Trials were conducted in the West (OR, CA) upper Midwest (MN, WI), and Northeast (NY) to develop improved naked barley cultivars for organic systems, using four classes of germplasm:

• A large diversity panel to gather genetic information
• A breeding population based on crosses of lines with desired traits
• Advanced lines for multiregional trials to identify varieties for release
• A naked barley blend for K-12 educational programs and home gardeners

Some 2,000 barley genotypes were tested in 70 certified organic field trials for priority traits identified by organic farmers, including yield, threshability (ease of separation from hulls), weed competitiveness, disease resistance, and winter hardiness. Promising lines were evaluated for multiple uses by millers, bakers, chefs, maltsters, and brewers. Field days and culinary events linked farmers, processors, marketers, and end users to build value chain networks and increase public awareness of organic multiuse naked barley.

Breeding priorities for organic farmers include yield, drought tolerance (dry regions), winter hardiness (colder regions), competitiveness with weeds, disease resistance (humid climates), nutritional quality, ease of threshing, and grain quality suitable for multiple uses. Genomic analysis identified good potential to select for many of these traits. Threshability, plant height, maturity date, preharvest sprouting and some diseases showed high heritability and low genotype X environment interaction (GEI). Genomic predictive ability for threshability was especially high (0.84). Yield, test weight, winter hardiness, and other diseases showed greater GEI. Selection for these traits within environmental regions (e.g., Northeast-North Central versus Western) is needed to develop regionally adapted cultivars.