SEL’SKOKHOZYAISTVENNAYA BIOLOGIYA [AGRICULTURAL BIOLOGY], 2014, ¹ 5, pp. 78-87 UDC 633.16:581.1/5:575.174.015.3:57.042 ISSN 313-4836 (Online) doi: 10.15389/agrobiology.2014.5.78rus doi: 10.15389/agrobiology.2014.5.78eng ANALYSIS OF SPRING BARLEY INTRASPECIFIC POLYMORPHISM IN CONNECTION WITH TOLERANCE TO LEAD A.V. DIKAREV, V.G. DIKAREV, N.S. DIKAREVA, S.A. GERAS’KIN All-Russian Research Institute of Agricultural Radiology and Agroecology, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 109 km, Kievskoe sh., Obninsk, Kaluzhskaya Province, 249032 Russia, 109 км, e-mail dikarev.vlad@yan-dex.ru, stgeraskin@gmail.com Received September 10, 2012 Abstract Under technogenic pollution, phytotoxicity of heavy metals (HM) becomes a factor limiting yield and quality of crop production. <...> Using spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Zazerskii 85, Gorinskii and Chelyabinskii 1 varieties, we studied the influence of different Pb(NO3)2 concentrations (1.0; 1.5; 2.0; 2.5; 3.0; 3.5; 4.0; 4.5; 5.0 mg/ml) on the growth of roots and offsprings in seedlings. <...> Then, a testing concentration of Pb(NO3)2 found out was applied to investigate an intraspecific polymorphism of barley plant tolerance to the toxicant. <...> The cultivars from the VIR World Collection (N.I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry, St. Petersburg) were tested using seeds reproduced in 2008, 2009 and 2010 (36, 100 and 24 varieties, respectively). <...> The lead sensitive and lead tolerant forms were separated basing on a depression coefficient. <...> According to root growth, the highest tolerance was observed in the Gorinskii variety, and the Zazerskii 85 variety was the most sensitive. <...> Lead caused multiple changes of the root morphology. <...> Basing on morphological parameters, the varieties with a contrast tolerance to lead was revealed. <...> Possible mechanisms of polymorphic tolerance of barley cultivars and other plants to HM are discussed. <...> These data can be used under creation of agricultural plants tolerant to heavy metals. <...> The polluted territory covers about 18 million hectares, or 1 % of the total area of the Russian Federation. <...> The area of heavy metal pollution of soil is 3.6 million ha. <...> More than 1 million hectares of agricultural land are contaminated with high toxic elements (I <...>