Barley is one of the most important agricultural crops in global crop production, occupying about 72 million hectares of sown area and providing a gross harvest of up to 158 million tons at an average yield of about 22 centners per hectare. Ukraine holds a significant place in global barley production, accounting for about 8% of the total volume, second only to Russia. However, Ukrainian yields (2.5 t/ha) are significantly lower than those in Western European countries, where yields reach or exceed 6 t/ha. An important direction is the selection of spring barley taking into account its characteristics, resistance to diseases and climatic conditions, as well as the purpose of varieties — brewing, feed, and malting.
Modern barley breeding is aimed at creating varieties with high yields that effectively respond to intensive cultivation technologies, including increased doses of mineral fertilizers. Special attention is paid to adapting varieties to different soil-climatic conditions: drought and heat resistance for southern regions of Ukraine, cold resistance for northern areas, resistance to acidic and saline soils. Also important is the ability of varieties to grow well on organically rich drained peatlands.
Brewing barley requires specific quality characteristics of the grain that affect the yield and quality of beer. The key indicator is extractability — the amount of dry matter that passes into solution under the action of enzymes from malt extract, primarily starch. The grain must be uniform, germinate quickly with high germination (at least 95%), to avoid fungal contamination, which negatively affects beer quality. Optimal indicators for brewing varieties include extractability 79–82%, starch content 62–68%, protein not exceeding 9–11%, grain moisture up to 14–15%, 1000-grain weight 45–50 g, and density 650–730 g/l. These varieties are demanding of soil fertility, preferring chernozems and structured soils, and poorly grow on acidic, saline, wet, and poorly drained soils.
