[en] In Tanzania barley is used for malting, and to accelerate the release of new varieties, breeding strategies have been on improvement of existing cultivars. Under the project 'Enhanced Crop Productivity through Radiation URT/5/023' three barley varieties; Bima, Kusini and 8519 were treated with chemical mutagens. The cultivars were treated for three hours with 1.0mM NaN₃ followed by three hours in 0.5mM MNH. From M₂ generation individual plants showing earliness and semi dwarf-ness were selected. Evaluation of selected lines has been going on, agronomic the lines look similar to the mother cultivars except for the induced traits and now they are at M₆ generation. The release of new promising cultivars (direct or after hybridization) in the near future is possible. Earliness in maturity helps as an escape mechanism to drought and semi dwarf-ness is important to avoid lodging in more humid and fertile areas. (author)