Barley Genomics, Genetics, and Breeding

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Genetics, Genomics and Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 3457

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Western Crop Genetics Alliance, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia
Interests: crop genomics; QTL mapping; breeding; genetics; association mapping

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is the fourth largest grain crop globally and is a vital cereal crop used for food, animal feed, and in the brewing industry. The barley genome has been sequenced, which provides a comprehensive blueprint of its genetic code. The genome sequence helps researchers locate DNA variations within the genome, identify genes controlling various traits, and understand their functions by combining genetic mapping, QTL analysis and gene validation via gene expression analysis and gene transformation. Compared to conventional breeding, breeders can use the knowledge of barley genetics and marker-assisted selection to select plants more efficiently. The goal is to develop barley varieties that meet the changing needs of agriculture and industry, including enhancing resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, producing higher grain yields and improving nutritional value. Better understanding the barley genomics, genetics, and breeding is crucial for ensuring a stable and productive supply of this important cereal crop in the face of climate change and evolving agricultural needs.

In this Special Issue, we focus on the genomics, genetics and breeding in barley, hoping to uncover new loci, genes, alleles and technologies for future breeding.

Dr. Gaofeng Zhou
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • crop genetics
  • QTL mapping
  • breeding
  • genomics
  • association mapping

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2868 KiB  
Article
QTL Mapping of Yield, Agronomic, and Nitrogen-Related Traits in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under Low Nitrogen and Normal Nitrogen Treatments
by Bingjie Chen, Yao Hou, Yuanfeng Huo, Zhaoyong Zeng, Deyi Hu, Xingwu Mao, Chengyou Zhong, Yinggang Xu, Xiaoyan Tang, Xuesong Gao, Jian Ma and Guangdeng Chen
Plants 2024, 13(15), 2137; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13152137 - 1 Aug 2024
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Abstract
Improving low nitrogen (LN) tolerance in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) increases global barley yield and quality. In this study, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population crossed between “Baudin × CN4079” was used to conduct field experiments on twenty traits of barley yield, [...] Read more.
Improving low nitrogen (LN) tolerance in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) increases global barley yield and quality. In this study, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population crossed between “Baudin × CN4079” was used to conduct field experiments on twenty traits of barley yield, agronomy, and nitrogen(N)-related traits under LN and normal nitrogen (NN) treatments for two years. This study identified seventeen QTL, comprising eight QTL expressed under both LN and NN treatments, eight LN-specific QTL, and one NN-specific QTL. The localized C2 cluster contained QTL controlling yield, agronomic, and N-related traits. Of the four novel QTL, the expression of the N-related QTL Qstna.sau-5H and Qnhi.sau-5H was unaffected by N treatment. Qtgw.sau-2H for thousand-grain weight, Qph.sau-3H for plant height, Qsl.sau-7H for spike length, and Qal.sau-7H for awn length were identified to be the four stable expression QTL. Correlation studies revealed a significant negative correlation between grain N content and harvest index (p < 0.01). These results are essential for barley marker-assisted selection (MAS) breeding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Barley Genomics, Genetics, and Breeding)
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18 pages, 2121 KiB  
Article
A Quantitative Trait Locus with a Major Effect on Root-Lesion Nematode Resistance in Barley
by Diane Mather, Elysia Vassos, Jason Sheedy, Wenbin Guo and Alan McKay
Plants 2024, 13(12), 1663; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13121663 - 15 Jun 2024
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Abstract
Although the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus thornei is known to affect barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), there have been no reports on the genetic control of P. thornei resistance in barley. In this research, P. thornei resistance was assessed for a panel of 46 [...] Read more.
Although the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus thornei is known to affect barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), there have been no reports on the genetic control of P. thornei resistance in barley. In this research, P. thornei resistance was assessed for a panel of 46 barley mapping parents and for two mapping populations (Arapiles/Franklin and Denar/Baudin). With both populations, a highly significant quantitative trait locus (QTL) was mapped at the same position on the long arm of chromosome 7H. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in this region were anchored to an RGT Planet pan-genome assembly and assayed on the mapping parents and other barley varieties. The results indicate that Arapiles, Denar, RGT Planet and several other varieties likely have the same resistance gene on chromosome 7H. Marker assays reported here could be used to select for P. thornei resistance in barley breeding. Analysis of existing barley pan-genomic and pan-transcriptomic data provided a list of candidate genes along with information on the expression and differential expression of some of those genes in barley root tissue. Further research is required to identify a specific barley gene that affects root-lesion nematode resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Barley Genomics, Genetics, and Breeding)
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20 pages, 1113 KiB  
Article
Bringing Barley Back: Analysis of Heritage Varieties for Use as Germplasm Sources to Improve Resistance against the Most Devastating, Contemporary Disease in Canada, Fusarium Head Blight (Fusarium graminearum)
by James R. Tucker, Ana Badea, Barbara A. Blackwell, Dan MacEachern and Aaron Mills
Plants 2024, 13(6), 799; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13060799 - 11 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, is currently the most devastating disease for barley (Hordeum vulgare) in Canada. Associated mycotoxins can compromise grain quality, where deoxynivalenol (DON) is considered particularly damaging due to its frequency of detection. Breeding [...] Read more.
Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, is currently the most devastating disease for barley (Hordeum vulgare) in Canada. Associated mycotoxins can compromise grain quality, where deoxynivalenol (DON) is considered particularly damaging due to its frequency of detection. Breeding barley with a lower DON content is difficult, due to the poor adaptation and malt quality of resistance sources. A set of European-derived heritage varieties were screened in an FHB nursery in Charlottetown, PE, with selections tested at Brandon, MB, between 2018–2022. Genetic evaluation demonstrated a distinct clustering of Canadian varieties from the heritage set. At Brandon, 72% of the heritage varieties ranked lower for DON content than did the moderately resistant Canadian check ‘AAC Goldman’, but resistance was associated with later heading and taller stature. In contrast with Canadian modern malting variety ‘AAC Synergy’, general deficiencies were observed in yield, enzyme activity, and extract, along with higher protein content. Nonetheless, several resistant varieties were identified with reasonable a heading date and yield, including ‘Chevallier Chile’, ‘Domen’, ‘Djugay’, ‘Hannchen’, ‘Heils Franken’, ‘Moravian Barley’, ‘Loosdorfer’ with ‘Golden Melon’, ‘Nutans Moskva’, and ‘Vellavia’, these being some of the most promising varieties when malting quality characteristics were also considered. These heritage resources could be used as parents in breeding to develop FHB-resistant malting barley varieties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Barley Genomics, Genetics, and Breeding)
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