Abstract
Difference in pearling quality and related traits were analyzed in barley cultivars cultivated in gray lowland and andosol upland fields. The grains harvested in the andosol field had a higher protein content and more vitreous endosperm texture than those harvested in the gray lowland field. The grains harvested in the andosol field had a longer pearling time and lower whiteness of pearled grains than those harvested in the gray lowland field. The content of b-glucan, a major polysaccharide of the endosperm cell wall, was significantly higher in the grains harvested in the andosol field, suggesting that the increase in b-glucan content caused the increase in pearling time. The grains of low-protein cultivars harvested in the andosol field had a higher protein content and steely-grain ratio than those harvested in the gray lowland field. Low-protein cultivars are not useful as a breeding material to breed cultivars with complete floury endosperm texture.
