3 – Food Barley Quality Improvement and Germplasm Utilization

Barley is one of the oldest known domesticated crops. Originally cultivated for human consumption, other end-uses have gained importance over the millennia. Today, barley is the fourth most important cereal crop in the world and is mainly used as animal feed or malted for brewing and distilling. Wheat and rice have largely replaced barley as a staple food. But there are still many areas of the world where barley remains a staple crop and has important spiritual, nutritional, and cultural significance. In this chapter, we summarize the history of barley foods, discuss their resurgence, and use the Oregon State University (OSU) food barley breeding initiative as a case study in germplasm development and variety release. Civilization faces the tremendous challenges of climate change and ensuring a stable, nutritious, and diverse food supply. Food barley can be part of the solution. One approach to accelerating the acceptance of food barley and to ensuring its broader utilization is to focus on its unique attributes. We argue that naked (hull-less) food barley should be viewed as an entirely new cereal crop with agronomic, nutritional, and end-use advantages. It is early maturing and input-use-efficient. It has unique dietary fiber and nutritional characteristics. And finally, it offers a palette of new flavors and qualities for a range of foods.