‘Endeavor’ (Reg. No. CV‐341, PI 654824), a two‐rowed winter malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), was developed and submitted for release in 2007 by the USDA–ARS, Aberdeen, ID, in cooperation with the University of Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. Endeavor is a selection from the cross ORWM8406/‘Harrington’. ORWM8406 has the pedigree ‘Carstens’/‘Riso’ mutant 1508 (F1)//‘Cossack’. Riso mutant 1508 is an ethyleneimine‐induced mutant of ‘Bomi’. Progenitors of ORWM8406 are all European barleys. Harrington is a two‐rowed spring malting barley released by the Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan, and is the current western two‐rowed malting industry standard. Endeavor was released because of its higher diastatic power compared with ‘Charles’, the most‐advanced two‐rowed winter malting barley adapted to Idaho.

‘Lenetah’ (Reg. No. CV‐338, PI 652440) two‐rowed spring feed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was developed by the Agricultural Research Service, Aberdeen, ID, in cooperation with the Idaho Agricultural Experimental Station and released in December 2007. Lenetah was selected from the cross 94Ab12981/91Ab3148. 94Ab12981 has the pedigree 85Ab2323/‘Camas’. 85Ab2323 has the pedigree 79Ab19042/‘Crystal’. 79Ab19042 is a selection from the cross ‘Klages’/‘Hector’. Camas is a selection from the cross ND5976/ND7159. ND5976 has the pedigree ‘Maris Concord’/Klages//ND2679‐4 and ND7159 has the pedigree Klages/ND1244/3/ND2685/ND1156//Hector. 91Ab3148 has the pedigree ‘Gallatin’/‘Targhee’//‘Bowman’. Lenetah was selected as an F5:6 line in 2001 and given the experimental designation 01Ab11107. It was released due to its superior yield and test weight compared to ‘Baronesse’, the most widely grown feed barley in Idaho and Montana. The yield advantage over Baronesse is especially pronounced in northern Idaho and eastern Washington and under dryland conditions.

The numerous health benefits associated with the consumption of barley has resulted in U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the use of high β‐glucan barley in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. With the objective of releasing high‐value food barley to meet that health claim, ‘Julie’ (Reg. No. CV‐351, PI 665006), a two‐rowed, spring, high β‐glucan barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was developed and submitted for release in 2009 by the USDA‐ARS, Aberdeen, ID, in cooperation with the University of Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. Julie is a selection from the cross 10/‘Azhul’//‘CDC Alamo’. 10 is a selection from composite cross XXXII made by Dr. Tom Ramage (USDA‐ARS, retired). Azhul is a six‐rowed, high β‐glucan cultivar released by the USDA‐ARS and the Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station and is the progenitor of most high β‐glucan cultivars and germplasm. Azhul was developed by the mutation of line 76‐19‐7 with diethyl sulfate. Line 76‐19‐7 has the pedigree CCXXXII/‘Arimont’//‘Westbar’. CDC Alamo, tested as HB340, has the pedigree SB85750/Azhul. Under dryland and irrigated conditions, the yield and test weight of Julie are greater than those of the currently grown high β‐glucan varieties CDC Alamo and Azhul, and Julie has a higher yield of barley β‐glucan on a per hectare basis.

Studies on the effects of β‐glucan on humans have shown that food containing high concentrations of β‐glucans from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) reduced total cholesterol levels. β‐Glucan has been shown to be beneficial for the regulation of blood‐glucose levels, and high β‐glucan has been found to reduce glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. High β‐glucan barley varieties with good agronomic traits are few and have reduced yield potential compared with feed‐ and malting‐barley cultivars. ‘Transit’ (Reg. No. CV‐348, PI 660128), a two‐rowed, spring, high β‐glucan barley, was developed and submitted for release in 2009 by the USDA‐ARS, Aberdeen, ID in cooperation with the University of Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. Transit is a selection from the cross 10/‘Azhul’//‘CDC Alamo’. 10 is a selection from composite cross XXXII. Azhul is a six‐rowed, high β‐glucan cultivar released by the ARS and Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station and is the progenitor of most high β‐glucan cultivars and germplasm. Azhul was developed by the mutation of line 76‐19‐7 with diethyl sulfate. Line 76‐19‐7 has the pedigree CCXXXII/‘Arimont’//‘Westbar’. CDC Alamo, tested as HB340, has the pedigree SB85750/Azhul. Transit has a reduced yield potential compared with the best feed and malting types, but its high level of β‐glucan provides enough added value to allow it to be economically competitive with current malting‐barley cultivars. The release of Transit will provide producers with a variety having improved yield potential and β‐glucan content compared with the current varieties CDC Alamo and Azhul. Transit is expected to be adapted to both irrigated and rainfed regions in Idaho.

Germplasm lines are the most important genetic resources for cultivar development. ARS84‐27 (Reg. no. GP‐212, PI 693601), ARS98‐31 (Reg. no. GP‐213, PI 693602), and ARS10‐82 (Reg. no. GP‐214, PI 693603) are three high‐yield and good malting quality two‐rowed spring malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) germplasm lines developed by the USDA‐ARS breeding program at Aberdeen, ID. All three germplasm lines were evaluated in 27 irrigated and 14 dryland trials. ARS10‐82 had significantly higher yield than all the checks, and ARS98‐31 and ARS84‐27 were competitive with the best check cultivar ‘Voyager’ (Busch Agricultural Resources). Malting evaluation results showed acceptable quality profiles with specific quality traits including high extract, low protein content, and low beta‐glucan for the years tested. They are all classified as moderately resistant to Fusarium head blight infection with low deoxynivalenol (DON) levels.