In this study, five barley cultivars (Arabi Abiad, improved Arabi Abiad,
Arabi Aswad, Furat 1, Furat 2) from the harvest of 1999 season were used .The
chemical composition, Amino acid content, B-Glucan content, viscosity, cell
wall compounds, and
metabolic energy were determined in two laboratories in
Germany .A metabolism trial was also conducted to study the nitrogen balance,
dry matter, Organic matter, ash, and some other productivity parameters.
Results showed that the influence of barley varieties on chemical composition of
the grains was clearly visible. The crude protein content ranged from 138 for
Furat 1 to 169 gr/Kg dry matter for Arabi Abiad. The difference in starch
content resulted in differences in metabolic energy Values from 12.4 for Furat 1
to 13.3 MJ/Kg dry matter for Arabi Aswad. The food assimilation trial showed
that the varieties Arabi Aswad gave the best productivity parameters, and the
crude protein content did not adversely affect the nitrogen balance in all the
barley varieties meald, but it was the lowest for the Arabi Aswad variety meal
(p <0.05). There were no significant differences in dry matter and organic
matter digestibility for diets containing Arabi Abiad, Furat 1 and Furat 2.
