The results of field experiments in 1983/84 and 1984/85 were used to t
est the hypotheses (i) that cultivars and management systems which res
ult in high biomass of winter barley will also produce high grain yiel
d and (ii) that greater uniformity of tiller and ear size is associate
d with greater yield. In a set of cultivars, grain yield per plant was
significantly correlated with biomass per plant despite no correlatio
n with any individual yield component. Biomass per shoot was significa
ntly correlated with grain yield per shoot. Treatments to increase sho
ot uniformity (the mass of individual tillers relative to that of the
main stem) generally increased biomass per shoot and grain yield per s
hoot. The re-examination of data in the literature where yield and bio
mass were available confirmed the association of biomass and grain yie
ld both on a per plant and per shoot basis. It is argued that harvest
index is not a character which can be easily targeted for manipulation
by growers, whereas crop management systems to increase biomass shoul
d be easier to specify.