extractivity reaches 83.1%, surpassing the Xanadu standard (81.0%), and malt quality is rated as excellent (8.5 points). The grain contains approximately 13% protein and 62% starch, ensuring high-quality raw material for brewing. The variety is highly resistant to lodging, which enhances crop stability and facilitates harvesting. Moreover, Augur is genetically resistant to major barley diseases such as powdery mildew, net blotch, helminthosporiosis, and scab.
The potential yield of this variety reaches 10 t/ha, while actual yields on trial plots amounted to 7 t/ha in the Polesie zone and 6.8 t/ha in the Forest-Steppe zone. Due to its high drought tolerance and lodging resistance, Augur is recommended for cultivation in various climatic conditions, including dry regions of the Steppe, such as Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts. This variety combines high productivity, quality, and resilience, making it an attractive choice for the brewing industry and farmers.
