Naked barley: taxonomy, breeding, and prospects of utilization

Abstract

This review surveys the current state of taxonomy, origin, and utilization prospects for naked barley. The cultivated barley Hordeum vulgare L. incorporates the covered and naked barley groups. Naked barleys are divided into six-row naked barley (convar. сoeleste (L.) A. Trof.) and two-row naked barley (convar. nudum (L.) A. Trof.). The groups include botanical varieties differing in the structural features of spikes, awns, floret and spikelet glumes, and the color of kernels. The centers of morphogenesis for naked barley are scrutinized employing archeological and paleoethnobotanical data, and the diversity of its forms. Hypotheses on the centers of its origin are discussed using DNA marker data. The main areas of its cultivation are shown, along with possible reasons for such a predominating or exclusive distribution of naked barley in highland areas. Inheritance of nakedness and mechanisms of its manifestation are considered in the context of new data in genetics. The biochemical composition of barley grain in protein, some essential and nonessential amino acids, β-glucans, vitamins, and antioxidants is described. Naked barley is shown to be a valuable source of unique combinations of soluble and insoluble dietary fibers and polysaccharides. The parameters limiting wider distribution of naked barley over the world are emphasized, and breeding efforts that could mitigate them are proposed. Pathogen-resistant naked barley accessions are identified to serve as promising sources for increasing grain yield and quality. Main stages and trends of naked barley breeding are considered and the importance of the VIR global germplasm collection as the richest repository of genetic material for the development of breeding is shown.

Influence of Hulling, Cleaning and Brushing/Polishing of (Pseudo)Cereal Grains on Compositional Characteristics

“…Although naked or hulled barley and oat varieties exist, they have disadvantages, such as protrusion of the central radicle above the grain surface, which damages the embryo during threshing, low resistance to drought, plant lodging and various diseases, lower adaptability to changing environmental conditions, etc. [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. Polishing or slight peeling of the grain to remove the surface layers of the grain may also affect processing performance by removing microbially derived enzymes and hard lignocellulosic structures covering the grain, while leaving most of the dietary fiber and associated compounds in the raw material [ 9 ].…”

Testing of the STS-marker for the <i>Nud1</i> gene for the selection of naked barley hybrids

“…При прове-дении GWAS анализа (от англ. genome-wide association studies) у этих сортов были выявлены дополнительные гены, которые были связаны с адаптацией к условиям произрастания, но не с голозерным фенотипом (Lukina et al, 2022). Дополнительный поиск направлен на выявление совместного наследования гена Nud1 с локусами, определяющими экологическую адаптацию ячменя из различных регионов.…”

Evaluation of promising lines of spring barley in the conditions of the Northern Trans-Urals

“…Nevertheless, about 2% of the world's barley production is disposed of due to unacceptable organoleptic characteristics. Therefore, modifications are constantly being carried out either to breed new varieties for various purposes, or for new processing methods to improve its organoleptic characteristics [7][8][9].…”