Cultivar · Barley cultivar
Morex
Morex is a six-row spring malting barley released by the University of Minnesota in 1978 that became the North American six-row malting-quality standard and was later chosen as a reference cultivar for the barley genome.
Record
Cultivar / variety- Variety of
- Barley
- Botanical taxon
- Hordeum vulgare
- Type
- Cultivar
- Breeding method
- Cross-breeding (pedigree selection)
- Origin
- Minnesota, United States
- Released
- 1978
- Breeder / institution
- University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (D. C. Rasmusson)
- Registry status
- Historical · as of 2026-07-12
- Registries
- USDA GRIN — National Small Grains Collection · United States · as of 2026-07-12Six-row malting barley conserved as germplasm and widely used as a reference; genebank presence reflects conservation and research use rather than current commercial registration.
- Adaptation
- A six-row spring malting barley developed for the northern Plains and Upper Midwest of the United States.
- Intended use
- Six-row malting barley, Barley genome and malting-quality reference line
Registry listing or variety protection is jurisdiction- and date-specific and does not by itself indicate current commercial availability, universal cultivation approval, patent status, or a recommendation.
Morex is a six-row spring malting barley (Hordeum vulgare) released by the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in 1978. A Manchurian-type barley developed from the cross Cree/Bonanza, its name derives from "more extract," reflecting the malt extract it yields.
Morex became the standard against which North American six-row malting barley quality was judged and was grown widely across the northern Plains. It was later selected as a reference cultivar for the barley genome, and the Morex genome sequence has been used by barley researchers worldwide.
History and development
Morex was developed at the University of Minnesota from the cross Cree/Bonanza and released in 1978. Its name — from "more extract" — points to the malting characteristic for which it was selected, and it was cultivated widely in Minnesota and the neighbouring Dakotas.
For decades Morex served as a benchmark cultivar for six-row malting quality in North America, and it was subsequently chosen as a reference genotype for the barley genome.
Classification and characteristics
- Species
- Hordeum vulgare
- Spike type
- Six-row
- Growth habit
- Spring
- End use
- Malting (brewing)
- Reference role
- Six-row malting-quality standard and barley genome reference
Relationships
Evidence-backed connections in the knowledge graph.
Adapted to soil
Scope & limitations
Geographic scope: Documented United States six-row malting barley used internationally as a malting-quality and genome reference; agronomic adaptation is region- and season-specific.
Climate context: A six-row spring malting barley developed for the northern Plains and Upper Midwest of the United States.
- Adaptation and trait notes are region- and season-specific, and performance varies by environment.
- Morex is now used chiefly as a reference and heritage cultivar; its current commercial registration status is not asserted here.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- [1]GRIN-Global / National Plant Germplasm System (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Cited for: Six-row malting barley germplasm accession and characterization
- Type:
- Official registry
- Jurisdiction:
- United States / Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [2]USDA ARS — Agricultural Research Service (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Cited for: United States barley malting-quality research and reference use
- Type:
- Government agency
- Jurisdiction:
- United States
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12