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Hordeum vulgare
Also called Common barley, Six Rowed Barley, Cereal Barley, Domestic Barley, Domesticated Barley, Four Rowed Barley, Two Rowed Barley
Barley is an annual cereal grass grown mainly for its edible grains, which are used for food, animal feed and malting. It grows best in cool temperate conditions, in full sun and well-drained soil.
Barley (Hordeum vulgare), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. One of the first cultivated grains, it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikelets and making it much easier to harvest. Its use then spread throughout Eurasia by 2000 BC. Barley prefers relatively low temperatures and well-drained soil to grow. It is relatively tolerant of drought and soil salinity, but is less winter-hardy than wheat or rye. Wild barley may refer to H. vulgare ssp. spontaneum, but may also refer to other species in the genus Hordeum.
In 2023, barley was fourth among grains in quantity produced, 146 million tonnes, behind maize, rice, and wheat.
Barley is a crop that prefers relatively low temperatures, 15 to 20 °C (59 to 68 °F) in the growing season; it is grown around the world in temperate areas. It grows best in well-drained soil in full sunshine. In the tropics and subtropics, it is grown for food and straw in South Asia, North and East Africa, and in the Andes of South America. In dry regions it requires irrigation. It has a short growing season and is relatively drought-tolerant. Barley is more tolerant of soil salinity than other cereals, varying in different cultivars. It has less winter-hardiness than winter wheat and far less than rye.
Like other cereals, barley is typically planted on tilled land. Seed was traditionally scattered, but in developed countries is usually drilled. As it grows it requires soil nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), often supplied as fertilizers. It needs to be monitored for pests and diseases, and if necessary treated before these become serious. The stems and ears turn yellow when ripe, and the ears begin to droop.
Bulbous barley · Hordeum comosum · Two Rowed Barley · Foxtail barley · Little barley · Spontaneous barley · Barley
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Barley by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
