The performance of the hooded gene of barley (Hordeum vulgare) in rainfed Mediterranean climates

The progenies of six crosses, made in 1987, between the best available hooded barley line and six selected awned barley lines were used to study the effect of the hooded gene on the performance of barley under rainfed conditions in Cyprus. A single dominant gene was found to control the hooded character. Awned genotypes on average outyielded hooded genotypes by 17%, but the difference between the two genotypes was smaller in the central plain than in the coastal area. The effect of the hooded gene on yield varied also with the combination of parents, as the superiority of the awned genotypes varied with cross from 13 to 30%. Hooded lines giving a higher grain yield than their hooded parent were identified [...]