Volume
3 Issue 2
May 23, 2006
Raising the Barley
 For
over a century, the University of Minnesota has been
researching barley and has contributed 18 new varieties. A
1992 study estimated that two-thirds of all barley used
for malting in beer production was developed by U
researchers.
When Charla Hollingsworth opens a can of cold, unshaken
Minnesota-brewed beer, she knows the contents won't foam
over the can. "Foaming, or 'gushing' of cold, unshaken
beer is a sign of a mycotoxin contaminant resulting from
Fusarium head blight, a plant disease in barley that
Minnesota's brewing industry has a near-zero tolerance
for," says Hollingsworth, a University of Minnesota
assistant professor in plant pathology.
Raising barley that results in more enjoyable beer is
just one of the possible outcomes from a University of
Minnesota-led, 30-scientist consortium that is exploring
methods to produce higher yielding, higher quality, and
disease-resistant barley. The USDA is giving a total of $5
million to 19 institutions for the project, and the U will
receive just under $2 million.
"The selection of the University of Minnesota as the
lead institution for this national program is a reflection
on the University's national leadership in developing
plants that improve the economy and have the potential to
improve the health of people," says Beverly Durgan, dean
and director of the University of Minnesota Extension
Service.
For more than a century, the University of Minnesota
has been researching barley and has contributed 18 new
varieties. A 1992 study estimated that two-thirds of all
barley used for malting in beer production was developed
by U researchers. "Some of the most important varieties
grown in the United States were developed at the
University of Minnesota," says Gary Muehlbauer, associate
professor and project director of the new USDA funded
research.
Barley production in Minnesota stumbled in the 1990s
when Fusarium head blight, also known as scab, accounted
for more than $1 billion in losses to farmers. As Durgan
explains, "Barley acreage and production has decreased
every year for the last ten years due in part to Fusarium
head blight. In 2005, Minnesota farmers grew and sold
approximately $11 million of barley, down from $54 million
in 1990. This national research project the University is
leading will discover new ways to solve this and other
troubling production problems. That would be a boost for
farmers and the economy in northwestern Minnesota."
Scab infects the head of a barley plant and then
produces several mycotoxins including one called
deoxynivalenol or DON. The brewing companies will not use
barley if it contains one part per million of DON, forcing
farmers to sell the infected grain at a discounted
livestock feed price. The end result is a loss for barley
farmers because the price of malting barley is much higher
than feed barley. With the new research collaboration with
the USDA, researchers plan to identify the important
genetic traits of barley in order to develop new varieties
that will make fusarium head blight an issue of the past.
This research could also maximize barley's potential in
the push for consumers to eat three servings of whole
grains daily. "Barley, as a whole grain, is a great source
of beta-glucan soluble fiber which is linked to a
reduction in coronary heart disease, and weight for
weight, barley is lower in calories and fat and higher in
total dietary fiber than whole grain oats", says Len
Marquart, food science and nutrition professor.
Developing a new, disease resistant variety of barley
is part of the University's commitment to promote
healthier, safer foods and enhance our agricultural
systems.
By Lana Olson
University of Minnesota
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