Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important winter cereal crop of India, being grown in northern plains of country, representing the states of Rajasthan U.P., Haryana. M.P., Punjab, Bihar and Jharkhand in plains and Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir in the hills. Barley occupies nearly 6.9 lakh ha area producing nearly 15.52 lakh tones grain, with a per hectare productivity of 22.45 q. Recently Rajasthan has taken up as number one barley producing state replacing U.P. and the change is mainly because of the shortage of rainfall and irrigation water experienced during past few years during the crop season. Since long it has been considered, as poor man's crop because of its low input requirement and better adaptability to harsh environments, like drought, salinity and alkalinity and marginal lands. Though major production is utilized as cattle feed and food, recent increase in industrial demand of barley as raw material resulted in its consideration as industrial crop. In addition to the use in feed and malt, barley is the main staple food crop in the tribal areas of the plains as well as hills. It is also utilized in preparation of the local beverages like sattu and chhang etc., which of course are common in the plains as well as in hills. In the modern time it is also preferred as medicinal food in urinary as well as cardiac problems. The changing climatic scenario in country for temperature, rainfall and crop duration has made it also a potential crop for near future. when we expect reduction in availability of all such resources. Barley being a crop for marginal lands and low inputs but with very fast initial growth has also being looked as dual purpose crop with one cut for green forage in dry areas. These issues are being addressed by development of high yielding varieties for restrictive environments (rainfed, saline/sodic soils, brackish water and diara lands) for feed and food and for optimum management conditions targeting industrial use in malting and brewing. In order to address the shortage of green fodder during winters in dry areas, development of varieties for feed cum forage purposes has also been taken up. To make barley as better crop for changing climate with low inputs, incorporation of genetic resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses and development of suitable crop production technologies has become the major priority. These efforts have led to the development of a range of new cultivars for different purposes production conditions and production technologies. Even at low input levels the new varieties have expressed very high yield potentials under the coordinated experiments as well as Frontline Demonstrations under taken by the Larley network centers in recent years. This has indicated potential of barley as low input crop for sustainable cultivation in changing climate. In addition the support being extended by industry in terms of "contract farming" with premium price for superior malting qualities has opened up new possibilities and has helped in stabilization on barley area in country. There is also a sizable area under problematic soils like salinity/alkalinity in northern states and there are many barley cultivars recommended for such areas. More efforts in seed support of new barley cultivars to farmers by indenting/organizing breeder seed and popularization by state departments of agriculture are the needs of the hour, with which we can meet the challenge of the climate change in India.
