New barley offers heavy kernels.

Scrumptious chocolate-malt truffles, perfect for indulgence, might soon be made with malt from a new barley. So might your favorite breakfast cereal or beer. The novel barley, named Charles, is the result of more than a decade of research and testing by USDA-ARS scientists and breeders.

Scientists selected the barley from among thousands of candidate plants in 1994. During the next 10 years, tests in Idaho, Oregon and Washington showed that this experimental barley, designated 94AB1274, produced impressive quantities of plump, heavy kernels.

Based on these results, ARS scientists and their University of Idaho co-investigators offered the new barley variety to researchers, plant breeders and seed companies early last year. The scientists named the barley Charles in honor of the late Charles F. Murphy, formerly national program leader for ARS grain crop research.

Now, a major U.S. brewery is leading tests to determine if the barley meets the exacting standards of the American Malting Barley Association, a feat no U.S.-grown winter malting barley has yet achieved. Results are expected by late 2006.

Winter barleys, planted in Idaho in October and harvested in mid-July, offer several key advantages over spring barleys, which are planted in May and harvested in August. The fall planting gives the winter varieties a chance to germinate and grow before going into winter dormancy. In spring, the plants are bigger and stronger than spring-planted barleys, which are just beginning to sprout from seed. Earlier ripening means winter barleys are ready to harvest earlier, often avoiding stress-inducing summer heat that can result in thinner, lighter kernels instead of plump, heavier ones.

FYI: The FDA is amending the regulation authorizing a health claim on the relationship between oat beta-glucan soluble fiber and reduced risk of coronary heart disease. The amendment adds barley as an additional eligible source of beta-glucan soluble fiber. The FDA concluded, based on the totality of publicly available scientific evidence, that in addition to certain oat products, whole grain barley and certain dry milled barley grain products are appropriate sources of beta-glucan soluble fiber for the health claim. For more, see the Federal Register of December 23, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 246, pp. 76150-76162).

Further information. Donald Obert, USDA-ARS Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit, 1691 S 2700 W, Aberdeen, ID 83210; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail].