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GERMAN SCIENCE WEEKLY HIGHLIGHT - 1

September 2, 2004

THE SECRET HISTORY OF BARLEY

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Image: Max Planck Gesellschaft

You're probably eating or drinking barley all the time, and you may not even know it. It goes in beer and in whiskey, in soups and in salads. It's a quiet little crop that doesn't get much attention, compared to wheat or rice or corn.

But barley has a history as fiery as any country. It suffered invasions and battles. But the barley resisted, and eventually it won a glorious victory. And like any good story, there's moral at the end.

Scientists at the Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany have just re-written the history book of barley -- and on the last few pages, there's a big reminder in bold print, how important it is that we maintain biodiversity.

In our photo, the barley on the left from Ethiopia is able to protect itself. Unprotected barley, on the right, is vulnerable to attack from powdery mildews.