211Successful growing of spring barley for malting purposes depends on many factors. The yield and its stability as well as grain quality are of great importance to growers. A critical role is ascribed to the previous crop and besides, time and method of its harvest, soil tillage and the method used to manage organic matter from the preceding harvest. These factors affect nutrient content in the soil environment, availability to the root system of spring barley, physical properties of the soil and health status of the crop stand. Here, an important role is played by the variety and its genetically determined resistance to diseases, a course of weather conditions during the year and relevant occurrence of diseases.There are very good conditions for growing spring barley for malting in several regions in the Czech Republic. In the past, cultivation of barley in these regions was based on good crop rotations, where high quality of malting varieties was given by quality of the previous crop. The previous crops, which are mostly used now, were considered less favourable (oilseed rape) and barley was not grown after them at all. Farmers, being under economical pressure, grow barley even after summer intercrops. Furthermore, the barley management practice using the traditional previous crop sugar beet is not the same either, since beet tops are not harvested and producers have reduced a tillage system. Such a tillage system is very often used in the case of other commodities in rotation with barley including wheat, poppy, maize, and oilseed rape. , annual precipitation sum 599 mm) in a five-course crop rotation, where spring barley followed the previous crops sugar beet, winter wheat, maize, and oilseed rape. The experimental years differed a lot in temperature and precipitation. The years 2001 and 2002 were dry and warm and grain yield was much lower as compared to that in the following years even though the other growing conditions were identical. The most stable quality parameters were obtained after the previous crop sugar beet. The average value of test weight was 661 g/l (ranging from 629 to 685 g/l), protein content 11.2% (10.3-11.7%) and starch content 61.5% (58.9-64.9%). Grain yield averaged 6.67 t/ha. Test weight after maize was on average 658 g/l (619-692 g/l), protein content 11.5% (10.1-12.4%), starch content 60.7% (59.2-63.8%), and grain yield 6.24 t/ha. Test weight and starch content were lower and protein content higher after oilseed rape and winter wheat. A higher FHB incidence and DON content were found after the previous crop maize. In 2001 and 2002 with strong water deficit during the growing seasons, more grains infected by Fusarium spp. were detected and DON content was higher too. The increase was due to a short rainy period at heading of spring barley. Problems of variable conditions for growing malting varieties of spring barley and current possibilities of producing both good grain yields and quality are discussed.