ICARDA Annual Report 2001

Farmers have grown barley for thousands of years, both for food and animal feed. Archaeological evidence suggests that barley was once more popular than wheat in North Africa. It had a reputation for being a 'strong' food, and was an important part of the diet of Roman gladiators–who were called 'hordearii,’ meaning 'barley-men.’ Today, barley is widely grown for animal feed, and for making malt. It is still a useful alternative to wheat as food, especially in regions of high altitude and low rainfall where many of the world's poorest people live.
In 2001 ICARDA scientists made further progress in improving barley germplasm for increased productivity and yield stability. Existing participatory barley breeding projects were scaled up to involve more farmers in the selection of improved varieties. Three new varieties of hulless barley were released in Egypt and new high-yielding lines were tested in Central Asia. Progress has also been made in understanding the genetic basis of adaptation to low-rainfall environments, and in developing lines with resistance to pests and diseases of barley such as the stem-gall-midge, yellow rust, yellow dwarf virus, powdery mildew, and seed-borne diseases.

Involving farmers in varietal selection is essential to ensure new lines are not only adapted to the local environment but also appropriate for the farmers' needs. Participatory barley breeding has been conducted in Syria since 1996 and the results have provided invaluable information and lessons for participatory research on other crops in new geographical areas.

The current study involves eight villages (Fig. 1) and began in 1999. The villages were chosen to epresent different rainfall, soil types, and management practices, as well as different categories of farmers (farm size, end-use of the crop, literacy, etc.). These 'farmer initial trials' (FIT) included 200 plots (378 entries including checks) and allowed the farmers to choose the row pattern (two- or six-row), the seed color (white or black), and the type of germplasm (modern or landraces). Barley populations derived from crosses made only three years ago were included in the trial. A total of 53 farmers participated in the first year's selection, making their choices on the basis of such factors as grain yield, plant height resistance to lodging, and kernel size. After harvesting and data analysis, the quantitative results and farmers' scores were discussed in each village, and the farmers selected the varieties they desired to test further.

Larger plots were used in the second year (2000) to evaluate the lines selected by the farmers and those with the highest yields.These were called 'farmer advanced

Fig. 1. Farmers from eight villages in Syria are participating in the ICARDA participatory barley breeding project, which started in 1999.

FIT: Farmer Initial Trials, 378 entries, plot size 12 m2
FAT: Farmer Advanced Trials, 169 entries, plot size 144 m2
FET: Farmer Elite Trials, 72 entries, plot size 0.3-1.5 ha

trials' (FAT). A new set of FIT was also planted in the same eight villages. After harvest,further selection was made, as before, resulting in a third level of trials: 'farmer elite trials' (FET). These included only the lines selected by the majority of the farmers and were managed entirely by the farmers.By 2001, 59 farmers had joined in 11 FIT, 45 FAT, and 39 FET. Meanwhile, complementary activities were conducted on the research station. These included seed multiplication, single-plant selection within the FIT and the rapid advancement of these selections through single-seed descent, and conventional or marker-assisted selection for desirable traits such as pest and disease resistance. Small seed units are being established in four of the villages. These will have the capability to clean and treat seed against seed-borne diseases, and it is hoped that they will develop to become permanent village-based seed production units, helping to ensure a reliable supply of improved seed.

Currently, the type of food barley most commonly grown is hulled. That is, the seed has a cover that has to be removed by pearling or sanding before it can be prepared as food. Hull-less barley has several advantages. It requires little cleaning, the entire kernel can be used, and the nutrient-rich bran and germ are retained. Food products made from hull-less barley are known as whole grain foods, and have received growing attention as a healthy food in developed as well as developing countries.
In response to requests from a number of national agricultural research systems (NARS), ICARDA has been investigating ways to improve the acceptability of barley as food. Scientists are looking at ß-glucans (also important in malting), hardness (also important in animal feed), and cooking time. At the same time, efforts are being made to adapt hull-less barley germplasm to the growing conditions of the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region.
In 2001, this research led to the release of three new hull-less varieties in Egypt. Two of these varieties, 'Giza 129' and 'Giza 130,’ are derived from crosses made at ICARDA in 1985 and were selected from the International Naked Barley Nursery originally distributed in 1995. The third, 'Giza 131,’ was selected from the International Hull-less Barley Screening Nursery distributed by the joint barley breeding program of ICARDA and the Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT) in Mexico. All three produce high grain yield under dry conditions, and are resistant to terminal heat stress. 'Giza 129' is recommended for newly reclaimed lands, 'Giza 131' for rainfed areas, and 'Giza 131' for both environments.

The republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC) rely heavily on rainfed farming systems in which livestock are an important component. However, feed production is severely constrained by the marked seasonality of rainfall. Barley yields and economic productivity tend to be lower than in other regions of the world with similar agroecologies.

Collaboration between ICARDA and NARS led to the identification of seven new, promising lines of barley (Table 1), each with potential to increase yields over the local landraces. The new line 'Adel' outyielded the standard check by 18%, while 'Batir-1' and 'Batir-2' showed a 20-30% yield increase over check varieties. 'Dobrinya' and 'Rubicon' were developed within the framework of the joint ICARDA-Krasnodar project, and the scientists concerned were awarded Russian Federation Author Certificates. These new varieties will be used to improve local germplasm and for direct multiplication and introduction to farmers' fields. Indeed, 'Dobrinya' has already been sown across 21,000 ha.