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 -- Â{u0A2F}tosynthesis 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 â€ȯrdeum bulbosum: Gene Introgression and Homoeologous Recombination -- Genome wide association scans (GWAS) -- Genomic selection in barley breeding -- Haploid technology -- Genetic engineering -- Whole plant phenomics.

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 offers a useful resource for scientists, plant breeders, teachers and advanced students in the fields of molecular and plant cell biology, plant biotechnology, and agronomy.