WASHINGTON
BARLEY PRODUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT IN WASHINGTON STATE
S. E. Ullrich
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-6420
Production
Barley is an important agricultural commodity in Washington State and was ranked 14th in 1999 among the top 40 commodities produced in the state. Barley is the 4th most important field crop in Washington behind potatoes, wheat, and hay. Washington has ranked 4th among states in barley production in recent years. Barley production in Washington was about 34 million bushels from 500,000 acres seeded in 2000. The average statewide yield in 2000 was 70 bu/a primarily from dryland production. Baronesse, planted on 76% of the state's barley acreage was the leading cultivar in 2000. Malting types were planted on about 8% of the acreage (about 40,000 acres), and winter types on less than 1%. The recommended malting types grown in rank order were Harrington, Morex, Chinook, and Stander. There is much greater potential for malting barley production in Washington than is realized. The gap between feed and malting types has primarily been due to the level of industry activity in the state and the dominance of one feed cultivar (currently Baronesse, previously Steptoe).
Breeding Program Highlights
New Varieties
The latest release (2001) from the Barley Improvement Program is the new two-row spring feed barley cultivar 'Farmington'. It is a semidwarf selection from the cross WA7190-86/Maresi. Maresi is a European two-row malting type. WA7190-90 is from the cross: WA10698-76 (Klages/WA8189-69) / WA8517-74 (Piroline Mutant/Valticky Mutant). Farmington was tested as WA9504-94. It has adaptation to the mid to high rainfall areas of eastern Washington and has partial resistance or tolerance to barley stripe rust (BSR) based on tests in Bolivia, Mexico, California, and western and eastern Washington state. It is expected to compete with Baronesse in some areas in eastern Washington with other BSR resistance cultivars recently released. It has potential malting quality based on micro-malt data, but needs further testing on the pilot scale level.
Six advanced breeding lines have been identified as potential variety release candidates; three "conventional" (WA8682-96, WA8709-96, WA10147-96) and three proanthocyanidin-free types (98NZ223, 98NZ015, 98NZ533). These lines have shown exceptional yield potential and some have good stripe rust resistance. The three conventional lines have been approved for pre-release seed increase, and breeder's seed of these lines will be produced in 2001.
Pest Resistance
While yield and grain quality are always important selection criteria, pest resistance has become a priority as well. Crossing, backcrossing, screening and/or selection for Russian wheat aphid, barley stripe rust, soil borne pathogen and Hessian fly resistance are underway. Reaction screening for the Russia wheat aphid is carried out by Do Mornhinweg at the USDA-ARS Insect Laboratory at Stillwater, Oklahoma. We have had germplasm screened for barley strip rust reaction the past several years in Bolivia, Mexico, Colorado, California, and Washington through the direct efforts of Darrell Wesenberg's and Bill Brown's programs and Rollie Line/ Xianming Chen. There appears to be good resistance in a number of WSU breeding lines. Soil borne pathogens probably affect barley production more than we realize. An effort was initiation in 1994 to screen for reaction to soil borne pathogens in the field and growth chamber with Jim Cook. Specific screening work focuses on Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium spp. This work is dovetailed with evaluation of barley adaptation studies to direct-seeded production systems. Hessian fly resistance screening is carried out by Roger Ratcliffe's ARS lab at Purdue University.
Application of Biotechnology
Collaboration in the North American Barley Genome Mapping Project involves work on several fronts. The Steptoe/Morex map is being applied to quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis and molecular marker assisted selection relevant to cultivar development. We are verifying QTL identified and developing molecular marker assisted selection strategies for use in the breeding program. We have concentrated on the dormancy trait and yield from Steptoe and several malting quality traits from Morex. The incorporation of yield QTL from Baronesse into Harrington via molecular marker assisted backcrossing is a collaborative project with Andy Kleinhofs. This project has yielded a relatively high proportion of lines improved agronomically. Malt analyses are in progress.
Collaboration in breeding proanthocyanidin-free barley and transformation of barley with a heat-stable beta-glucanase (brewing and feed quality traits) is underway with Diter von Wettstein. The transformation project will see transformed plants in the field for the sixth year in 2001. The proanthocyanidin-free barley project has been a long-time collaboration. A boost to the project occurred with the induction and incorporation of pigmented "pant" mutants (vs anthocyaninin-free types) in the breeding program. Newer breeding lines of 6- and 2-row pant types have a much better combination of quality and agronomic traits than previously.
WSU Barley Program Personnel and Collaborators
S. E. Ullrich, Professor and Agronomist, Project Leader; A. Kleinhofs, Professor/Agronomist, Collaborator, molecular genetics and breeding, WSU; D. von Wettstein, R.A. Nilan Distinguished Barley Professor, Collaborator, proanthocyanidin-free barley, transformation, WSU; V. A. Jitkov, breeding field Research Associate; M.C. Dugger, Breeding Field Research Technologist; J. A. Clancy, Research Technologist, barley and malt quality lab; Galina Mikhaylenko, Research Associate, working on the proanthocyanidin-free and transformation barley projects; J.W. Burns, P.E. Reisenauer, J. Kuehner - Cereal Variety Testing, Coop. Extension, WSU.
Additional cooperative efforts occur with the following scientists: J. A. Froseth - swine nutrition, WSU; R. F. Line and X. Chen - barley stripe rust, USDA-ARS, WSU; R. J. Cook - root diseases, B.-K. Baik - barley food quality, WSU; D. M. Wesenberg - spring and winter regional nurseries, barley stripe rust, QTL validation, germplasm exchange, USDA-ARS, Aberdeen, ID; P. M. Hayes - QTL validation, germplasm exchange, OSU, Corvallis, OR; B. L. Jones - malting quality analyses, USDA-ARS, Madison, WI; D. W. Mornhinweg - Russian wheat aphid, USDA-ARS, Stillwater, OK; R.H. RatcliffeI - Hessian fly, USDA-ARS, West Lafayette, IN; I. Romagosa- genetic studies of barley adaptation, dormancy, and quality and breeding hulless barley, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain; G. Arias- breeding and malting quality, EMBRAPA, Passo Fundo, R.S., Brazil; as well as a number of others in terms of scientific and germplasm exchanges.
Relevant Publications 1999-2001
Romagosa, I., F. Han, J.A. Clancy, and S.E. Ullrich. 1999. Individual locus effects on dormancy during seed development and after-ripening in barley. Crop Sci. 39: 74-79.
Zhu, H., G. Briceno, R. Dovel, P.M. Hayes, B.H. Liu, C.T. Liu, and S.E. Ullrich. 1999. Molecular breeding for grain yield in barley: An evaluation of QTL effects in a spring barley cross. Theor. Appl. Genet. 98:772-779.
Romagosa, I., F. Han, S.E. Ullrich, P.M. Hayes, and D.M. Wesenberg. 1999. Verification of yield QTL through realized molecular marker assisted selection responses in a barley cross. Mol. Breed. 5:143-152.
Han, F., S.E. Ullrich, J.A. Clancy, and I. Romagosa.1999. Inheritance and fine mapping of a major barley seed dormancy QTL. Plant Science 143:113-118.
Kandemir, N., B.L. Jones, D.M. Wesenberg, S.E. Ullrich, and A. Kleinhofs. 2000. Marker assisted analysis of three grain yield QTL in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) using near isogenic lines. Mol. Breed. 6:157-167.
Ullrich, S.E., R.C. Johnson, F.J. Muehlbauer, and L.E. Wiesner. 2000. Establishment of a new crop registration category Mapping Populations. Crop Sci. 40: 1189-1190.
Marquez-Cedillo, L.A., P.M. Hayes, B.L. Jones, A. Kleinhofs, W.G. Legge, B.G. Rossnagel, K. Sato, S.E. Ullrich, D.M. Wesenberg, and the NABGMP. 2000. QTL analysis of malting quality in barley based on the doubled haploid progeny of two elite North American varieties representing different germplasm groups. Theor. Appl. Genet. 101:173-184.
Kandemir, N., D.A. Kudrna, S.E. Ullrich, and A. Kleinhofs. 2000. Molecular marker assisted genetic analysis of head shattering in six-rowed barley. Theor. Appl. Genet. 101:203-210.
Molina-Cano, J.L., J.S. Swanston, and S.E. Ullrich. 2000. Genetic and environmental effects on malting and feed quality of barley: A dynamic field of study. p 127-134. In S. Logue (ed.) Barley Genetics VIII. Proc. of the 8th Int'l. Barley Genet. Symp. Vol. I. Invited papers. Adelaide Univ., Glen Osmund, So. Australia.
Marquez-Cedillo, P.M. Hayes, B.L. Jones, A. Kleinhofs, W.G. Legge, B.G. Rossnagel, K. Sato, S.E. Ullrich, D.M. Wesenberg, and the NABGMP. 2000. QTL analysis of malting quality in the Harrington x Morex cross. p 255-257. In S. Logue (ed.) Barley Genetics VIII. Proc. of the 8th Int'l. Barley Genet. Symp. Vol. II. Contributed papers. Adelaide Univ., Glen Osmund, So. Australia.
Marquez-Cedillo, P.M. Hayes, A. Kleinhofs, W.G. Legge, B.G. Rossnagel, K. Sato, S.E. Ullrich, D.M. Wesenberg, and the NABGMP. 2000. QTL analysis for agronomic traits in a barley cross. p 78-80. In S. Logue (ed.) Barley Genetics VIII. Proc. of the 8th Int'l. Barley Genet. Symp. Vol. III. Contributed papers. Adelaide Univ., Glen Osmund, So. Australia.
Horvath, H., L.G. Jensen, O.T. Wong, E. Kohl, S.E. Ullrich, J. Cochran, C.G. Kannangara, and D. von Wettstein. 2001. Stability of transgene expression, field performance and recombination breeding of transformed barley lines. Theor. Appl. Genet. 102:1-11.
Ullrich, S.E. 1999. Mapping and using malting quality QTLs in barley. p. 19-26. In. Proceedings 32nd Barley Improvement Conference. New Orleans, Jan. 6-8, 1999. American Malting Barley Association, Milwaukee, WI.
Ullrich, S.E. 1999. Barley production and improvement in Washington State. Barley Newsletter 42: on line at http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/ggpages/BarleyNewsletter/42/ullrich.html.
J.M.Zale, J.A. Clancy, S.E. Ullrich, B.L. Jones, P.M. Hayes, and the North American Barley Genome Mapping Project. 2000. Summary of Barley Malting Quality QTLs Mapped in Various Populations. Barley Genet. Newslttr. 30:44-54. On-line at http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/ggpages/bgn/30/SEU1txt_and_figs_color.htm.
Ullrich, S.E., F. Han, A Kleinhofs, J.A. Clancy, J.M. Zale, B.L. Jones, and D.M. Wesenberg. 1999. Dissecting a complex barley chromosome region containing malting quality QTL. 1999 ASA, CSSA, SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts: 365.
Gao, W., J.A. Clancy, A. Kleinhofs, and S.E. Ullrich. Fine mapping a malting quality QTL region on barley chromosome 4 and studying malting quality QTL interactions. 2000. Plant & Animal Genome VIII International Conference (Jan. 9-12, San Diego). Final Abstracts Guide, p 110.
D. Schmierer, N. Kandemir, D.A. Kudrna, D.M. Wesenberg, S.E. Ullrich, and A. Kleinhofs. 2001. Molecular marker-assisted selection for improved yield in traditional malting barley cultivars. Plant & Animal Genome IX. International Conference (Jan. 13-17, 2001, San Diego). Final Program and Abstracts Guide, p 163.