This study aimed to explore how ten selected winter barley genotypes responded to variations in environmental conditions during the growth season by using fast chlorophyll a fluorescence and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) at the booting, anthesis and early grain-filling stage. Lower amount of rainfall during the anthesis induced instability in the function of PSII, observed as the positive K-band in six and the positive L-band in seven genotypes. At grain filling, all genotypes displayed negative K-and L-bands, suggesting an increase of stability within PSII. The performance index increased from booting to grain filling in most genotypes. Chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters were incorporated into the partial least squares model as explanatory variables of NDVI. After a cross-validation, the model with four latent variables was chosen explaining 75.8% variance (r = 0.870) for NDVI. The principal component analyses showed two distinct types of the reaction of the barley genotypes to the mild drought stress at anthesis.

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Fusarium head blight is a destructive disease of cereals worldwide. The aim of this research was to study the effect of heavy Fusarium infection with Fusarium culmorum and biosynthesis of mycotoxins on different wheat varieties during malting by setting up field trials with control and Fusarium-inoculated treatments at the Agricultural Institute Osijek. The highest occurrence of Fusarium mycotoxins was expectedly recorded in susceptible variety in grain and malt (3247 and 1484 µg kg−1 for deoxynivalenol (DON), 735 and 1116 µg kg−1 for 3-acetyl deoxynivalenol (3-ADON), 37 and 233 µg kg−1 for zearalenone (ZEN), respectively). Based on published information, complemented by our own results, the following conclusions can be drawn: The presence of 3-ADON in different wheat varieties might be the result of its conversion into DON by deacetylation during the malting process. The detection of the mycotoxin ZEN indicated that this mycotoxin is only specific for wheat malt.

Two hull-less barley varieties were roller-milled, and breaks (B) and reduction flours (C), shorts, and bran were collected. Shorts, which mainly originate from endosperm cells with a smaller amount of the outer layers, had the largest yield (48.87-51.54%). Ash (0.82-3.10%) and protein (9.95-14.8%) increased from flours toward shorts and bran, while starch decreased (82.31-48.69%). In contrast to clear distribution differences in protein content (bran > shorts > C > B), albumins/globulins content was lowest in bran (0.78-0.90 g/100 g dw ), and their distribution between fractions was uneven and genotype dependent. Distribution of hordeins (6.69-10.49 g/100 g dw ) was more distinct and generally decreased in order from bran > B > shorts > C. The proportion of nutritionally poor C-hordeins in total hordeins varied from 28.33% to 30.24%, without significant differences between fractions. The β-glucan content varied from 0.80% to 7.49% with decreasing content in the order bran, shorts > C > B. Shorts and bran could be classified as moderate and high β-glucan flour (5.70-7.22%). The total phenolic and antioxidant activities ranged from 0.91 to 2.21 mg GAE/g dw and 28.81-72.06%, respectively. Ferulic and sinapic acids determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were major contributors to the antioxidant activity (45.16-1026.91 ug/g dw and 18.93-206.52 ug/g dw ), respectively. The yield and high content of phytonutrients make hull-less barley shorts suitable for the production of health-promoting food and food supplements.

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