Annual Progress Report on Malting Barley Research March, 2002

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2. Direct Seeding Cropping Systems
In collaboration with R.J. Cook, and others, several research projects are underway to
evaluate barley adaptation to direct-seeded production in dryland cropping systems.
Specific projects address barley variety soil borne root pathogen reactions, variety
performance under direct-seeded vs conventional tillage in continuous cropping systems
in intermediate and low rainfall areas of eastern Washington, and barley as a rotation
crop in continuous small grains cropping systems in low rainfall areas. Thus far,
considerable differences in barley variety reaction to high soil borne disease conditions
have been demonstrated with some genotypes showing some resistance or tolerance.
Also thus far, barley yields have been less under direct seeding compared with
conventional seeding, but little genotype x variety interaction for yield has been
indicated.
3. Proanthocyanidin-free Barley
In collaboration with D. von Wettstein, proanthocyanidin-free barley lines are being
developed to eliminate the chill haze problems in beer and possibly enhance the
nutritional value of barley. Sodium azide mutagenesis has provided new
proanthocyanidin-free mutants for biochemical, agronomic, disease, and malting quality
evaluations. The mutants are used as parents in crosses with high quality genotypes.
Several newer 6- and 2-row lines appear to have considerably improved agronomic and
quality characteristics especially the recently selected pigmented proanthocyanidin-free
(PANT) mutants. Two lines have been approved for prerelease seed increase in 2002. An
additional project involves the incorporation of a bacterial engineered heat stable, betaglucanase
gene into proanthocyanidin-free barley via transformation. Feeding as well as
malting evaluations are underway with advanced lines.
4. Hulless/Waxy Barley
Crosses between waxy and hulless and standard varieties have been made. A
collaborative effort with I. Romagosa provides doubled haploid breeding lines of waxy
hulless types to the WSU program. We continue to evaluate progeny for improved
food/feed and industrial use type barleys. Our first hulless barley, Bear, was released in
1997. Feed quality is excellent compared with covered cultivars and the hulless cultivars,
Condor and Falcon. New collaboration is evolving with B.-K. Baik in the WSU Food
Science and Human Nutrition Department for the evaluation and development of barley
food products. A first effort is looking at genotype effects on color and discoloration of
raw and cooked barley.
5. Forage Barley
Work has been ongoing for several years to replace the standard forage or hay barley,
Belford, which has been around since the 1940’s. The new hooded six-row barley
Washford was released in 1997. Washford has out-yielded Belford by 15% in hay dry
weight and 22% in grain, and it has greater lodging resistance with about the same quality
profile. New lines are being developed to further improve upon Washford.