CGN barley collection

Important wild species in the collection are H. bulbosum and H. murinum. Other wild species included are: H. vulgare subsp. spontaneum, H.  pusillum, H. chilense, H. cordobense, H. stenostachys, H. comosum, H. jubatum, H. lechleri, H. procerum, H. depressum, H. marinum, H. bogdani and H. brevisubulatum. The majority of the cultivated H. vulgare material is spring types. There are 48 intermediate types and 374 accessions are classified as winter barleys. The intermediate types were mainly collected in Pakistan at altitudes of around 2000 meters during the joint Pakistan-Netherlands expedition (Hashmi et al. 1981).

The H. vulgare material is divided into 1525 landraces, 445 cultivars, 443 accessions of breeding material and 167 accessions with an unknown population type.

Between 1953 and 1981, 1330 landraces were collected in several countries located in the centre of diversity of Hordeum, such as Iran, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Ethiopia. The barley collection includes only a limited number of landraces from Europe (49), and these are mainly from South European countries. Only four old Dutch landraces, cultivated before 1890, are present. The names of these landraces are: Maartsche gerst, zesrijige uit Wijlre, Terschelling tweerijige and Vierrijige Blauwkaf. The majority of the 445 cultivars are from Europe (348), including 78 from the Netherlands. The 443 accessions classified as research material are mainly from European and North American origin.