BARLEY WORLDWIDE

Abstract

Barley is the fourth most grown cereal in the world. It is mainly cultivated in the northern hemisphere. Only 10% of the total harvest is required for brewing. The quality demands are best met by 2-rowed spring varieties, although, in those countries which use unmalted grain, 6-rowed enzyme-rich varieties are also highly valued. The breeding of quality brewing barley, which is over 100 years old and expanded from Europe, was mainly concentrated on spring barleys. However, particularly in the last 20 years, attempts have been made in several countries to also improve the brewing quality of 2- and 6-rowed winter barleys. True winter barleys are essentially only of interest in Europe. The breeders aim to combine high yield with good brewing quality is also difficult for spring barleys. Only a small group of varieties are acceptable nationally. The most important barley producing countries, which carry out breeding programmes and also have world market significance, are Canada, USA, Great Britain, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Denmark and Australia.