The application discloses non-naturally occurring barley plants with increased resistance to herbicides, particularly imidazolinone herbicides. The imidazolinone resistance is conferred by mutant acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS), more particularly by AHAS with a SER653 mutation. Also disclosed are the barley seeds per se, an isolated nucleic acid incorporating the nucleic acid sequence conferring imidazolinone resistance, a method of inhibiting weed growth in the vicinity of a barley plant, an a method of growing a barley crop. Seeds have been deposited at NCIMB.