PERFORMANCE OF SEMI-DWARF BARLEY

Five to six cycles of crossing and selection resulted in well-adapted simidwarf barleys (Hordeum vulgare L.). The original semidward stock was a radiation mutant obtained in the Norwegian cultivar, Jotun. The performance of these semidwarf barleys was compared with that of their normal-height counterparts. Lines from 5 populations were compared in field environments for yield and 10 other characters. Inheritance information also was obtained using 5 populations. The semidwarf lines had higher mean yields than the normal lines in 4 of the 5 populations, but the yield difference was modest, amounting to 3% for the average of the 5 populations. Lodging did not influence yield in these experiments. The semidwarf lines had 7% more tillers, 10% more heads and a 14% higher harvest index than the normal lines based on the mean of 5 populations. The semidwarfs also had 10% longer coleoptiles than the normal lines, based on the average of 4 populations. The normal lines were 5% higher in total dry matter and 8% higher in kernel weight. The lengthy breeding program apparently resulted in semidwarf barleys that have potential for direct use as cultivars and as parental material. A single gene control the semidwarf character in this material. The symbol suggested for this gene is sdw.