Six cultivars of barley (‘Akka’, ‘Bruce’, ‘Klages’, ‘Leger’, ‘Perth’, and ‘York’) were compared for their ability to produce haploid embryos competent to produce embryogenic haploid callus. The capacity to generate such callus from scutellar epidermal cells is different among these cultivars and appears to be correlated with the developmental state–age of the embryo and associated with a rapid growth period. Histological examination of 12-, 14-, and 16-day-old embryos confirmed the meristematic nature of the callus-initiating cells and produced results which correspond well with results obtained from cultures of other similar embryos. Variability among cultivars in embryo development, root initiation from callus, and primary and secondary shoot regeneration was also identified.