Barley, common name for any
of a genus of cereal grasses, native to north temperate regions, and
one of the most ancient of cultivated plants. It is now the fourth-largest
grain crop, after
wheat,
rice, and
maize. In the greater part of
Europe, the United States, and Canada barley is sown in the spring.
Along the Mediterranean Sea and in parts of California and Arizona,
it is sown in autumn. It is also grown as a winter-sown annual crop
in many areas. Drought-resistant and hardy, barley can be grown on marginal
cropland; salt-resistant strains are being developed to increase its
usefulness in coastal regions. Barley germinates at about the same temperature
as wheat. The different cultivated varieties of barley belong to three
distinct types: two-rowed barley, six-rowed barley, and irregular barley.
The varieties grown in Europe are generally the two-rowed type; in the
United States the six-rowed type predominates and the irregular type
is found in Ethiopia. The finest malting varieties are the six-rowed
and the two-rowed types.
Barley grain, hay, straw, and several by-products are used for feed.
The grain is used for malt beverages and in cooking. Like other
cereals, barley contains a large proportion of carbohydrate (67 per
cent) and protein (12.8 per cent). Barley is of no importance as a raw
material for industrial starch.
Annual world production of barley in the mid-1990s stood at about
160 million tonnes, almost 4.5 per cent more than in 1980. By far the
leading producer was Russia, followed by Ukraine, Canada, Germany, and
the United States. Australia is also an important producer of barley.
Scientific classification: Barley belongs to the
genus Hordeum, of the family Poaceae (or Gramineae). Two-rowed barley
is classified as Hordeum distichon, six-rowed barley as Hordeum vulgare,
and irregular barley as Hordeum irregulare.
