An in situ method was used to determine the effect of barley variety on effective rumen degradability (ERD) and degradability parameters of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and starch. Winter varieties were characterized by higher structural carbohydrate and lower CP contents. Differences in degradability parameters between individual varieties were shown. In general, spring cultivars, compared with winter ones, had significantly (P<0.01) higher ERD of DM (83.3 vs 78.8%). With the exception of Rodion, spring cultivars also had higher ERD of CP and starch. Among winter cultivars, two-line cultivars had lower ERD of CP and starch.