Barley germplasm and utilization

Abstract

Germplasm, genetic resources and gene resources are similar glossaries in crop breeding and genetics, which include cultivated plants, wild plants and any other life forms used in crop breeding. Crop breeders utilize selected gene resources for combination of new variations or defined agronomic traits like disease resistance commercial varieties. Novel germplasm are becoming increasingly important for developing crop varieities with high yield, quality and abiotic or biotic resistence. In this respect, original varieties, landraces and in particular, wild relatives of crops have been receiving increasing attention as gene donors. Earlier difficulties of sexual isolation in gene transfer using conventional methods can now be overcome by the development of new biological techniques which also make more distantly related species accessible for gene transfer. Cultivated barley, Hordeum vulgare L., one of the major cereals planted in the world, is a founder crop of the Old World Neolithic food production and one of the earliest crops domesticated. It is an important crop, ranking fifth in world crop production. In order of importance, barley is used for animal feed, brewing malts and human food. Barley is a short season, early maturing cereal with high yield potential. It may be found in widely varying environments, including extremes of latitude and altitude where other crops are not adapted. The number of barley germplasm recorded is up to 370,000, the second largest after wheat (von Hintum, 2000). This chapter aims to give a comprehensive overview of the genus Hordeum, relationships of the species, origin and evolution of cultivated barley, and utilization of barley germplasm in breeding programs, including some successful examples and potential for improvement of cultivated barley.