This volume offers an up-to-date overview of biotechnologically oriented barley research. It is structured into two major sections: the first focusing on current agricultural challenges and approaches to barley improvement, and the second providing insights into recent advances in methodology. Leading scientists highlight topics such as: the global importance of barley; genetic diversity and genebanks; domestication; shoot and inflorescence architecture; reproductive development; mineral nutrition; photosynthesis and leaf senescence; grain development; drought tolerance; viral and fungal pathogens; phytophagous arthropods; molecular farming; sequence resources; induced genetic variation and TILLING; meiotic recombination; Hordeum bulbosum; genome-wide association scans; genomic selection; haploid technology; genetic engineering; and whole plant phenomics. Providing comprehensive information on topics ranging from fundamental aspects to specific applications, this book offersa useful resource for scientists, plant breeders, teachers and advanced students in the fields of molecular and plant cell biology, plant biotechnology, and agronomy.

The world importance of barley and challenges to further improvements

Genetic diversity and germplasm management - wild barley, landraces, breeding materials
Domestication
Shoot and inflorescence architecture
Genetic control of reproductive development
Improvement of mineral nutrition: a source and sink for candidate genes
Photosynthesis and Leaf Senescence as Determinants of Plant Productivity
Grain development
Drought stress tolerance mechanisms in barley and its relevance to cereals
Response to viral pathogens
Host- and nonhost response to attack by fungal pathogens
Response to phytophagous arthropods
Molecular Farming
Development of sequence resources
Induced genetic variation, TILLING and NGS-based cloning
Modulation of meiotic recombination
The secondary genepool of barley - Hordeum bulbosum: Gene Introgression and Homoeologous Recombination
Genome wide association scans (GWAS)
Genomic selection in barley breeding
Haploid technology
Genetic engineering
Whole plant phenomics.