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Objectives: to analyze the genetic stability of three barley cultivars under the influence of different levels of nitrogen fertilizer to identify the variety or varieties that have genetic stability. Methods: At the Agricultural Research Station in Karma Ali, College of Agriculture at the University of Basrah, a field experiment was carried out in the Basrah Governorate during the 2021-2022 winter season The experiment was done using a split-plot design with three replications. The main plots showed the number of harvests (once, twice, or three times), which were shown by (C1, C2, C3). The secondary plots showed the crops (Baraq, Abaa 99, Abaa 265), which were shown by (V1, V2, V3). The sub-plots showed the amounts of fertilizer (300, 200, 100) N ton ha-1 and symbolized by (N1, N2, N3). Results: The results showed that the values of phenotypic variances were highly significant compared to the genetic and environmental variances, the studied traits. Green and dry food yield, protein yield, and inheritance in a broad sense all had high values of 88.86%, 75.28%, and 82.45%, respectively due to the decrease in the values of environmental variance compared to the values of genetic variance. The phenotypic and genetic variation coefficients were low for the trait of fiber yield. The genetic variation coefficient for the trait of green forage yield was low, reaching 9.567%, and average for the rest of the studied traits. Conclusions: Also can note that the variety V1 is more stable for the trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess genetic variability for grain yield and yield-related traits of mutant lines of winter barley, employing BLUP methodology. Traits spike length, spikelet number in spike, grain number in spike, grain weight per spike, 1000-grain weight, and grain yield, were evaluated at the Institute of Agriculture - Karnobat, Bulgaria, during 2021/2022 cropping year. The experimental design was a Complete Block Design with four replications, involving 35 genotypes. This included 32 mutant lines, the parent variety Ahil, and two standard varieties, Obzor and Emon. The results showed that mutant lines exhibited superior performance across multiple traits, including grain yield and yield-related traits. The observed high heritability and accuracy of the traits studied suggest a strong possibility for genetic gain through selection. Genetic diversity among the mutant lines, based on BLUP values, revealed substantial genetic differentiation associated with their yield potential. The MGIDI selection strategy was utilized to identify promising mutant lines with high genetic potential. Mutant lines 54/30, 54/49, 54/54, 54/10, and 55/22 were selected based on their predicted genotypic values and favorable characteristics. These lines hold potential for further development as candidate varieties or parents in breeding programs. The use of BLUPs in the selection process proved to be an effective tool for identifying superior mutant lines, further highlighting the usefulness of this approach in barley breeding. The findings of this study also demonstrate the efficacy of sodium azide mutagenesis in generating mutant lines of winter barley with improved yield and yield-related traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenbug (Schizaphis graminum Rondani) is a destructive insect pest that not only damages plants, but also serves as a vector for many viruses. Host plant resistance is the preferred strategy for managing greenbug. Two greenbug resistance genes, Rsg1 and Rsg2, have been reported in barley. To breed cultivars with effective resistance against various greenbug biotypes, additional resistance genes are urgently needed to sustain barley production. Wild barley accession WBDC053 (PI 681777) was previously found to be resistant to several greenbug biotypes. In this study, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from Weskan x WBDC053 was evaluated for response to two greenbug biotypes (E and TX1) and genotyped using genotyping by sequencing (GBS). A set of 3347 high quality GBS-derived single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were then used to map the greenbug resistance gene in this wild barley accession. Linkage analysis placed the greenbug resistance gene in a 2.35 Mb interval (0-2,354,645 bp) in the terminal region of the short arm of chromosome 2H. This interval harbors 15 genes with leucine-rich-repeat (LRR) protein domains. An allelism test indicated that the greenbug resistance gene in WBDC053, designated Rsg2.a3, is likely allelic or closely linked to Rsg2. GBS-SNPs 2H_1318811 and 2H_1839499 co-segregating with Rsg2.a3 in the RIL population were converted to Kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers KASP-Rsg2.a3-1 and KASP-Rsg2.a3-2, respectively. The two KASP markers can be used to select Rsg2.a3 and have the potential to tag Rsg2 in barley improvement programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf development underlies crop growth and productivity and has been a major target of crop domestication and improvement. However, most genes controlling leaf development in barley remain unknown. We identified a dwarf and liguleless (dl) mutant derived by ethylmethane sulfonate mutagenesis. The dl mutant showed dramatic changes in shoot architecture compared with wild-type (Yangnongpi 5) plants. Besides lacking ligules, the dl mutant showed much shorter plant height (28 cm) than Yangnongpi 5 (78 cm). By map-based cloning, the dl gene was localized to a 56.58-kb genomic interval on the long arm of chromosome 7. A C-to-T single-nucleotide substitution was identified at exon position 790, and is a functional mutation resulting in a proline-to-serine substitution at the 264th amino acid residue of HORVU7Hr1G106960. Consequently, HORVU7Hr1G106960 was identified as the DL gene, encoding 269 amino acids and containing the Arabidopsis LSH1 and Oryza G1 (ALOG) domain. DL is highly similar to rice OsG1-LIKE 1/2 (OsG1L1/2) and sorghum AWN1/AWN1-10 at the amino acid level. Although the dl mutant allele showed no expression changes in selected tissues by real-time PCR, we propose HORVU7Hr1G106960 as a candidate gene conferring the dwarf and liguleless phenotype in barley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mustafa Kemal University Journal of Agricultural Sciences / Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Tarım Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Water stress regularly leads to attenuations not only crop growth and ultimately yield. Barley is the only crop that is showed more tolerant behavior among all the cereal. Existing investigation work carried out under irrigated and low water environment with three replications in the pot-house Department of Botany, Baba Mastnath University using a complete randomized design. Incorporation of drought alters the reproductive stage through shifting the flowering in addition to the time of maturity. Mean genotype of days to heading (92.5) in BH-902, days to anthesis (99.5) in AMBER and days to physiological maturity 131.5 in (DWRB-828) whereas, RD-57 had minimum days to heading (73.3), anthesis (81.7) and physiological maturity (111.7). Average relative water content was varied in genotypes from 50.2% to 78.6% and treatments from 70.0% to 53.2%. The present study showed that all genotypes show significant reduction under stress condition with significant interaction effect between genotypes and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: To feed the world's ever‐increasing population, new genetic approaches are required. Increasing the number of living spikelets is one promising way to improve grain yield. This, in turn, increases the number of spikelets per plant, thereby increasing the total yield. We present the first evidence for genetic control of alive spikelets in barley. Discovering natural variation as well as genomic regions associated with these traits will serve as a benchmark in future breeding for improving grain yield. Summary: The primary goal of most breeding programmes is to increase grain yield. However, one of the many methods for raising yield that is yet to be fully investigated is increasing the number of spikelets by minimising spikelet abortion. Spikelet abortion dramatically increases during the late reproductive phase, but the molecular and genetic mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we employed a phenotyping approach in which developed and undeveloped spikelets were detected and counted during spike development and their maximum yield potential (MYP) was investigated.We studied 20 agronomic and spikelet‐related traits using a set of 184 diverse spring barley accessions under field conditions. By employing a set of >125K SNPs, GWAS was conducted.Our analysis revealed 26 genetic clusters associated with MYP and the number of developed and undeveloped spikelets. Most of the significant associated genomic regions were co‐located near the candidate genes of phytohormones such as ABA, auxin, and cytokinin suggesting the importance of phytohormones in keeping spikelets alive, their development, and MYP.Our findings point to a potential link between jasmonic acid and the MYP, development and abortion of spikelets. We further provide genetic evidence that sugar‐related genes and sucrose have the potential to regulate MYP, spikelet development and spikelet survival. Our findings can be used for marker‐assisted breeding and as a resource for future molecular and genetic validation. Collectively, we propose a new genetic network linking spikelet‐related traits to grain yield determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Agriculturae Slovenica is the property of Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Barley production worldwide is limited by several abiotic and biotic stresses and breeding of highly productive and adapted varieties is key to overcome these challenges. Leaf scald, caused by Rhynchosporium commune is a major disease of barley that requires the identification of novel sources of resistance. In this study two subsets of genebank accessions were used: one extracted from the Reference set developed within the Generation Challenge Program (GCP) with 191 accessions, and the other with 101 accessions selected using the filtering approach of the Focused Identification of Germplasm Strategy (FIGS). These subsets were evaluated for resistance to scald at the seedling stage under controlled conditions using two Moroccan isolates, and at the adult plant stage in Ethiopia and Morocco. The results showed that both GCP and FIGS subsets were able to identify sources of resistance to leaf scald at both plant growth stages. In addition, the test of independence and goodness of fit showed that FIGS filtering approach was able to capture higher percentages of resistant accessions compared to GCP subset at the seedling stage against two Moroccan scald isolates, and at the adult plant stage against four field populations of Morocco and Ethiopia, with the exception of Holetta nursery 2017. Furthermore, four machine learning models were tuned on training sets to predict scald reactions on the test sets based on diverse metrics (accuracy, specificity, and Kappa). All models efficiently identified resistant accessions with specificities higher than 0.88 but showed different performances between isolates at the seedling and to field populations at the adult plant stage. The findings of our study will help in fine-tuning FIGS approach using machine learning for the selection of best-bet subsets for resistance to scald disease from the large number of genebank accessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has demonstrated contributions of barley genotype to beer flavor based on the progeny of a cross between an heirloom and a more contemporary barley variety. To advance this line of research, the current study used two independent sets of barley germplasm to address the contributions of different barley genotypes to beer flavor. Pedigree, quality of malt and beer, and beer metabolomic profiles were compared within and between the two sets. Utilizing both laboratory and consumer panels, differences in sensory attributes of malt hot steeps and lager beers that are attributable to barley genotype were investigated. Genotype, in this context, is defined in the broadest sense to include experimental germplasm and released varieties. Results concur with previous studies: the two sets of barley germplasm were found to have, both within and between, distinct but subtle differences in flavor profiles of malt hot steeps and finished lager beers. Distinct metabolomic profiles, attributable to barley genotype, were detected. Further, covariation of metabolomic profiles and sensory attributes were identified using data from both sensory panels. These observations lead to the conclusion that the variable metabolites observed among the two sets of barley germplasm are a direct result of genetic differences that lead to differential chemical responses within the malting and brewing processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Salinity is one of the major limiting abiotic stresses that decrease crop production worldwide. To recommend genotypes for cultivation under saline stress conditions, a comprehensive understanding of the genetic basis and plant responses to this stress is needed. In the present study, a total of 20 barley genotypes were investigated to identify potential salt-tolerant genotypes, both at the early growth stage using a hydroponic system, and in adult plants under field conditions. For these purposes, the multi-trait genotype-ideotype distance index (MGIDI) was used to identify salt-tolerant barley genotypes at the seedling stage, and the weighted average of absolute scores (WAASB) index was used to identify the high-yielding and stable genotypes in adult plant stage. At the early growth stage, barley seedlings were treated with two salinity levels: 0 mM NaCl (as control conditions) and 200 mM NaCl (as stress conditions) for 30 days, and during this period different growth and physiological traits were measured. Besides, the yield performance and stability of the investigated barley genotypes were evaluated across five environments during the 2018–2020 cropping seasons. Results: Salinity stress significantly decreased growth and physiological traits in all seedling plants; however, some salt-tolerant genotypes showed minimal reduction in the measured traits. Multivariate analysis grouped the measured traits and genotypes into different clusters. In the early growth stage, the G12, G14, G6, G7, and G16 were selected as the most salt-tolerant genotypes using MGIDI index. In the multi-environment trials experiment, AMMI analysis showed that grain yields of the tested barley genotypes were influenced by the environment (E), genotype (G), and GE interaction. Based on the weighted average of absolute scores of the genotype index (WAASB) and other stability statistics, G7, G8, G14, and G16 were selected as superior genotypes. Conclusion: Together the MGIDI and WAASB indices revealed that three genotypes—G7, G14 and G16—can be recommended as new genetic resources for improving and stabilizing grain yield in barley programs for the moderate climate and saline regions of Iran. Our results suggest that using the MGIDI index in the early growth stage can accelerate screening nurseries in barley breeding programs. Besides, the WAASB index can be used as a useful stability measurement for identify high-yielding and stable genotypes in multi-environment trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-quality, barley gene reference transcript dataset (BaRTv1.0), was used to quantify gene and transcript abundances from 22 RNA-seq experiments, covering 843 separate samples. Using the abundance data we developed a Barley Expression Database (EORNA*) to underpin a visualisation tool that displays comparative gene and transcript abundance data on demand as transcripts per million (TPM) across all samples and all the genes. EORNA provides gene and transcript models for all of the transcripts contained in BaRTV1.0, and these can be conveniently identified through either BaRT or HORVU gene names, or by direct BLAST of query sequences. Browsing the quantification data reveals cultivar, tissue and condition specific gene expression and shows changes in the proportions of individual transcripts that have arisen via alternative splicing. TPM values can be easily extracted to allow users to determine the statistical significance of observed transcript abundance variation among samples or perform meta analyses on multiple RNA-seq experiments. * Eòrna is the Scottish Gaelic word for Barley. Measurement(s) gene expression Technology Type(s) transcription profiling assay Factor Type(s) Genotype • Abiotic Stress • Developmental stage • Tissue • Biotic stress Sample Characteristic - Organism Hordeum vulgare Sample Characteristic - Environment sodium chloride salt • drought • increased temperature • decreased temperature Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.13643387 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrophobins produced by the Fusarium genus in brewing barley in connection with gushing phenomenon have been studied in many different countries. However, the presence of proteins associated with gushing in grains harvested in Brazil is currently unknown. The surface active class 2 hydrophobin Hyd5 has been identified as a possible causative agent for gushing of beer. For this reason, the objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of Hyd5 in isolated Fusarium strains from Brazilian barley samples. This was followed by gushing tests. The Hyd5 gene was identified in all fungal isolates and phylogenetic analysis exhibited four main linages. Gushing tests demonstrated that among the 21 analysed malt samples 8 were positive considering overfoaming at the bottle opening. Levels ranged from 8 to 124 g/bottle of gushing. No correlation between phylogenetic analysis and gushing was observed when they were evaluated together. This is due to positive isolates for gushing which are scattered throughout the phylogenetic tree. The other cause may be that all main clades contain at least one positive isolate for gushing. More research regarding hydrophobins and gushing should be carried out in the future due to the fungi isolated in Brazilian samples. These results offer excellent support that could help the brewing industry to prevent its losses and to provide further understanding of the gushing phenomenon in beer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of 92 genetic resources of spring barley split into groups according to the areas of origin was studied in terms of grain malting quality. The following malting parameters were monitored in this study: nitrogen content in barley grain, malt extract, relative extract at 45 °C, Kolbach index, diastatic power, apparent final attenuation, friability, ß-glucans in wort, haze of wort measured at the angles of 15° and 90°. In the studied set, the largest variability was found in the haze of wort (90°), the smallest in the apparent final attenuation. The optimal values of the extract content in the malt dry matter according to the malting quality index were only detected in the genotypes originating from Europe. The group of the genetic resources from South America and Australia, together with the genotypes from the Middle East and Africa, differed statistically significantly in the values of the Kolbach index from other groups. The two-row genotypes differed statistically significantly in the values of the malt extract content, relative extract at 45 °C, Kolbach index, diastatic power, friability and ß-glucan content in wort. Although the European and non-European groups differed in a number of traits, the non-European groups also included genetic resources that in their malting parameters approached or equaled the European malting varieties (such as Psaknon). In this study, several significant correlations were found; the strongest correlations were between friability and malt extract (r = 0.85), friability and Kolbach index (r = 0.84). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbiota thriving in the rhizosphere, the thin layer of soil surrounding plant roots, plays a critical role in plant's adaptation to the environment. Domestication and breeding selection have progressively differentiated the microbiota of modern crops from the ones of their wild ancestors. However, the impact of eco-geographical constraints faced by domesticated plants and crop wild relatives on recruitment and maintenance of the rhizosphere microbiota remains to be fully elucidated. Here we performed a comparative 16S rRNA gene survey of the rhizosphere of 4 domesticated and 20 wild barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes grown in an agricultural soil under controlled environmental conditions. We demonstrated the enrichment of individual bacteria mirrored the distinct eco-geographical constraints faced by their host plants. Unexpectedly, Elite varieties exerted a stronger genotype effect on the rhizosphere microbiota when compared with wild barley genotypes adapted to desert environments with a preferential enrichment for members of Actinobacteria. Finally, in wild barley genotypes, we discovered a limited, but significant, correlation between microbiota diversity and host genomic diversity. Our results revealed a footprint of the host's adaptation to the environment on the assembly of the bacteria thriving at the root–soil interface. In the tested conditions, this recruitment cue layered atop of the distinct evolutionary trajectories of wild and domesticated plants and, at least in part, is encoded by the barley genome. This knowledge will be critical to design experimental approaches aimed at elucidating the recruitment cues of the barley microbiota across a range of soil types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aux/IAA genes are early auxin-responsive genes and essential for auxin signaling transduction. There is little information about Aux/IAAs in the agriculturally important cereal, barley. Using in silico method, we identified and subsequently characterized 36 Aux/IAAs from the barley genome. Based on their genomic sequences and the phylogenic relationship with Arabidopsis and rice Aux/IAA, the 36 HvIAAs were categorized into two major groups and 14 subgroups. The indication of the presence or absence of these domains for the biological functions and acting mechanisms was discussed. The cis-element distributions in HvIAA promoters suggests that the HvIAAs expressions may not only regulated by auxin (the presence of AuxREs and TGA-element) but also by other hormones and developmental and environmental cues. We then studied the HvIAAs expression in response to NAA (1-Naphthaleneacetic acid) using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Like the promoter analysis, only 14 HvIAAs were upregulated by NAA over two-fold at 4 h. HvIAAs were clustered into three groups based on the spatiotemporal expression data. We confirmed by qRT-PCR that most HvIAAs, especially HvIAA3, HvIAA7, HvIAA8, HvIAA18, HvIAA24 and HvIAA34, are expressed in the developing barley spike compared within seedling, suggesting their roles in regulating spike development. Taken together, our data provide a foundation for further revealing the biological function of these HvIAAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three genotypes of Russian barley were assessed entering two sites in Iraq (Nasiriyah, Samawah), it was planted according to Complete Randomized Blocks Design with three replicates, during the agricultural season (2016-2017), to evaluate the growth and productivity of three strains of barley (ROSEE/H1, ROSEE/H2 and ROSEE/H3) and selecting the appropriate structure for each region depending on the study of grain yield and some traits such as plant height, leaf area, spike length, tillers number\m², spike number\mm², grain number\spike, 1000 grains weight and protein percent. The results showed highly significant differences (P<0.01) on tillers number\m² in both sites, while Nasiriyah site distinguished from Samawah site of with differences ranging from high to significant (P<0.05) in the rest of the traits except the number of grains in the spike was non-significant, Samawah site was observed to have highly significant differences in grain yield compared to Nasiriyah site where significant differences occurred, the analysis of covariance showed highly significant differences in the interaction of sites with structures in leaf areas and yield, the ROSEE/H3 strain yielded the highest grain yield (2.63 t/h) at Nasiriyah site, while ROSEE/H2) strain was characterized by the highest yield (4.18 t/h) at Samawah site. In the study of the correlation coefficient, it was possible to improve the grain yield by the height plant improving, the number of grains in the spike and the number of tillers/ m² in both sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barley is an important cereal grain used for beer brewing, animal feed, and human food consumption. Fungal disease can impact barley production, as it causes substantial yield loss and lowers seed quality. We used sequential window acquisition of all theoretical ions mass spectrometry (SWATH-MS) to measure and quantify the relative abundance of proteins within seeds of different barley varieties under various fungal pathogen burdens (ProteomeXchange Datasets PXD011303 and PXD014093). Fungal burden in the leaves and stems of barley resulted in changes to the seed proteome. However, these changes were minimal and showed substantial variation among barley samples infected with different pathogens. The limited effect of intrinsic disease resistance on the seed proteome is consistent with the main mediators of disease resistance being present in the leaves and stems of the plant. The seeds of barley varieties accredited for use as malt had higher levels of proteins associated with starch synthesis and beer quality. The proteomic workflows developed and implemented here have potential application in quality control, breeding and processing of barley, and other agricultural products. • Fungal infection in barley leaves affects the seed proteome. • Malt accredited barley varieties have high levels of starch synthesis proteins. • Proteomic workflows will be useful in barley quality control, breeding, and processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agronomía Colombiana is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Barley is a popular cereal crop of nutritious and industrial importance and there is always a scope to improve a particular crop in view of its value and demand. Spatio-temporal studies discuss the diversity level among the existing varieties as well as the trend of genetic variation over a period of time and are useful in designing suitable strategies for genetic enhancement and improvement of a particular crop. Here, we used SSR markers to assess the level of spatio-temporal genetic diversity among fifty diverse released varieties of barley from India. Spatial diversity (0.233±0.16) was higher in varieties having exotic parentage as compared to the indigenous varieties (0.176±0.18) and significant diversity was also observed among the varieties released from different developing centers. There was a rising trend in % polymorphism and other diversity parameters among the barley varieties released before 1960s to 1970s, which may be attributed to the increasing usage of exotic germplasm during these decades. Increase in temporal diversity from 1970s to 1980s and to 1990s was not much as compared to earlier decades, which suggests that more diverse germplasm should be used to widen the genetic base of barley varieties released over the years. Further, structure and AMOVA results revealed strong differentiation among spatial groups, but not between temporal groups. The role of spatio-temporal genetic diversity studies and the importance of periodic monitoring of the varieties released for further crop improvement was emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Micronutrient deficiency in cereals is a problem of global significance, severely reducing grain yield and quality in marginal soils. Ancient landraces represent, through hundreds of years of local adaptation to adverse soil conditions, a unique reservoir of genes and unexplored traits for enhancing yield and abiotic stress tolerance. Here we explored and compared the genetic variation in a population of Northern European barley landraces and modern elite varieties, and their tolerance to manganese (Mn) limitation. Methods A total of 135 barley accessions were genotyped and the genetic diversity was explored using Neighbor–Joining clustering. Based on this analysis, a sub-population of genetically diverse landraces and modern elite control lines were evaluated phenotypically for their ability to cope with Mn-deficient conditions, across three different environments increasing in complexity from hydroponics through pot experiments to regional field trials. Key Results Genetically a group of Scottish barley landraces (Bere barley) were found to cluster according to their island of origin, and accessions adapted to distinct biogeographical zones with reduced soil fertility had particularly larger Mn, but also zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) concentrations in the shoot. Strikingly, when grown in an alkaline sandy soil in the field, the locally adapted landraces demonstrated an exceptional ability to acquire and translocate Mn to developing leaves, maintain photosynthesis and generate robust grain yields, whereas modern elite varieties totally failed to complete their life cycle. Conclusions Our results highlight the importance of gene pools of local adaptation and the value of ancient landrace material to identify and characterize genes that control nutrient use efficiency traits in adverse environments to raise future crop production and improve agricultural sustainability in marginal soils. We propose and discuss a model summarizing the physiological mechanisms involved in the complex trait of tolerance to Mn limitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cereals, tillering and leaf development are key factors in the concept of crop ideotype, introduced in the 1960s to enhance crop yield, via manipulation of plant architecture. In the present review, we discuss advances in genetic analysis of barley shoot architecture, focusing on tillering, leaf size and angle. We also discuss novel phenotyping techniques, such as 2D and 3D imaging, that have been introduced in the era of phenomics, facilitating reliable trait measurement. We discuss the identification of genes and pathways that are involved in barley tillering and leaf development, highlighting key hormones involved in the control of plant architecture in barley and rice. Knowledge on genetic control of traits related to plant architecture provides useful resources for designing ideotypes for enhanced barley yield and performance. We review the current knowledge of genes and pathways that shape shoot and leaf development in barley, a major crop and a recognized model for plant genetics. Understanding the genetic control of traits related to plant architecture is a key for breeding high‐yielding and better adapted varieties for sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were (a) to compare the effectiveness of the two methods of pedigree selection in barley: the ear-to-row classical pedigree method and the honeycomb method and (b) the evaluation of the selection criteria of the honeycomb methodology. Five F12 lines developed by classical pedigree method were used as checks in order to compare seven lines developed by honeycomb methodology. Five honeycomb pedigree lines were selected by PYI basic selection criterion of honeycomb methodology and two more (rejected by PYI) were selected by YC, a new criterion proposed for improving selection of high yielding plants in honeycomb design. Also, the original local population from which all these lines were derived and two commercial barley cultivars were used as the basic checks. All genotypes selected by classical and honeycomb pedigree method out yielded the original local population. Many of them reached or out yielded the commercial cultivars used as checks and thus both classical and honeycomb pedigree methods were able to promote some homozygous genotypes in order to be used as new cultivars. Yield performance of progeny lines selected by classical pedigree method was better than honeycomb's. Only when YC was used as selection criterion honeycomb pedigree lines showed high yielding performance. Comparing PYI and YC selection criteria, it seems that the second is better for promoting high yielding and stable lines for next generations to be used as future new cultivars. Grain yield and bulk density are safer traits than 1000-kernel weight, for efficient selection that ensures high and stable yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY : Nuclear restorer of fertility (Rf) genes suppress the effects of mitochondrial genes causing cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), a condition in which plants fail to produce viable pollen. Rf genes, many of which encode RNA‐binding pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins, are applied in hybrid breeding to overcome CMS used to block self‐pollination of the seed parent. Here, we characterise the repertoire of restorer‐of‐fertility‐like (RFL) PPR genes in barley (Hordeum vulgare). We found 26 RFL genes in the reference genome ('Morex') and an additional 51 putative orthogroups (POGs) in a re‐sequencing data set from 262 barley genotypes and landraces. Whereas the sequences of some POGs are highly conserved across hundreds of barley accessions, the sequences of others are much more variable. High sequence variation strongly correlates with genomic location – the most variable genes are found in a cluster on chromosome 1H. A much higher likelihood of diversifying selection was found for genes within this cluster than for genes present as singlets. This work includes a comprehensive analysis of the patterns of intraspecific variation of RFL genes. The RFL sequences characterised in this study will be useful for the development of new markers for fertility restoration loci. Significance statement: Restorer of fertility genes are applied in plant breeding to overcome mitochondrially conditioned male sterility in hybrid crop production. Although these genes are known to vary between related species, intraspecific variation in the gene family has not been comprehensively studied. By systematic analysis of restorer of fertility‐like sequences across hundreds of barley accessions, we show that a huge diversity of these RNA‐binding proteins exists within a single species, with strong diversifying selection on the residues known to determine binding specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: The quantitative barley leaf rust resistance gene, Rph26, was fine mapped within a H. bulbosum introgression on barley chromosome 1HL. This provides the tools for pyramiding with other resistance genes.Abstract: A novel quantitative resistance gene, Rph26, effective against barley leaf rust (Puccinia hordei) was introgressed from Hordeum bulbosum into the barley (Hordeum vulgare) cultivar ‘Emir’. The effect of Rph26 was to reduce the observed symptoms of leaf rust infection (uredinium number and infection type). In addition, this resistance also increased the fungal latency period and reduced the fungal biomass within infected leaves. The resulting introgression line 200A12, containing Rph26, was backcrossed to its barley parental cultivar ‘Emir’ to create an F2 population focused on detecting interspecific recombination within the introgressed segment. A total of 1368 individuals from this F2 population were genotyped with flanking markers at either end of the 1HL introgression, resulting in the identification of 19 genotypes, which had undergone interspecific recombination within the original introgression. F3 seeds that were homozygous for the introgressions of reduced size were selected from each F2 recombinant and were used for subsequent genotyping and phenotyping. Rph26 was genetically mapped to the proximal end of the introgressed segment located at the distal end of chromosome 1HL. Molecular markers closely linked to Rph26 were identified and will enable this disease resistance gene to be combined with other sources of quantitative resistance to maximize the effectiveness and durability of leaf rust resistance in barley breeding. Heterozygous genotypes containing a single copy of Rph26 had an intermediate phenotype when compared with the homozygous resistant and susceptible genotypes, indicating an incompletely dominant inheritance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was carried out during winter season of 2015-16 and 2016-17 at the research farm of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana with the objective of finding out optimum time of sowing and suitable cutting management for higher productivity of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Sowing early on October 15 recorded significantly higher plant height, number of tillers/m2 and dry matter accumulation. Significantly higher grain and biological yields were obtained in early sowing (i.e. October 15). The highest amount of water was used in early sowing (i.e. October 15) and minimum in late sowing (i.e. November 15). Water use efficiency in October 15 and October 30 sown crops was statistically similar during first year. But during second year, water use efficiency of October 30 and November 15 crops was statistically at par with each other. Un-cut crop recorded significantly higher plant height and dry matter accumulation. Significantly higher number of tillers/m2 at 90 DAS was in un-cut, while at 120 DAS, number of tillers in un-cut was statistically at par with the fodder cut at 50 DAS + additional 15 kg N ha-1 after fodder cut (N15). Fodder cut at 50 DAS and un-cut produced similar grain and biological yields. However, the cutting can be delayed up to 60 DAS to get more production of green fodder (40.5 to 41.8% than that at 50 DAS) but at the cost of 20.6-22.7% reduction in grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing societal demand for a more ecological agriculture stimulates demand for farm management systems adapted to non-standard situations such as low-nitrogen systems. However, trade-offs between traits of interest could make difficult to reach high agronomic and environment performances. For malting barley, premium prices depend on grain protein content and grain size with strong trade-offs with yield, such traits being highly dependent on practices and genotypes. Here we assume that such trade-offs can be implicitly embedded in models taking into account varietal traits. Starting with an existing wheat-crop model, we developed a parsimonious barley-crop model on how genotypic traits, crop management practices and pedo-climatic environment determine yield, grain protein content and grain size. Grain size predictions required the development of a new module. We parameterized the model with published and new experimental data using 200 genotype-by-environment combinations of high- and low-input management situations. The model was then assessed on 280 other situations, including high and low level of nitrogen input. The relative root mean square error of prediction of the model on hold-out data was below 15% for grain yield, grain protein content and grain retention fraction in high and low-input situations. In addition, the model correctly ranked 72% of the genotype pairs for grain yield, 55% for grain protein content and 85% for grain retention fraction. Our model can be used to predict grain protein content and retention fraction, and rank yield and calibrated yield performance of existing combinations of genotype by management by environment combinations. It also could help to explore new combinations, to support breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous studies showed that high salt tolerance in Tibetan wild barley accessions was associated with HvHKT1;1, a member of the high-affinity potassium transporter family. However, molecular mechanisms of HvHKT1;1 for salt tolerance and its roles in K+/Na+ homeostasis remain to be elucidated. Functional characterization of HvHKT1;1 was conducted in the present study. NaCl-induced transcripts of HvHKT1;1 were significantly higher in the roots of Tibetan wild barley XZ16 relative to other genotypes, being closely associated with its higher biomass and lower tissue Na+ content under salt stress. Heterologous expression of HvHKT1;1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) and Xenopus laevis oocytes showed that HvHKT1;1 had higher selectivity for Na+ over K+ and other monovalent cations. HvHKT1;1 was found to be localized at the cell plasma membrane of root stele and epidermis. Knock-down of HvHKT1;1 in barley led to higher Na+ accumulation in both roots and leaves, while overexpression of HvHKT1;1 in salt-sensitive Arabidopsis hkt1-4 and sos1-12 loss-of-function lines resulted in significantly less shoot and root Na+ accumulation. Additionally, microelectrode ion flux measurements and root elongation assay revealed that the transgenic Arabidopsis plants exhibited a remarkable capacity for regulation of Na+, K+, Ca2+ and H+ homeostasis under salt stress. These results indicate that HvHKT1;1 is critical in radial root Na+ transport, which eventually reduces shoot Na+ accumulation. Additionally, HvHKT1;1 may be indirectly involved in retention of K+ and Ca2+ in root cells, which also improves plant salt tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Despite a long history, the production of useful alien introgression lines in wheat remains difficult mainly due to linkage drag and incomplete genetic compensation. In addition, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the impact of foreign chromatin on plant phenotype. Here, a comparison of the transcriptomes of barley, wheat and a wheat–barley 7HL addition line allowed the transcriptional impact both on 7HL genes of a non‐native genetic background and on the wheat gene complement as a result of the presence of 7HL to be assessed. Some 42% (389/923) of the 7HL genes assayed were differentially transcribed, which was the case for only 3% (960/35 301) of the wheat gene complement. The absence of any transcript in the addition line of a suite of chromosome 7A genes implied the presence of a 36 Mbp deletion at the distal end of the 7AL arm; this deletion was found to be in common across the full set of Chinese Spring/Betzes barley addition lines. The remaining differentially transcribed wheat genes were distributed across the whole genome. The up‐regulated barley genes were mostly located in the proximal part of the 7HL arm, while the down‐regulated ones were concentrated in the distal part; as a result, genes encoding basal cellular functions tended to be transcribed, while those encoding specific functions were suppressed. An insight has been gained into gene transcription in an alien introgression line, thereby providing a basis for understanding the interactions between wheat and exotic genes in introgression materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Experiments were conducted to document the enhancement of tocopherol (Toc), the main source of vitamin E in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants, by ensiling. The Toc content of four genotypes of barley and wheat was significantly enhanced by ensiling in plastic bags, and enhancement rates were 109–337% in barley and 331–503% in wheat. The overall enhancement was driven by the α‐form isomer. A significant interaction of ensiling treatment by genotype was not found in the Toc content in either species, indicating that the enhancement of Toc by ensiling was consistent irrespective of genotypes in both crops. Significant Toc enhancement by ensiling was exclusively found in leaves. The enhancement of Toc was also confirmed in round bale silages in both crops, which is prevalent as preservation methods of forages in many countries worldwide. Tocopherol enhancement was speculated to be likely because of the free phytol derived from chlorophyll breakdown, which was released from chlorophyll in leaves during ensiling to be used in the biosynthesis of Toc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The positive effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the zinc (Zn) nutrition of a number of cereal species has been demonstrated, but for Hordeum vulgare (barley), this has been scarcely investigated. Zn is taken up by ZIP transporters in the roots, and several barley ZIP transporter genes are up-regulated under Zn deficient conditions. We grew a modern cultivar of barley (cv. Compass) at five different soil Zn concentrations ranging from no addition through to a toxic concentration. The plants were either inoculated with the AMF Rhizophagus irregularis , or mock-inoculated. At harvest, measurements of biomass, tissue Zn concentration, and expression of ZIP transporter genes were taken. Inoculation of barley with AMF resulted in improved grain and straw Zn concentrations, especially at low soil Zn concentrations, but did not increase the biomass of the plants. Of the five HvZIP genes tested that are up-regulated under low Zn conditions, one gene ( HvZIP13 ) was significantly up-regulated by mycorrhizal colonisation at the lowest Zn treatment. Two other ZIP genes were down-regulated in mycorrhizal plants under low soil Zn. Inoculation with AMF has an effect on ZIP transporter genes in the roots of barley plants. Furthermore, AMF may be more useful for improving quality of barley grain in terms of Zn concentrations, rather than improving yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Key messageHistorical data generated during seed regeneration are valuable to populate a bio-digital resource center for barley (Hordeumsp.).Abstract: Precise estimates of trait performance of genetic resources are considered as an intellectually challenging, complex, costly and time-consuming step needed to exploit the phenotypic and genetic diversity maintained in genebanks for breeding and research. Using barley (Hordeum sp.) as a model, we examine strategies to tap into historical data available from regeneration trials. This is a first step toward extending the Federal ex situ Genebank into a bio-digital resource center facilitating an informed choice of barley accessions for research and breeding. Our study is based on historical data of seven decades collected for flowering time, plant height, and thousand grain weight during the regeneration of 12,872 spring and winter barley accessions. Linear mixed models were implemented in conjunction with routines for assessment of data quality. A resampling study highlights the potential risk of biased estimates in second-order statistics when grouping accessions for regeneration according to the year of collection or geographic origin. Based on rigorous quality assessment, we obtained high heritability estimates for the traits under consideration exceeding 0.8. Thus, the best linear unbiased estimations for the three traits are a valuable source to populate a bio-digital resource center for the IPK barley collection. The proposed strategy to leverage historical data from regeneration trials is not crop specific and can be used as a blueprint for other ex situ collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: We were able to obtain good prediction accuracy in genomic selection with ~ 2000 GBS-derived SNPs. SNPs in genic regions did not improve prediction accuracy compared to SNPs in intergenic regions.Abstract: Since genotyping can represent an important cost in genomic selection, it is important to minimize it without compromising the accuracy of predictions. The objectives of the present study were to explore how a decrease in the unit cost of genotyping impacted: (1) the number of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers; (2) the accuracy of the resulting genotypic data; (3) the extent of coverage on both physical and genetic maps; and (4) the prediction accuracy (PA) for six important traits in barley. Variations on the genotyping by sequencing protocol were used to generate 16 SNP sets ranging from ~ 500 to ~ 35,000 SNPs. The accuracy of SNP genotypes fluctuated between 95 and 99%. Marker distribution on the physical map was highly skewed toward the terminal regions, whereas a fairly uniform coverage of the genetic map was achieved with all but the smallest set of SNPs. We estimated the PA using three statistical models capturing (or not) the epistatic effect; the one modeling both additivity and epistasis was selected as the best model. The PA obtained with the different SNP sets was measured and found to remain stable, except with the smallest set, where a significant decrease was observed. Finally, we examined if the localization of SNP loci (genic vs. intergenic) affected the PA. No gain in PA was observed using SNPs located in genic regions. In summary, we found that there is considerable scope for decreasing the cost of genotyping in barley (to capture ~ 2000 SNPs) without loss of PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) remains a long-standing problem for the production of barley (Hordeum vulgare) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) worldwide. Grain dormancy, a key trait for the prevention of PHS, controls the timing of germination. Discovery of the causal sequence polymorphisms (CSPs) that produce naturally occurring variation in dormancy will help improve PHS tolerance. The identification of CSPs for dormancy remains difficult, especially for barley and wheat, because they are the last major cereals to have their genomes sequenced. However, recent work has identified several important CSPs that play pivotal roles in fine-tuning the dormancy levels in barley and wheat cultivars. This review summarizes these recent advances, which can be directly applied in breeding programs to improve PHS tolerance. These recent findings indicate the possibility that barley and wheat cultivars grown in East Asia, where much rain falls during the harvest season, will be rich sources of alleles that confer strong dormancy, since these cultivars have been selected to cope with the regional climate. The newly discovered dormant alleles will be useful for improving PHS tolerance around the world, just as Reduced-height (Rht) alleles from Japanese wheat varieties contributed to yield increases for the Green Revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous metalloid and toxic to plants. Chemical similarity between arsenate and phosphate (P) indicates possible antagonism between them in uptake and transportation. However, there is little study to reveal the interaction of As and P at transcriptional level. In this study RNA-sequencing was conducted on the two barley genotypes differing in As tolerance. A total of 2942 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were inclusively expressed in both genotypes under As (100 μM) and As (100 μM) + P (50 μM), and these DEGs included hormonal signaling, stress responsive, transport related and transcription factors. P addition in the culture solution inhibited the KEGG pathways related to ABC transporters, ether lipid metabolism, linolenic acid metabolism, endocytosis and RNA transport. ZDB160 had a higher expression of DEGs associated with hormone signaling, secondary metabolites and stress defense under P conditions compared to ZDB475, which might explain its tolerance mechanism to As under P condition. The abscisic acid, jasmonic acid and salicylic acid signaling pathways were also significantly regulated under As + P conditions, which may also account for genotypic differences. Finally we drew up a hypothetical model of high As + P stress tolerance mechanism in ZDB160. It may be concluded that ZDB160 achieves its tolerance to As under P by up-regulating P transporters, resulting in more P uptake and less As translocation. The identified candidate genes related to As + P tolerance may provide insights into understanding As tolerance under limited P conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water deficit is the main yield-limiting factor in Egypt and overall the world. Thus the main objective from this work was to evaluate eighteen barley genotypes differed in their genetic makeup under six varied environments which are the combination between, two growing seasons (2013/2014 and 2014/2015) and three water irrigation levels (800, 1100 and 1400 m3/fad.) as severe stress, moderate stress arid adequate, respectively in newly reclaimed sandy soil of South El-Qantara Shark, Ismailia, Egypt, for days to 50% heading, flag leaf area, plant height, I 000-grain weight, biological yield and grain yield. The combined analyses of variance and the mean square of joint regression analysis of variance revealed significant differences among genotypes (G), environments (E) and the G x E interaction for all the traits. Environment + Genotype x Environment (E + G x E), mean squares due to environment (linear) and linear interaction (G x E linear) had highly significant effects for all characters. Severe and moderate water stress levels were significantly reduced all studied traits except I 000-grain weight for all barley genotypes than adequate water supply treatment. Grain yield reduced in the Ist year by an avera,re of 25.67% and 13.44% and in the 2ndd year by an average of 26.82% and 12.67% under Ist and 2nd irrigation levels, respectively, compared with the 3'd level. Phenotypic stability parameters showed that barely genotypes, Line 9, Rihane 3 and Line 11 were highly adapted to favorable environments for days to 50% heading; Line 6, Line 5 and Giza 2000 for plant height; Giza 126 for flag leaf area; Line I, Line 11 and Rihane 3 for 1000-grain weight; Line 9, Line 7 and Line 2 for biological yield and Line 6, Line 9 and line IO for grain yield. Genotypic stability parameters indicated that barley genotypes Line 11 and Giza 2000 was highly adapted to favorable environments for days to 50% heading; Line 2 for plant height, 1000-grain weight and biological yield; California mariout, Giza 123, Line 4, Line 6 and Line 7 for grain yield. The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) analysis of variance showed highly significant difference among genotypes, environments, G x E, IPCAI and IPCA2. AMMI stability value (ASV) and GE biplot revealed that, the most desired and stable genotypes were Line I, Giza 123, California mariout, Line 8 and Line 6 for grain yield. According to genotype plus genotype x environment (GGE) biplots, the ideal genotype was Line 9 for days to 50% heading; Line 6 for plant height; Line 11 for flag leaf area; Line I for I 000-grain weight; Line 9 for biological yield and Line 6 for grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scald (Rhynchosporium secalis; Rs) and spot blotch (Cochliobolus sativus; Cs) are important diseases of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) worldwide. Similar mechanisms and gene transcripts are assumed to be involved in the barley defense response since both these pathogens are necrotrophic fungi. In the current study, the transcriptome in leaves of the same barley genotype WI2291 inoculated with Rs and Cs was compared at different times postinoculation. Comparison of data for barley Rs- and Cs- inoculated plants with mockinoculated plants revealed gene expression changes that included basal defense transcripts and transcripts specific to the establishment of a necrotrophic interaction with associated fungi. During barley-pathogen interaction pathway, WI2291 activated a higher number of genes and pathways in response to Rs infection than in response to Cs invasion. However, families of genes encoding pectin-degrading enzymes, secondary metabolism enzymes, transporters and peptidases are expanded to cover Rs and Cs at an early stage following inoculation. Our results demonstrate differences in the pathways and activated genes of barely cv. WI291challenged by Rs and Cs, and that expression patterns of the same defenseassociated genes were altered in adaptation to different pathogens. Our work provides new insights into the underlying mechanisms related to regulation of different pathways in response to fungal infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Genes controlling differences in seed longevity between 2 barley (Hordeum vulgare) accessions were identified by combining quantitative genetics “omics” technologies in near isogenic lines (NILs). The NILs were derived from crosses between the spring barley landraces L94 from Ethiopia and Cebada Capa from Argentina. A combined transcriptome and proteome analysis on mature, nonaged seeds of the 2 parental lines and the L94 NILs by RNA‐sequencing and total seed proteomic profiling identified the UDP‐glycosyltransferase MLOC_11661.1 as candidate gene for the quantitative trait loci on 2H, and the NADP‐dependent malic enzyme (NADP‐ME) MLOC_35785.1 as possible downstream target gene. To validate these candidates, they were expressed in Arabidopsis under the control of constitutive promoters to attempt complementing the T‐DNA knockout line nadp‐me1. Both the NADP‐ME MLOC_35785.1 and the UDP‐glycosyltransferase MLOC_11661.1 were able to rescue the nadp‐me1 seed longevity phenotype. In the case of the UDP‐glycosyltransferase, with high accumulation in NILs, only the coding sequence of Cebada Capa had a rescue effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 310 Barley accessions collected from ICARDA, Lebanon and grown in Indian condition at ICARDA-IRP (India Research Platform), Amlaha, (M.P.) were analyzed for morphological and genetic variability using nine agro-morphological traits i.e. Plant height (cm), number of tillers per plant, days to heading, number of ear heads per pant, length of ear (cm), number of spikelets per earhead, number of grains per earhead, yield per plant (g), and 1000-grain weight (g). The highest coefficient of variation as a result of highest diversity among the genotypes were found for grains per earhead (37.5%), spikelets per earhead (37.5%), yield per plant (35.3%), tillers per plant (31.3%) and earhead per plant (31.2%). However, ear length (16.9%), days to heading (15.4%), 1000-grain weight (13.5%) and plant height (11.2%) have conributued less to diversity with lower cofficient of variation. In cluster analysis, all the characters were used to construct a distance matrix using the Euclidian coefficient, and used to generate dendrogram showing similarity among all the genotypes, distance coefficient ranged between 0 and 200 which reveal the genetic diversity among genotypes. These exotic accessions evaluated can be further used for primary or secondary introduction in Indian breeding program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To locate the loci controlling physiological traits of barley in seedling stage, an experiment was conducted under drought stress and normal irrigation in greenhouse as a completely randomized design with two replications in Iran in 2016. For this purpose, the populations of Cebad Capa (C. Capa) × Susptrit (S) and Vada (V) × Susptrit (S) with their parents were separately cultivated under drought stress condition and normal irrigation. 112 and 89 Recombinant Inbred Lines respectively resulted from V × S and C. Capa × S were used. Susptrit was used as drought tolerant cultivar and Vada and Cebada Capa were selected as sensitive cultivars. In this experiment Chlorophyll content (CC), relative water content (RWC), shoot dry weight (SDW) and leaf temperature (LT) were measured. For each population and environment, QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) analysis was done based on composite interval mapping on the lines separately. The results showed the effect of genotype was significant for all traits. 43 locations covering QTLs were identified in both populations and both environments. 15 QTLs were located for C. Capa × S under drought stress. The identified QTLs under drought stress were identified as three QTLs for RWC on chromosomes 4 and 5, six QTLs for chlorophyll content as two QTLs for CC-30%FC and two QTLs for CC-50%FC on chromosomes 3 and 7, two QTLs for CC-20%FC on chromosomes 4 and 7, three QTLs for SDW on chromosomes 1 and 6, and three QTLs for LT on chromosomes 4, 6, and 7. In contrast, two QTLs on chromosomes 3 and 6 were detected under normal irrigation for SDW. In addition, 13 QTLs were located for V×S under drought stress. 10 QTLs were observed for chlorophyll content as three QTLs for CC-50%FC on chromosomes 3 and 7, three QTLs for CC-30%FC on chromosomes 1, 2, and 5, four QTLs for CC-20%FC on chromosomes 2, 3 and 6. For RWC, there were identified two QTLs on chromosomes 4 and 6, while a QTL was recorded for SDW on chromosomes 6. Our study showed stable QTLs within and between populations, which it can be used in selection process by markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strigolactones (SLs) represent a class of plant hormones that are involved in inhibiting shoot branching and in promoting abiotic stress responses. There is evidence that the biosynthetic pathways of SLs and abscisic acid (ABA) are functionally connected. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the interaction of SLs and ABA, and the relevance of this interaction for shoot architecture. Based on sequence homology, four genes (HvD27 , HvMAX1 , HvCCD7 , and HvCCD8) involved in SL biosynthesis were identified in barley and functionally verified by complementation of Arabidopsis mutants or by virus-induced gene silencing. To investigate the influence of ABA on SLs, two transgenic lines accumulating ABA as a result of RNAi-mediated down-regulation of HvABA 8’-hydroxylase 1 and 3 were employed. LC-MS/MS analysis confirmed higher ABA levels in root and stem base tissues in these transgenic lines. Both lines showed enhanced tiller formation and lower concentrations of 5-deoxystrigol in root exudates, which was detected for the first time as a naturally occurring SL in barley. Lower expression levels of HvD27 , HvMAX1 , HvCCD7 , and HvCCD8 indicated that ABA suppresses SL biosynthesis, leading to enhanced tiller formation in barley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the world’s most important crops, barley, was domesticated in the Near East around 11,000 years ago. Barley is a highly resilient crop, able to grown in varied and marginal environments, such as in regions of high altitude and latitude. Archaeobotanical evidence shows that barley had spread throughout Eurasia by 2,000 BC. To further elucidate the routes by which barley cultivation was spread through Eurasia, simple sequence repeat (SSR) analysis was used to determine genetic diversity and population structure in three extant barley taxa: domesticated barley (Hordeum vulgare L. subsp. vulgare), wild barley (H. vulgare subsp. spontaneum) and a six-rowed brittle rachis form (H. vulgare subsp. vulgare f. agriocrithon (Åberg) Bowd.). Analysis of data using the Bayesian clustering algorithm InStruct suggests a model with three ancestral genepools, which captures a major split in the data, with substantial additional resolution provided under a model with eight genepools. Our results indicate that H. vulgare subsp. vulgare f. agriocrithon accessions and Tibetan Plateau H. vulgare subsp. spontaneum are closely related to the H. vulgare subsp. vulgare in their vicinity, and are therefore likely to be feral derivatives of H. vulgare subsp. vulgare. Under the eight genepool model, cultivated barley is split into six ancestral genepools, each of which has a distinct distribution through Eurasia, along with distinct morphological features and flowering time phenotypes. The distribution of these genepools and their phenotypic characteristics is discussed together with archaeological evidence for the spread of barley eastwards across Eurasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work collections are subjected to a renewal process, therefore a regular evaluation is needed inorder to appreciate the genetic advance of the existing variability at collection level and further to identify valuable genotypes in terms of morphoproductive and qualitative traits (protein, starch). The barley intended for brewing must correspond to some qualitative parameters, of which proteins and starch content are of major importance. For this purpose, a study was conducted to assess the variability and heritability indicators corresponding to the two traits at 48 barley genotypes. The genotypes that were the subject of this study were sown in three experimental years 2013, 2014 and 2016. The mean values of 2013 year was 13.71 compared with only 10.77, and 11.27 in 2014 and 2016. The significant value of the heritability coefficient along with the genetic advantage of 0.81 indicates the success of selection work for this important chemical trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discoveries on the genetics of resource acquisition efficiency are limited by the ability to measure plant roots in sufficient number and with adequate genotypic variability. This paper presents a root phenotyping study that explores ways to combine live imaging and computer algorithms for model-based extraction of root growth parameters. The study is based on a subset of barley Recombinant Chromosome Substitution Lines (RCSLs) and a combinatorial approach was designed for fast identification of the regions of the genome that contribute the most to variations in root system architecture (RSA). Results showed there was a strong genotypic variation in root growth parameters within the set of genotypes studied. The chromosomal regions associated with primary root growth differed from the regions of the genome associated with changes in lateral root growth. The concepts presented here are discussed in the context of identifying root QTL and its potential to assist breeding for novel crops with improved root systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karyotypes of three accessions of Hordeum chilense (H1, H16, and H7), Hordeum vulgare, and Triticum aestivum were characterized by physical mapping of several repetitive sequences. A total of 14 repetitive sequences were used as probes for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with the aim of identifying inter- and intraspecies polymorphisms. The (AG)12 and 4P6 probes only produced hybridization signals in wheat, the BAC7 probe only hybridized to the centromeric region of H. vulgare, and the pSc119.2 probe hybridized to both wheat and H. chilense, but not to H. vulgare. The remaining repetitive sequences used in this study produced a hybridization signal in all the genotypes. Probes pAs1, pTa-535, pTa71, CCS1, and CRW were much conserved, showing no significant polymorphism among the genotypes studied. Probes GAA, (AAC)5, (CTA)5, HvT01, and pTa794 produced the most different hybridization pattern. We identified large polymorphisms in the three accessions of H. chilense studied, supporting the proposal of the existence of different groups inside species of H. chilense. The set of probes described in this work allowed the identification of every single chromosome in all three species, providing a complete cytogenetic karyotype of H. chilense, H. vulgare, and T. aestivum chromosomes, which could be useful in wheat and tritordeum breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In barley, semi-dwarf varieties are attractive for their superior harvest index and lodging resistance, but many semi-dwarf barley genotypes suffer from poor spike emergence. We performed a genetic characterization of a semi-dwarf line (ND23049) that combines short stature, strong stiff culms, and adequate spike emergence. We developed a doubled haploid (DH) population derived by crossing ND23049 and the cultivar CLE253. A subset of 88 DH lines and parents were characterized for plant height in 2013 and 2014 and genotyped. In total, 1984 SNPs (345 unique loci) were used to produce a linkage map of 1127.1 cM. Three QTLs for plant height were detected in this population and coincided with the HvGA20ox2/ Sdw1, HvBRI1/ Uzu1, and HvPRR95 gene loci. The phenotypic variation explained by each QTL was 75.8%, 7.7%, and 4.1%, respectively, and jointly explained 83.3% (2013) and 87.7% (2014) of plant height. Our results suggest that ND23049 contributed the 'short' allele at the HvGA20ox2/ sdw1 locus while CLE253 provided 'short' alleles at the HvBRI1/ uzu1 and HvPRR95 loci. We identified a large deletion (at least 92.7 Kb), including HvGA20ox2 ( Sdw1), as the causal mutation in ND23049. A set of tightly flanked SNP markers will help breeders to develop improved semi-dwarf varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate abiotic stress (WAK, HvPIP1.1, HvPIP1.2, HvPIP1.3, HvPIP1.5, CYCD3, DREB2) and brassinosteroid-related gene (DWARF4) expressions in barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. “Hilal”) roots grown under different salt (150 and 250 mM), HBR (0.5 and 1 μM), and salt + HBR applications during 48 and 72 h at dark with their controls. Phylogenetic trees were also constructed to observe relationships among genes found in other plants. The expression of HvPIP1.2 and WAK reduced after salt treatment while HvPIP1.3, DREB2 and DWARF4 expressions increased. HvPIP1.1, HvPIP1.2, HvPIP1.3, HvPIP1.5 and DWARF4 expressions were upregulated under only HBR applications. Salt + HBR treatments increased HvPIP1.1, DREB2 and DWARF4 but decreased HvPIP1.2. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that Oryza sativa L. shared similar sequences with HvPIP1.5. CYCD3 could diverge relatively earlier from cyclin genes during evolution as it segregates in a distinct clade. Sorghum bicolor showed sequence homology with DREB2. Oryza australiensis L. and DWARF4 were found in the same clade. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed report related to salt stress and HBR applications in terms of the expression of different genes in barley, providing a valuable information for molecular breeding improvement of stress-related traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The growth‐promoting rhizobacteria Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 positively affects many crops, but its influence on barley remains to be fully investigated. The aim of this study was to track early root growth of four barley cultivars that are widely used in Spanish breeding programmes under different growing scenarios. Different growth conditions are hypothesized to affect the response of young plants to A. brasilense Sp7, so seeds were inoculated with A. brasilense Sp7 and directly sown in the growth chamber, or planted in vitro. Plant height was measured and root structure analysed with the WinRHIZO program. Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 inoculation increased the length, surface area and number of root tips in both systems and in most cultivars in a similar way. Cultivars ‘Barberousse’ and ‘Plaisant’ were the most responsive to A. brasilense Sp7 treatment, while ‘Albacete’ was especially interesting in terms of its physiological interaction with A. brasilense Sp7 under abiotic stress imposed by the in vitro system. The utility of the in vitro system is criticized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, agro-morphological and yield-related traits associated with drought tolerance in 80 barley genotypes belonging to 15 wild species together with the cultivated one, and their potential to improve adaptation to different levels of drought stress conditions (moisture environments) were studied. There was significant genetic variation among the genotypes and species for all of the measured traits, as well as differential responses of genotypes across environments. The results indicated high variation for grain yield (GY) under drought stress among the genotypes, and that some of the wild genotypes had consistently superior specific adaptation to the water stress conditions. The genotypes belong to wild barley species, especially Hordeum murinum and Hordeum marinum had lower GY but relatively higher yield stability under different environments. Traits such as number of seed per plant and hundred kernel weight were positively correlated with GY in all of the environments. High negative correlation between GY and days to ripening was observed only under intense drought environment, showing drought escape as a strategy of wild plants under highly stressed conditions. Grouping of the genotypes by principal component analysis completely separated cultivated barley and its progenitor (Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum) from other wild genotypes; however, the other wild species were slightly separated from each other. In addition, the Iranian and foreign genotypes did not completely separate from each other. The identified wild barley genotypes with favourable characters and high drought tolerance could be used in genetic studies and barley improvement programmes especially for drought stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]