https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Every year, billions of dollars' worth of crops worldwide perish due to pre-harvest sprouting (PHS), a phenomenon in which grain or seeds germinate on the plant before harvest. The process is triggered by a variety of factors, such as warm, moist weather, which can spoil the crop and threaten the global food supply. But this could be a thing of the past, as a team of researchers, primarily from the Carlsberg Research Laboratory in Denmark, has uncovered the genetic mechanism that controls when barley should sprout. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-uncovering-genetic-mechanism-barley-crops.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 07 Nov 2025 13:30:01 EST news681742602 Barley is a widely grown cereal crop that is used chiefly for livestock feed, food, and malting to produce alcoholic beverages such as beer and whiskey. Unfortunately, both the yield and quality of the crop can be lowered by various fungal diseases. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-foxtail-barley-host-fungal-pathogens.html Plants & Animals Tue, 04 Nov 2025 17:03:03 EST news681498181 Barley is one of the world's oldest cultivated plants, farmed for more than 10,000 years. Scientists have long believed it was domesticated in just one location. An international research team led by the IPK Leibniz Institute has revealed that modern barley has a "mosaic origin," meaning it stems from several wild populations across the Fertile Crescent. The paper is published in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-barley-mosaic-wild-populations-millennia.html Evolution Wed, 24 Sep 2025 13:30:04 EDT news677939268 An international research team led by the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) has discovered a gene mutation (PPD-H1) that causes barley to flower later in regions with long spring days. This ultimately enables higher yields. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-key-mutation-barley.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 23 Sep 2025 12:40:04 EDT news677850002 A new study has revealed the 3D structure of a barley root protein that protects plants from toxic aluminum in acidic soils. Unlike most transporters, this protein exports citrate—an anion that binds to harmful aluminum ions—thereby shielding the roots. The findings offer fresh insights into how plants adapt to hostile soils and could help guide the breeding of crop varieties capable of thriving on acidic farmland worldwide. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-barley-root-defense-protein-key.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:50:04 EDT news677407801 Amylase/trypsin-inhibitors (ATIs) are proteins that can trigger immune reactions in the human body. They are best known from wheat, where they are considered a possible trigger of non-celiac wheat sensitivity. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-barley-allergy-triggering-proteins-precisely.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 29 Jul 2025 09:06:55 EDT news672998809 Grasses have evolved a wide variety of inflorescences, in which the seeds are arranged in many different ways: Some types form complex, branched inflorescences with multiple seeds, while others—such as barley—have much simpler inflorescences. In barley, each individual grain forms on a short axis called a "rachilla." https://phys.org/news/2025-05-barley-grain-production-linked-peptide.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 20 May 2025 14:35:03 EDT news666970501 Researchers have identified a novel mechanism through which a protein in barley supports female fertility and could help safeguard yield security in the future. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-barley-potential-female-fertility-protein.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 06 Mar 2025 10:06:03 EST news660477962 Powdery mildew is a destructive fungal disease of barley that can result in crop losses of up to 40%. To protect themselves from powdery mildew, barley has evolved a series of immune receptors that each recognize matching, strain-specific powdery mildew proteins known as effectors. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-blueprint-cereal-crops-resistant-fungal.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 17 Feb 2025 10:22:04 EST news659010121 Researchers from the United States and Germany have discovered a peptide that makes barley in the most important barley-growing region of the United States more susceptible to leaf blotch disease. The fungus that causes the disease uses the peptide to activate an immune receptor in the plant. The affected cells then die. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-fungus-barley-immune-defense.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 09 Dec 2024 14:54:04 EST news652978441 Pangenomes are collections of annotated genome sequences of multiple individuals of a species. The structural variants uncovered by these datasets are a major asset to genetic analysis in crop plants. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-barley-pangenome-reveals-diversity-domestication.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 13 Nov 2024 14:39:43 EST news650731179 Scientists from the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), together with partners from the University of Cologne, have discovered a new group of defense substances in barley that are effective against a broad spectrum of fungal pathogens. One exception is the root rot pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana. This fungus neutralizes the defense substances and uses them to grow better. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-arms-barley-fungal-pathogen.html Plants & Animals Tue, 05 Nov 2024 13:08:03 EST news650034481 Cereals such as rice, wheat, maize, and barley are essential in the human diet and have various uses in the food industry. Their suitability for different industrial applications depends on the properties of their grains. The major component of these cereal grains is starch, which is a glucose polymer found exclusively in plants. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-specific-gene-mutations-starch-properties.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 23 Oct 2024 17:02:03 EDT news648921721 A study carried out at the University of Helsinki demonstrates that boosting plant diversity in agriculture can increase plant biomass and improve plant–microbe interactions, both of which promote the storage of carbon in the soil. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-diversity-agriculture-soil-carbon-sequestration.html Ecology Thu, 10 Oct 2024 11:55:03 EDT news647780101 Thanks to an experiment started before the Great Depression, researchers have pinpointed the genes behind the remarkable adaptability of barley, a key ingredient in beer and whiskey. These insights could ensure the crop's continued survival amidst rapid climate change. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-century-beer-whiskey-future.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 11 Sep 2024 11:50:04 EDT news645274201 The inflorescence architecture of crop plants like barley is predominantly regulated by meristem activity and fate, which play a critical role in determining the number of floral structures for grain production. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-team-uncovers-mechanism-spikelet-barley.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 22 May 2024 12:14:11 EDT news635598849 Plants adapt genetically over time to the special conditions of organic farming. This has been demonstrated in a long-term study conducted at the University of Bonn. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-term-farming-genetic-material.html Evolution Mon, 13 May 2024 11:47:08 EDT news634819625 Different types of barley recruit distinct communities of soil microbes to grow around their roots by releasing a custom mix of sugars and other compounds, according to a new study led by Jacob Malone of the John Innes Center, UK, published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-barley-fine-tune-root-microbial.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 25 Apr 2024 14:00:01 EDT news633252901 All plants mediate their environmental interactions via chemical signals. An example is the alkaloid gramine produced by barley, one of the world's most widely-grown cereals. Gramine provides protection against herbivorous insects and grazing animals and inhibits the growth of other plants. Despite long-standing interest, the key gene for the formation of gramine remained elusive. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-key-gene-toxic-alkaloid-barley.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:00:01 EDT news630835141 Using plasma—the stuff of outer space—University of Alberta researchers have found an effective way to decontaminate grain tainted by mold and also boost seed germination. Their study is published in the Journal of Food Engineering. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-cold-plasma-hot-grain-growers.html Biotechnology Mon, 11 Mar 2024 13:26:04 EDT news629382361 Plant architecture is the outcome of several successive developmental processes that can be classified into two events: Organogenesis and extension. Organogenesis stems from the meristems (stem cells) that give rise to different types of organs (e.g., leaves and flowers) and axillary buds, plus the subtending internodes. These organs form a functional unit called phytomer. It iterates and extends itself for several rounds until the apex either aborts or terminates into a specialized structure. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-elucidate-variability-internode-elongation-barley.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 25 Jan 2024 15:37:03 EST news625419422 Researchers from the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1266 at Kiel University (CAU) have been able to prove, in the first archaeobotanical study of burnt food residues on the surface of ceramic vessels, how varied the meals prepared in Eastern Holstein 5,000 years ago were. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-peek-cooking-pot-burnt-food.html Archaeology Mon, 22 Jan 2024 10:24:21 EST news625141457 Barley is a staple crop with several applications, acting as a source of food, livestock feed, and an ingredient for malt brewing. Originally disseminated from China and the Korean Peninsula about 2,000 years ago, all Japanese barley cultivars were six-row for human food until the 1880s. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-uncovering-year-history-japanese-beer.html Plants & Animals Tue, 19 Dec 2023 15:53:04 EST news622223581 On a bright day this fall, tractors crisscrossed Gayle Goschie's farm about an hour outside Portland, Oregon. Goschie is in the beer business—a fourth-generation hops farmer. Fall is the off-season, when the trellises are bare, but recently, her farming team has been adding winter barley, a relatively newer crop in the world of beer, to their rotation, preparing barley seeds by the bucketful. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-farmers-brewers-safeguard-beer-climate.html Agriculture Sun, 12 Nov 2023 04:25:59 EST news618985551 Though beer is a popular drink worldwide, it's usually made from barley, which leaves those with a gluten allergy or intolerance unable to enjoy the frothy beverage. Sorghum, a naturally gluten-free grain, could be an alternative, but complex preparation steps have hampered its widespread adoption by brewers. Now, researchers reporting the molecular basis behind sorghum brewing in the Journal of Proteome Research have uncovered an enzyme that could improve the future of sorghum-based beers. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-gluten-free-sorghum-based-beers-easier-brew.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 02 Nov 2023 12:12:50 EDT news618145968 A new study combined expertise in barley genetics and genomics from the research group led by Dr. Ping Yang (Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences) and that in barley microspore culturing led by Dr. Chenghong Liu (Biotech Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences), in order to address the time- and space-cost issue in developing homozygous induced mutants, which are very important genetic resources in theoretical researches as well as pre-breeding. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-generating-homozygous-mutant-populations-barley.html Biotechnology Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:33:02 EDT news614608381 Researchers have for the first time identified several genes in barley that could eventually lead to larger yielding crops. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-code-barley.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 06 Jul 2023 13:30:03 EDT news607869001 A tiny mutation in the genetic material of barley ensures that those plants develop faster and thus flower earlier than established barley varieties. At the same time, plant yields remain the same, a team from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) reports in the Journal of Experimental Botany. According to the researchers, this is advantageous as the plants could potentially adapt better to the effects of climate change and continue to produce stable harvests. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-climate-natural-gene-variant-barley.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 20 Jun 2023 10:38:03 EDT news606476281 Barley possesses an indeterminate "spike"-type inflorescence that forms basic floral structures, called spikelets, in a distichous pattern along its central axis (termed rachis). Each rachis node in the barley spike produces three (one central and two lateral) spikelets. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-untapping-barley-grain-yield-potential.html Ecology Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:44:51 EDT news605461488 When Fusarium head blight (FHB) threatens winter barley, the best time to apply a fungicide is about six days after full barley head emergence, according to a recent study published in Plant Disease. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-fusarium-blight-winter-barley.html Plants & Animals Mon, 15 May 2023 14:04:50 EDT news603378285