The researchers studied how the amount of pigments in barley leaves relates to the plant's yield. They looked at chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments in 17 samples of barley. They found that the amount of these pigments in the second leaf of the plant is linked to its productivity, while the pigments in the flag leaf are not. Carotenoids had the biggest impact on the plant's development. This suggests that increasing carotenoids and/or chlorophyll b in the second leaf could help improve barley productivity.