Jianhui Li^1,2 , Jie Zhang^1,2 , Renxiang Cai^1,2

1 Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, China;
2 Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity, 2020, Vol. 10, No. 1   
Received: 27 Apr., 2020    Accepted: 28 Apr., 2020    Published: 28 Apr., 2020

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Barley is a cereal crop belonging to Genus Hordeum of the family of Gramineae with the Latin name as Hordeum vulgare L., is one of the first domesticated grains of the Fertile Crescent. The latest research shows that Tibet is not the center of world barley evolution, meaning that the Fertile Crescent is the only recognized center of world barley evolution. Between 5 000 BC and 1 500 BC, the Old World experienced a historical process that could be called “Food Globalisation in Prehistory”, and barley was spread to all parts of the world. The era and route from the Fertile Crescent to the west to Europe have been discussed by scholars and reached a consensus. The era and route of spreading eastward to China and India are still controversial due to lack of corresponding evidence. Especially regarding the route of barley to China. Recently, scholars from universities such as the University of Washington conducted radiocarbon (¹⁴C) analysis of 70 barley samples from China and surrounding areas to determine the age of each sample. It was determined that at least in 2 000 BC, barley was introduced to China, but it was introduced. The route in China is still undetermined.

Barley; Hordeum; Fertile Crescent; Origin and Spread