Barley seed quality under harvest management practices

Barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) has a strategic role in global agriculture due to its use in food, feed, and brewing industries and its adaptability to diverse environments. This study evaluated the effect of harvest timing on seed quality in two commercial cultivars (ABI Rubi and ABI Valente), focusing on physical integrity, physiological performance, sanitary status, and chemical composition. Field experiments were conducted in Brazil, under three harvest management conditions: (1) physiological maturity, (2) physiological maturity with desiccation, and (3) full maturity (13% grain moisture, Zadoks stage 92). The variables analyzed included yield, germination, vigor (accelerated aging and electrical conductivity), pathogen incidence, and starch and protein content. Seed health was not influenced by harvest management. However, desiccation at physiological maturity and full maturity increased starch (51%–54%) and protein contents (10.3%–11.5%), with responses influenced by genotype‐environment interactions. Although full maturity provided satisfactory quality, it involved greater risks under adverse weather. Harvesting at physiological maturity without desiccation reduced germination in climatically unfavorable years, whereas desiccation at this stage proved to be the most effective strategy for preserving barley seed quality under unstable climatic conditions. These results support the definition of harvest strategies aimed at maintaining seed quality for malt production.