Abstract: This paper reports our preliminary experimental results of barley anther culture. The results so far obtained suggested that N6 (or LS) medium supplemented with 12% sucrose, 1 ppm IAA, 1 ppm BAP and 0.5 ppm MCPA (or 2,4-D) is suitable for barley anther culture. Hormone-free culture allows callus and embryoid production. However, exogenous hormones have a significant beneficial effect. Anther of 54 cultivars were cultured and their induction frequency was compared. In most of cultivars the value was low, but several highly responsive cultivars were found out. In general, the more responsive cultivars belong to 2-rowed types and tho 4- or 6-rowed types are less responsive (Table 1). Microscopical observations made on 36 cultivars revealed that percentage of anthers containing multinucleate and/or multicellular grains are higher than the final induction frequency, indicating the potentiality of callus production in most of cultivars (Table 2). There are three pathways of pollen and rogenesis in barley, i.e. division of vegetative nucleus (Plate Ⅰ, 2–8), division of Vegetative and generative nucleus (Plate Ⅰ, 9–12) and equal division of the microspore (Plate Ⅰ, 13–18). Each pathway involves free-nucleate and cellular types. There are two patterns in cellular types of development: (1) cells remain meristematic for a long time; (2) cells vacuolate, early. The free-nucleate type and the "vacuolate" cellular patterns, in comparison with the "meristematic" cellular pattern, generally fail in their further development. The developmental rate and the ploidy status in anther culture of barley were also mentioned. The problem of relatively low induction frequency in most of cultivars is discussed. Question is focussed on the cause of abortion of multinucleate and multicellular grains. It is believed that, the initial developmental pattern may play an important role in determing their future fate.