Germany has a complex, well organized germplasm and breeding for resistance system. Most of it is concentrated in the Federal Centre for Breeding Research on Cultivated Plants (BAZ). The Centre is actually made up of 12 different institutes in 8 locations. The main location for barley disease germplasm selection and evaluation is the Institute for Epidemiology and Resistance in Aschersleben. Foliar fungus disease resistance research (Puccinia, Erysiphe and Drechslera species) is headed by Dr. Ursula Walther. In addition there are 3 other research units--bacteriology, virus and molecular methods.

Selection for effective qualitative resistance is carried out in seedling evaluations; then selection for partial resistance is accomplished in field trials (4 replications, 4 years and in the last year on 2 locations). Additionally, the same material is tested in leaf segment tests (5 segments of the second leaf/sample; 4 replications).

The group at Aschersleben works with gene banks at Braunschweig and Gatersleben as well as various university programs in Germany and other countries. Since the beginning of BAZ, over 1500 resistant barley and wheat lines have been turned over to the German Federation of Private Plant Breeders.