Session 1 Germplasm and Genetic Resources

 

Oral Presentation

 

Gene Banks and Access to Barley Genetic Resources Information

H. KnuEpffer

Genebank Department, Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), D-06466 Gatersleben, Germany, E-mail: knupffer@ipk-gatersleben.de

Plant genetic resources (PGR) are a useful source of material for breeders and researchers. However, besides the availability and accessibility of the PGR, the availability of information, and the easy access to it are a necessary prerequisite for utilisation. The present situation of barley genetic resources in genebanks worldwide is discussed. Various information sources for barley genetic resources are described and compared. Issues such as the Barley Core Collection, access to pedigree information, and handling of evaluation data are also covered. The visions for the future include information networking between the ECP/GR European Barley Database (EBDB) and other major information systems such as SINGER (of the CGIAR), GRIN (USDA), and the Barley Genetic Stocks Database. Finally, emerging issues of bioinformatics in PGR information management and analysis will be mentioned.

 

Global Inventory of Barley Genetic Resources

J. Valkoun and J. Konopka

Genetic Resources Unit, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA),
Aleppo, Syria, E-mail: j.valkoun@cgiar.org

The FAO estimates that more than 350,000 accessions of barley genetic resources are conserved in numerous ex situ collections. There is no doubt that there is significant overlap of collections but the extent of this overlap is not known. There is no global one-stop shop for scientists wishing to find particular germplasm although many genebanks offer Internet access to information on their collections. Genetic Resources Unit (GRU) of ICARDA in collaboration with European Barley Database (EBDB) and major barley collections has compiled a Global Inventory of Barley Genetic Resources. The project was supported by the System-wide Information Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER) and is to be published on the Internet in 2003. The Inventory lists more than 165,000 accessions from 40 institutes/genebanks. Approximately 40% of a global collection refers to landraces, collected in the field, or selections from landraces. The inventory identified over 280 collection missions to 57 countries during the period 19212001. Whenever the collection site data were sufficiently detailed, the collection sites were geo-referenced to facilitate production of distribution maps and links with GIS. As expected, majority of conserved material is the result of breeding efforts and we attempted to cross-reference accessions using standardized names. For large part of breeding material the system also records pedigree, developer and date of release.

 

 

Assessment of Diversity within Czech Spring Barley Germplasm
as Revealed by PCR Diagnostic Marker, SSR, AFLP
and DNA Assays

J. Ovesna1, L. Kucera1, K. Polakova1, K. Vaculova2 and J. Milotova2

1Research Institute of Crop Production, 161 06 Prague 6-Ruzyne, Czech Republic, E-mail: ovesna@vurv.cz; 2Agricultural Research Institute Kromeriz, Ltd., 767 01 Kromeriz, Czech Republic

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important crop in Czech Republic. Breeders have been focused on high yielding cultivars production with excellent grain end-use quality. We have tried to identify how breeding has changed the genetic basis of cultivars, which were used over time in Czech region. Over 100 of barley cultivars and lines used for (1) malting and (2) alternative phenotype breeding have been investigated using AFLP and SSR markers. (1) We have proved that malting quality breeding changed diversity within the gene pool and genetic pool, which became narrow. However, new alleles appeared in cultivars released in the 90ies as a consequence of the foreign germplasm use in Czech breeding mainly for a biotic/abiotic stress tolerance improvement. (2) The collection of barleys with grain alternative end-use quality, which become from different countries, has higher diversity as it was expected. Higher phenotype variability has been there for scored within the lines and in the progeny. New type of markers and techniques such as SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism), SNPaSHOT and expression analysis brought more precise insight into the alleles preference. Correlations between genotype and phenotype are discussed.

 

 

Poster Presentation

Barley in the Republic of Yemen

M. Al-Harazi

Ministry of Technical Education, Sanaa, Republic of Yemen,
E-mail: mohdharazi@hotmail.com

Republic of Yemen is located in the south-west of Arab peninsula, bordered by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the north, the Arabian sea and Oman to the east and to the south is the Arabian sea. It can be divided into four sections: (a) The plain area a long the Red Sea, in these areas, the temperature is high all over the year. (b) The central areas which is a chain of mountains, some of them rises to more than 200 m above sea level, between these mountains lie many valleys and farmlands the rain here falls heavily in some seasons for which the farmers can depend for farming. (c) The eastern areas which is a separate mountains, through them there are many valleys and fields. (d) Besides the area in the far-east, which is a part of Al Rub Alkhali desert. Barley crop is limited because it is not used for bread, only as feed. It is not used for malting since Islam forbids any thing leads to drunkenness. There are only four varieties with higher yields than the local variety Sagleh and are expanding: Arafat, Bitcher, Mabser Dhamar and Jahrani. The total area of cultivation represents about 2528 000 ha and production 2327 000 t in the average in the period 19992002.

 

Matching Soil, Water and Genotype for Barley Cultivation
in Kuwait

H. S. Al-Menaie1,2, P. D. S. Caligari3 and B. P. Forster1

1Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK, E-mail: bforst@scri.sari.ac.uk;
2Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Safat 13109, State of Kuwait; 3The University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AS, UK

In 1996 a government master plan was approved for the greening and agriculture of Kuwait. Barley is among 50 prioritised plants. A general survey of all Kuwait soils identified potential sites for cultivation. Al-Wafra was selected and investigated further using USDA standard soil tests. The ground water at Al-Wafra was brackish, but had potential for irrigation of salt tolerant crops such as barley. Large field trials, irrigated with local ground water and imported fresh (desalinated) water, were set up over two seasons. A wide range of genotypes (141) were tested including: (1) control recommended salt tolerant cultivars, Gustoe and California Mariout; (2) cultivars; (3) landrace barleys; (4) wild barleys; (5) mutant lines and (6) hybrids. Various agronomic traits were test, the most important being plant weight (barley is used mainly for fodder). The two control genotypes performed well in brackish water as did semi-dwarf, ari-e. mutants. Investigations of root traits showed that short rooted genotypes, such as the ari-e. mutants had an advantage, possibly because they make better use of surface irrigated water, but also because their roots do not penetrate into saline soil zones. Sustainable barley cultivation is feasible in Kuwait using selected soils, local ground water, soil rejuvenation, water table control and selected genotypes

 

 

SSR-Based Genetic Diversity Assessment among Tunisian Winter Barley and Relationship with Morphological Traits

W. Ben Hamida and S. Hamza

Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie, Tunis 1082, Tunisia
E-mail: hamza.sonia@inat.agrinet.tn

For studying genetic diversity caused by selection for adaptation and end-use, 17 microsatellites (SSR), representative of the barley genome, were used in 26 barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) accessions and cultivars in Tunisia. The accessions/cultivars originate from different geographic regions and are of different end-use. For the 15 polymorphic SSR, the mean number of alleles per locus was 3.6 and the average polymorphism information content was 0.45. Cluster analysis based on SSR data and on morphological data clearly differentiate the genotypes according to their type (local landraces vs. varieties), row-number and end-use. The correlation between both diversity measures was highly significant (r = 0.25, P < 10-5) and the correspondence between the clustering based on SSR and morphological data was relatively good. Our results show the large genetic diversity of the Tunisian barley cultivars and the association of this diversity with adaptation traits.

 

Access to Nordic Barley Genetic Resources

L. Bondo

Nordic Gene Bank, 23053 Alnarp, Sweden,
E-mail: louise@ngb.se

The Nordic Gene Bank (NGB) is a regional Gene bank for the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Faroe Island, Norway and Sweden. The mandate of NGB is to preserve material from this geographical area. Furthermore, the aim is to document, characterize and carry out research and pre-breeding projects on the preserved material. The total Hordeum collection consists of 45 species, 471 cultons, and 12,825 accessions. The Hordeum vulgare subsp. vulgare collection preserved at NGB for long-term preservation is presented in the table below.

Number of accepted accessions at NGB

Country of origin

Breeding material

Cultivars

Landraces

Total

Denmark

69

81

8

158

Finland

38

34

46

118

Faroe Island

 

 

1

1

Norway

6

36

10

52

Sweden

130

135

11

276

Total

243

286

76

605



Further more NGB store many special Hordeum collections: The barley mutant collection with more than 9,000 accessions, the collection of translocation lines with about 800 lines, the collection of wild Triticea species and landraces with about 1,200 accessions, a collection of chlorophyll mutants, Ibergs collection, a dynamic barley gene pool, a collection of duplication lines and James Mac Keys NIL. The barley collection has been evaluated for malting quality and resistance to Rhynchosporium, scald, powdery mildew and many agronomic characters. All evaluation results are searchable via Internet:
http://www.ngb.se/sesto. The NGB distributes seeds and information to all interested researchers and breeders free of charge.

 

 

Chances and Problems of Using Wild Genotypes for the Improvement of Quantitative Traits a Case Study Using Barley

S. Budewig and J. Leon

Department of Crop Science and Plant Breeding, University of Bonn, D-53115 Bonn, Germany,
E-mail: j.leon@uni-bonn.de

Decreasing genetic variability in modern cultivars may become a problem in the near future. The utilization of exotic genotypes is a possibility of broadening the genetic base, but presents many problems if quantitative traits are to be improved. A large number of suitable accessions exist in the gene banks, but how can a promising genotype be chosen without first undergoing a long and complicated back cross procedure? To answer some of the many questions that arise when dealing with crosses between wild genotypes and modern cultivars ten parents were chosen from each group and 30 Hordeum vulgare × Hordeum spontaneum crosses were established in four back cross generations. A number of quantitative traits of the progeny as well as the cultivars and wild barley accessions used as parents were evaluated in field trials. Means and variances of the progeny in different backcross generations were compared to the theoretical expectations of various traits. The general and specific combining ability of the modern cultivars and the wild barley were analyzed. The potential for positive transgression for the trait yield was examined. The feasibility of predicting which H. spontaneum accessions will contribute most to an improvement of traits and the consequences for the choice of an optimal breeding methodology are discussed.

 

Characterization of Genetic Diversity in ICARDA Core Collection
of Cultivated Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

K. Chabane and J. Valkoun

Genetic Resources Unit, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Aleppo, Syria, E-mail: kamel@cgiar.org

Out of the total accessions of barley cultivated, held at ICARDA, a subset core collection consisting of 150 accessions originating from different countries was established. Genetic diversity of the core collection was studied using AFLP markers. The accessions were grouped into different geographic sub-regions and the total genetic variation was estimated using Popgene software. Genetic distance matrix was computed and hierarchical unrooted tree was performed using Phylip software package. Our results demonstrate that the AFLP markers were highly informative and were useful in generating a meaningful classification of the cultivated barley that we determined as subset of core collection.

 

Spontaneous Mutants in Baronesse Barley

M. I. Cagirgan1 and S. E. Ullrich2

1Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Akdeniz University, TR07059 Antalya, Turkey,
E-mail: cagirgan@akdeniz.edu.tr; 2Department of Crops and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6420, USA, E-mail: ullrich@wsu.edu

Baronesse is a popular feed barley, developed in Germany from a wide cross, Mentor/Minerva//Vada mutant/4/Carlsberg/Union//Opavsky/Salle/3/Ricardo/5/Oriol/6153P40, by Nordstadt in 1988. A local plant breeding company, Western Plant Breeders, arranged to market this variety in Pacific Northwest, USA. It is two-rowed, rough awned spring barley. This variety is every breeders dream with excellent yield potential and very wide adaptation. It continues to be a remarkable success and has spread across the Pacific Northwest, having the potential to become the predominant regional variety. In 1997 season, we observed genetic male sterile plants in this variety, both in the yield trials and also in the production fields, planted by certified seed in Pullman, WA. Considering high percentage of male sterile occurrence, we planned to isolate these male sterile variants as spontaneous mutants to compare their natural occurrence with the reported ones. Also, we isolated other types of variants as spontaneous mutants such as anthocyanin-less, late-maturing, eceriferum, smooth awn, and covered peduncle. The basis of treating these variants as spontaneous mutants instead of any kind of mixture was due to the fact that Baronesse barley has a deficiens gene suppressing the formation of lateral spikelets, which provides a very good morphological marker to distinguish the other types assembling or not assembling to the original variety. Since there was no another cultivar having deficiency gene in the Pacific Northwest, the identification and evaluation of the spontaneous mutants in the production field could be sound and practical. Consequently, this approach should be considered as an efficient use of a less effective approach, relying on spontaneous mutations. The following two years confirmation showed that the segregants were consistent and true-bred. During the progeny testing we further discovered that some lines are earlier and later than Baronesse in heading. We expect that some of these spontaneous mutants isolated may be useful to develop better lines Baronesse itself, directly or indirectly. Genetic male sterile lines can be useful to facilitate crossing and to develop populations to select from.

 

 

Allelic Diversity and Genetic Gain in Midwestern
Six-Rowed Barley Germplasm

F. Condon, K. P. Smith and E. Schiefeilbein

Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA,
E-mail: smith376@umn.edu

United States Midwestern six-rowed malting barley varieties constitute a narrow germplasm tracing back to approximately 40 ancestors. Varietal candidates developed at the University of Minnesota have shown genetic improvement for many traits despite the fact that most of the crosses leading to these lines in the past 50 years have been among elite lines from within the breeding program. We initiated a study to estimate genetic gain for traits that have been under selection in Minnesota breeding germplasm. We evaluated 62 varieties and variety candidates developed from 19581998 in three locations in 2002. Genetic gains for yield, plump yield, and malt extract are estimated to be 9.5 kg/ha per year, 20.5 kg/ha per year, and 0.065 % per year, respectively. Parallel to this genetic improvement of selected traits, we have observed a decrease in genetic diversity within this same germplasm. Allelic diversity, based on 65 SSR markers distributed throughout the genome, has decreased from a mean of 6.0 alleles per locus for lines developed from the first decade to 2.3 alleles per locus for lines developed during the last decade. These phenotype and marker data will be the basis for an association mapping study to identify loci for important agronomic, disease resistance, and malting quality traits that have been under selection during breeding.

 

The Oregon Wolfe Barley Population: An International Resource for Barley Genetics Research and Instruction

A. E. Corey, L. Cooper, P. M. Hayes, L. Marquez-Cedillo, M. I. Vales
and the world network OWB practitioners*

Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA,
E-mail: patrick.m.hayes@oregonstate.edu
*A complete listing is available at www.barleyworld.org

The Oregon Wolfe Barley (OWB) population a set of doubled haploids developed at Oregon State University from the F1 of the cross between Dr. R. Wolfes Dominant and Recessive marker stocks is a publicly available resource for plant genomics research and serves as a vehicle for stimulating public awareness and interest in genetic diversity and agricultural biotechnology. The OWB population, which displays a stunning level of morphological trait diversity and a high level of DNA-level polymorphism, is available in both real and virtual formats. Seed of the population can be obtained from the Oregon State University Barley Project (www.barleyworld.org) and this site also serves as a gateway to a spectrum of information and tools for research and instruction involving the OWBs. A subset of the OWBs will be featured on the IBGS field tour at Brno, and the poster will provide a descriptive catalog of the many research and teaching activities around the world that involve this unique germplasm resource.

 

Tunisian Insular Barley Landraces: a Significant Hordeins Drift

M. El Felah1, L. Bettaieb Ben Kaab1 and N. Chalbi2

1Laboratoire des Grandes Cultures INRAT, 2049-Ariana, Tunisia,
E-mail: elfelah.mouldi@iresa.agrinet.tn;
2Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis,
2092-El Manar II, Tunisia

Barley genetic resources play a key role in dry farming and poverty alleviation in dry areas in Tunisia. In semi-arid regions, barley is mostly cultivated by sheep owners and grazed one or two times. It is also grown for grain production in intermediate zones and for hay making. Barley is used mainly for feed (85%) and occasionally for food (1015%). In southern zones, barley landraces are submitted to various constraints, essentially their substitution by improved cultivars, and are threatened of disappearance and extinction. To safeguard these resources, 423 barley accessions were collected from diverse regions of Tunisia and specifically from the islands of Djerba and Kerkenna. Sixty-one accessions, collected from Djerba (Jorf, Houmet Essouk, Houmet Beni Dighet and El Khmara), were evaluated using SDS-PAGE. Results showed high B and C hordeins segregation. 33 chemotypes were characterized. Beni Dighet accessions showed a fatal drift for A and D hordeins. It seems that certain important quality traits have been loosed and dramatically influence may occur on nutritional value. Presence or absence of some hordein groups or components also could indicate the quality of technological traits of the barley grain.

 

 

Bridging the Widening Chasm between Exotic Germplasm
and Elite Breeding Populations Using RIPE
(Recurrent Introgressive Population Enrichment)

D. E. Falk

Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada,
E-mail: dfalk@uoguelph.ca

Recurrent Introgressive Population Enrichment (RIPE) is a method of utilizing basic evolutionary principles in breeding. It results in accumulating desirable alleles for specific traits in populations from which well-adapted, high-performing lines can be selected. The limitations of the number of crosses needed for population development and recycling, and the length of the breeding cycle have largely been overcome in the RIPE system through the use of genetic male sterility (linked to a xenia-expressing phenotypic marker for pre-sowing selection) for crossing. The use of controlled environments for rapid generation advance, offseason nurseries for seed increase, and effective evaluation of derived lines in the target environment complete the efficient system. Moderate levels of heritability, moderate selection intensity, reasonable breeding population size, and reduced cycle times have resulted in a very efficient, effective (and economical!) breeding system. The RIPE system is useful for incorporating new genetic diversity into elite breeding populations, while maintaining performance and adaptation. There has been more than 50% increase in yield over the foundation parents in less than ten years. A number of superior cultivars are in commercial production. It is quite applicable to public breeding programs in both developed and developing countries where resources for applied breeding are limited.

 

QTL for Seedling Root Traits in Barley

B. P. Forster, D. Allan, R. P. Ellis, R. Keith and W. T. B. Thomas

Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK,
E-mail: bforst@scri.sari.ac.uk

A 2-dimensional observation chamber was used to measure root number, root length, root depth and rooting angle in two contrasting mapping populations of barley. The tests were conducted in the dark at 12°C over a 10-day period from germination. Scanned images of the chambers were analysed using appropriate software. In the first mapping population (Derkado × B83-12/21/5 doubled haploids) it was possible to investigate effects of two dwarfing genes, sdw1 and ari-e.GP. Over 60 traits have been studied in this population, which provides an opportunity to look for associations between root traits and other characters. In previous studies the two dwarfing genes were found to have strong pleiotropic effects on a wide range of physiological and agronomic traits. In the 2-D seedling test both genes had expected effects on reducing shoot length, but only ari-e.GP was associated with short roots. No effects of sdw1 were detected for any of the root traits investigated. QTL for root traits were found on 5 of the 7 barley chromosomes in this population. These are currently being compared with QTL detected in a second mapping population (Tadmor × ER/APM recombinant inbred lines) which has been developed to investigate physiological and agronomic traits involved in drought tolerance.

 

A New Barley Phenotype for North Africa

B. P. Forster1, R. P. Ellis1, R. Tuberosa2, D. This3, I. Ahmed4, H. Bahri5 and M. Ben Salem6

1Scottish Crop Research Institute, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK, E-mail: bforst@scri.sari.ac.uk;
2University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy; 3UMR, 34060 Montpellier, France;
4Field Crops Research Institute, Giza 12619, Egypt; 5Ecole Nationale DAgriculture de Meknés,
PBS40 Meknés, Morocco; 6INRAT, 2049 Ariana, Tunis, Tunisia

Barley is a traditional crop of low rainfall areas of North Africa where the traditional phenotype is tall plants with six-row ears. In a recent EU INCO-DC programme short, two-row barleys performed better than traditional types. Three key major genes were identified: sgh1 on chromosome 4H, sdw1 on 3H and vrs1 on 2H, these developmental genes have direct effects on flowering time, plant stature and two/six-row ear, respectively. They also have strong pleiotropic effects on other important traits throughout the crop cycle from germination to maturity date, all of which affect yield. Semi-dwarf and two-row types performed well in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia and selected lines have now entered breeding programmes. This would create new barley phenotypes in sharp contrast to the traditional tall six-row types. Major genes have the greatest effects on adaptation to low input conditions of North Africa, therefore the desired phenology can be most efficiently developed by selecting and combining appropriate alleles of these genes, bearing in mind that other crucial genes (e.g. disease resistance) must be retained. Our data challenge the dogma that tall, six-row barleys are the best ideotype for North Africa.


Genetic Variation of Barley Seed Lipoxygenase-1: Null Mutants

N. Hirota1, T. Kaneko1, H. Kuroda2, K. Ito1 and K. Takeda3

1Plant Bioengineering Research Laboratories, Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Gunma 370-0393, Japan,
E-mail: naohiko.hirota@sapporobeer.co.jp;
2Frontier Laboratories of Value Creation, Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Shizuoka 425-0013, Japan;
3Research Institute of Bioresources, Okayama University, Okayama 710-0046, Japan

Barley lipoxygenase-1 (LOX-1) is considered to be involved in the formation of beer-deteriorating substances that affect the flavor- and foam-stability of beer. In contrast to these functional characterizations in brewing process, little is known about genetic variation of LOX in barley. Barley lines without LOX-1 are beneficial to consumers and brewing industry. We have screened barley germplasms worldwide (Collection of Okayama University, Japan) for LOX-1 activity, and discovered six barley lines without significant LOX-1 activity. Immunological analysis showed that these germplasms lacked authentic LOX-1 protein. The segregation analysis revealed that LOX-1-null phenotype was governed by a single recessive gene. Mapping analysis showed that the LOX-1-null gene was located at LoxA locus on chromosome 4H. The six LOX-1 null mutants shared similar feature and the same unique polymorphism in a structural gene region, implying that these mutants might be derived from the same ancestral origin.

 

 

Genetic Variation of Barley Seed Lipoxygenase-1: Thermostability

N. Hirota1, T. Kaneko1, K. Ito1 and K. Takeda2

1Plant Bioengineering Research Laboratories, Sapporo Breweries LTD., Gunma 370-0393, Japan,
E-mail: naohiko.hirota@sapporobeer.co.jp;
2Research Institute of Bioresources, Okayama University, 2-20-1 Chuo, Okayama 710-0046, Japan

Barley lipoxygenase-1 (LOX-1) is believed to affect the flavor- and foam-stability of beer. Barley lines with heat-labile LOX-1 are beneficial to consumers and brewing industry. We have screened more than 1,500 barley lines worldwide for LOX-1 heat-stability: relative thermostability (LOX-RTS). The LOX-RTS values of the lines were distributed in a bimodal manner. Based on the values, the barley lines were categorized into 2 groups: H-type with relatively thermostable LOX-1, and L-type with relatively thermolabile LOX-1. In the Steptoe/Morex DHL population, the LOX-RTS values of the parents were 71.3% in Steptoe and 35.0% in Morex (n = 4). Based on the borderline of LOX-RTS value (52.5%), Steptoe and Morex were assigned to H-type and L-type, respectively. The QTL analysis with the DHL population revealed major QTL of the trait at LoxA locus on barley chromosome 4H (LOD score = 46.97, Variance explained = 81.9%). Geographic distribution of these H- and L-type barley lines intriguingly implied how these LOX-1 genes spread.

 

 

Isozyme, ISSR and SSR Analysis of Genetic Diversity in Nordic
and Baltic Spring Barley

A. Kolodinska Brantestam1, R. von Bothmer1, I. Rashal2, C. Dayteg3, S. Tuvesson3
and J. Weibull4

1Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Crop Science, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden,
E-mail: agnese.kolodinska@vv.slu.se; 2Laboratory of Plant Genetics, Institute of Biology, University
of Latvia, LV-2169 Salaspils, Latvia; 3SW Laboratory, Svalöf Weibull AB, 268 81 Svalöv, Sweden;
4Swedish Biodiversity Centre, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden

Variation of isozymes, ISSRs (inter-simple sequence repeats) and SSRs (simple sequence repeats) were surveyed in 196 spring barley accessions from the Nordic and Baltic countries. The investigation included landraces, varieties from the end of the 19th century, varieties from the 20th century and breeding lines. The objective of this study was to assay putative genetic erosion probably due to the intensive breeding during the last century. Other aspects treated were the genetic relationship and genetic differences between material from the Nordic and Baltic countries. The results indicated that there are differences in changes of genetic diversity over time in two and six-row barleys. When evaluating each countrys material separately, differences in diversity changes over time were found. For some countries tendencies of diversity changes varied depending on the markers used. For Nordic and Baltic material isozyme data cluster analysis did not give clear-cut separation according to the country of origin, but DNA markers data could clearly separate Finnish and Norwegian spring barley from the rest of the material.

 

High-Density Map of Non-Brittle Rachis Genes and Domestication Pattern of Barley

T. Komatsuda, P. Maxim, N. Senthil and Y. Mano

National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba 305-8602, Japan,
E-mail: takao@affrc.go.jp

Wild relatives of barley disperse their seeds at maturity by means of their brittle rachis. Brittleness of the rachis was lost during domestication in cultivated barley. Non-brittle rachis of occidental barley lines is controlled by a single gene (btr1) on chromosome 3H. However, non-brittle rachis of oriental barley lines is controlled by a major gene (btr2) on chromosome 3H and two QTLs on chromosomes 5HL and 7H. This result suggests additional mutations of the genes involved in the formation of brittle rachis in oriental lines. The btr1 and btr2 loci did not recombine in the mapping population analyzed. This result agrees with the theory of tight linkage between the two loci. A high-density amplified fragment-length polymorphism (AFLP) map of the btr1/btr2 region was constructed, enabling map-based cloning of the genes. A phylogenetic tree based on the AFLPs showed clear separation of occidental and oriental barley lines. Domestication pattern of barley will be discussed.

 

Relationship between Phenotypic and Genetic Distances
in a Set of Barley Breeding Lines

A. Kuczynska, J. Bocianowski, M. Surma, Z. Kaczmarek and T. Adamski

Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60-479 Poznań, Poland,
E-mail: akuc@igr.poznan.pl

The aim of the present study was to estimate a relationship between phenotypic (PD) and genetic (GD) distances in a set of barley genotypes. Material for the study covered 18 spring barley cultivars and breeding lines different in theirmorphological characters: Apex, Grit, Havila, Krystal, Maresi, Roland, A35, C54, RK22, RK58, RK63/1, B33, B61 (two-rowed, hulled), Klimek, Pomo (six-rowed, hulled), IN86, POA0325, A39 (two-rowed, naked). Cultivars andlines were examined with regard to yield-related traits a field experiment carried out in a randomised block design with 3 replications. Grain yield per plot, 1000-grain weight, grain weight per ear, plant height and spike length were observed. The data were processed using multivariate analysis of variance. Mahalanobis distance (i.e., distances between genotypes evaluated for all the studied traits treated simultaneously) was used as a measure of phenotypic distances between studied genotypes. Besides, RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) polymorphism wasexamined in the studied genotypes. Fifty 10-mer primers were tested in each cultivar or line, giving altogether 389 amplification products, 55% of which were polymorphic. Genetic distance for all pairs of compared genotypes was estimated and a dendrogram was constructed using unweighted pair group method. Correlation between PD and GD distances appeared to be a weak but statistically significant.

 

A New Web Site for Barley Genetic Resources: the Spanish Barley Core Collection

J. M. Lasa1, B. Medina1, A. M. Casas1, E. Igartua1, S. Yahiaoui1, J. L. Molina-Cano2,
J. L. Montoya3
and M. P. Gracia1

1Department of Genetics and Plant Production, Aula Dei Experimental Station, CSIC, 50080 Zaragoza, Spain, E-mail: lasa@eead.csic.es; 2Centre UdL-IRTA, 25798 Lleida, Spain;
3Instituto de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria de Castilla y Leon Crta, 47071 Valladolid, Spain

The Spanish Barley Core Collection was created to represent the genetic variability of the over 2,000 accessions present in the Spanish National Barley Collection. It consists of 159 inbred lines derived from local landraces, as well as 17 cultivars with a long history of cultivation in the country. Different sources of information, including passport data, morphological traits, plant pictures at several growth stages, agronomic evaluation, and molecular markers, have been compiled and presented at a new website http://www.eead.csic.es/barleybreeding/SBCC, accessible to researchers. Currently ongoing studies on new agronomic and genetic aspects will be incorporated in the future. This collection represents a pool of largely underused genetic variability for barley breeding, as revealed by previous studies, and also a potential tool to study barley population genetics and adaptation on landrace materials.

The International Database for Barley Genes and Barley Genetic Stocks

U. Lundqvist1 and M. Hulden2

1Svalöf Weibull AB, 268 81 Svalöv, Sweden and Nordic Gene Bank, 230 53, Alnarp, Sweden,
E-mail: udda@ngb.se; 2Lämmelgngen 78, 270 35 Blentarp, Sweden, E-mail: morten@ngb.se

The request of an International Database for Barley Genes and Barley Genetic Stocks was already discussed in 1989. During several years the International Overall Chairman for the barley linkage groups and collections performed an inventory of existing accessions by regional databases. In 1991, Sigfus Bjarnasson demonstrated a proposal of a constructed database for Barley Genes and Genetic Stocks. In 1993, Dave Matthews and coworkers introduced the Triticeae Genome Database GrainGenes, developed under the Plant Genome Research Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Cornell University, USA. Data compiled in this database is including all information on genetics, cytogenetics, maps, phenotypes, molecular markers, genetic stocks and other germplasms of most small grain grass species. GrainGenes and its software, AceDB, was later to become the model for the BGS database. Since AceDB has several important advantages over conventional db-systems in handling biological information, and because a usable data model already existed for wheat mutants at GrainGenes, the decision was natural. Compiling data for barley genes and genetic stocks took a major turn in 1997 and resulted in publications in Barley Genetics Newsletters. The overall structure of the descriptions was made more consistent, with special paragraphs dedicated to cover previous nomenclature, inheritance, locus location, descriptions of physiological and morphological characters, mutational events, mutants used for description, parent germplasm and references. Each gene is associated with a stock number which corresponds to an accession in the Main Barley Stock Center in Aberdeen (GSHO) in USA, and contains one of the alleles used for the descriptions. Thanks to well formated descriptions in Barley Genetics Newsletters, it was possible to convert the enormous amount of information into a database system that allows field-based searches. The BGS database includes descriptions of about 600 genes, over 3,700 alleles and over 1,700 references. Almost 4,000 germplasm objects are referenced, many of the germplasm accessions are hyperlinked to webpages of the holding genebanks ((ARS/GRIN/NSGC or NGB). Many of the genes are illustrated with images, both overviews and detailed close-up character photographs. The database is easy to handle starting with Basic and Simple Search, and it is possible to select the object you are looking for. When using anything it searches for the entered text across the entire database. The database is available at http.//www.untamo.net/bgs. The aim of this International Database for Barley Genes and Barley Genetic Stocks is to maintain the knowledge and its distribution to the barley community, and it will be updated continuously.

 

 

Non-Random Distribution of Nuclear and Chloroplast Variation
in Wild Barley from Evolution Canyon

R. C. Meyer1,4, C. A. Hackett1, B. P. Forster1, J. R. Russell1, P. E. Lawrence1, G. R. Young1,
A. Beharav3, E. Nevo3
and W. Powell1

Scottish Crop Research Institute, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK, E-mail: bforst@scri.sri.ac.uk; Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK; Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel; 4Current address: Max-Planck-Institut of Molecular Plant Physiology, D-14476 Golm, Germany

Nuclear and chloroplast SSR diversity were studied in a population of wild barley from Evolution Canyon in Israel. Over 200 alleles for 19 mapped nuclear SSRs and 12 chloroplast haplotypes were detected among 276 individuals. This level of diversity was detected in populations separated by a distance of 400 m and is comparable to studies that sampled material from a much wider eco-geographic range. A phylogenetic tree of nuclear SSR variation showed clear differences between individuals collected from opposing slopes of the canyon. Inter-slope contrasts for chloroplast haplotype frequency were also observed. Most genetic diversity was observed on the North Facing Slope rather than the highly irradiated, hotter and drier South Facing Slope. Evidence for strong and structured cyto-nuclear interactions (disequilibria) were also detected. The SSR data are discussed with reference to adaptation and divergence to contrasting environments colonized by wild barley in Evolution Canyon.

 

 

In situ Conservation of Genetic Diversity at Small-Scale Farmer
in Eritrea

J. Orabi1,2,3, G. Backes1, B. Tekle4, A. Wolday4, A. Yahyaoui2 and A. Jahoor1

1Plant Research Department, Risoe National Laboratory, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark,
E-mail: jihad.orabi@risoe.dk;
2International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Aleppo, Syria;
3General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, Douma-Damascus, Syria; 4Department
of Agricultural Research and Human Resource Development (DARHRD), Asmara, Eritrea

In this study, the genetic diversity of barley accessions Hordeum vulgare ssp. vulgare collected from Eritrean farmer fields was studied within and among field populations. A total of 240 single spike lines were sampled from 24 farmer field i.e. 10 spikes per field. Forty five microsatellite covering the whole barley genome were employed and analysed on ABI PRISM 377 DNA sequencer and Mega Base 1000 sequencer. Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) based on genetic distances was conducted. The level of molecular variance among fields and regions was 5.43% and 7.08%, respectively. Interestingly, high level of variance was observed within the field that reached up to 87.5%. Average Gene Diversity (AGD) values in the fields ranged from 0.35 to 0.55.

 

Assessment of Genetic Diversity of Hull-Less Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Germplasm in the High Altitude Himalayas of Nepal

M. P. Pandey1, C. Wagner1, W. Friedt1 and F. Ordon2

1Institute of Crop Science and Plant Breeding I, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, D-35392 Giessen, Germany, E-mail: madhav.pandey@agrar.uni-giessen.de;
2Institute of Epidemiology and Resistance, Federal Centre for Breeding Research on Cultivated Plants (BAZ), D-06449 Aschersleben, Germany

The highlands of Nepal representing almost one-third of the Himalayan-range are known to harbour valuable barley genetic resources. Previous studies have shown considerable variation in morphology, maturity and disease reaction among Nepalese hull-less barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) landraces. However, precise and detailed information on genetic diversity is lacking. Therefore, a set of 107 naked barley genotypes from Nepal including 8 selected German and Canadian cultivars were analysed using 27 SSRs covering each barley chromosome. Based on these analyses 165 alleles were detected with an average of 6.1 allele per SSR. Taking into account only Nepalese barley on average 4.8 alleles were found. UPGMA clustering based on DICE similarity index ranging from 0.07 to 1.0 clearly separates European and Canadian from Nepalese hull-less barley. However, also within the Nepalese collection a large degree of genetic variability was detected. The Nepalese collection is grouped in two distinct clusters and several sub-clusters which in some cases are in accordance with the collection site.

 

 

The Conservation of Genetic Diversity in Crops:
Establishment of a Local Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Core Collection for North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW, Germany)

T. C. Reetz and J. Leon

Department of Crop Science, Crop Science and Plant Breeding, D-53115 Bonn, Germany,
E-mail: t.reetz@uni-bonn.de

Since centuries, barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of most important crops for mankind. In the course of industrialization of farming, old barley landraces were replaced by modern high yielding cultivars. Limitation of elite cultivars results in a leakage of diversity. This leakage cannot even be replaced by advanced genetic methods. If exotic and wildforms extinguish, this will result in an irreversible loss of genetic diversity. Therefore the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, endeavour in increasing the genetic diversity of cultivated crop species. Hereto a barley core-collection should be established by the project at hand. The chosen accessions should be grown in situ and, if necessary, be crossed, so they could participate, unlike ex situ accessions of genebanks, in evolution and changing environmental conditions. In situ conservation is a proper alternative for ex situ conservation by genebanks. In distinct cases a loss of genetic diversity in genebank-accessions is observed by seed-rejuvenation-cycles. In the present project 152 spring barley and 153 winter barley accessions were chosen to be analyzed for their genetic diversity by different methods of examination. The accessions were analyzed for morphological, taxonomical, historical, geographical, qualitative and genetic differences. Field tests where conducted in 3 blocks for 2 years and SSR-markers were used to analyze the origin and the relationship of the different accessions.

 

Differentiation of UK Barley Varieties Using Microsatellite Markers

C. L. Southworth1, G. Saddler1, P. C. Morris2 and A. Reid1

1 Diagnostics and Molecular Biology, Scottish Agricultural Science Agency, Edinburgh, EH12 8NJ Scotland, E-mail: cathy.southworth@sasa.gsi.gov.uk; 2School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS Scotland

The accurate identification of barley cultivars is necessary to assure seed quality, protect intellectual property rights and support plant breeders rights. Traditional techniques for identification that involve morphological and physiological characters are increasingly being replaced with genotypic methods, with simple sequence repeats (SSRs) being the current marker of choice. More than 600 SSR barley markers are available but a manageable set of quality markers has not been identified that will differentiate large groups of UK barley varieties. This study sets out to identify a robust set of SSR primers that would differentiate varieties on the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) list and the UK National list. Eighteen SSR markers were screened using capillary gel electrophoresis. An initial set of 5 SSR primers amplified 25 alleles and differentiated the barley varieties on the SAC list. One of these primers was found to be problematic when applied to the entire UK list. The remaining 4 SSRs amplified 23 alleles across the 134 varieties, differentiating 60 varieties. Further primers are being screened to resolve the remaining varieties. Results will be presented of the new SSR set, alongside data on reproducibility, within variety heterogeneity and sampling from different plant parts.

 

Molecular Mapping: Shifting from the Structural to the Functional Level

A. Graner, R. Kota, D. Perovic, E. Potokina, M. Prasad, U. Scholz, N. Stein, T. Thiel,
R. K. Varshney
and H. Zhang

Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), D-06466 Gatersleben, Germany,
E-mail: graner@ipk-gatersleben.de

As a resource for structural and functional barley genome analysis, up to now 110,981 ESTs (expressed sequence tags) were generated from 22 cDNA libraries that yielded 25,224 tentative unigenes. About 50% of these belong to gene families. The size of the complete transcriptome is estimated to comprise between 35,000 and 75,000 genes. The barley EST collection forms a rich source for the development of novel markers including SSRs and SNPs. Several Bioinformatic tools have been developed facilitating the computer assisted analysis of EST databases for the presence of either SNPs or SSRs and the development of SNP-derived CAPS markers. In an attempt to systematically map barley genes a high-density transcript map is under construction presently comprising more than 1,000 markers. This map forms a gateway for comparative genomics with particular emphasis on the rice genome. 65% of the mapped ESTs showing a significant homology to rice ESTs were found to display a syntenic relationship between barley and rice. Thus, the barley EST resource provides a gateway for the rapid and systematic transfer of genetic information from rice to barley and other Triticeae, which can be readily exploited for marker saturation of defined chromosome regions and their detailed comparison to rice. In the context of a functional genomics study, the complex trait "malting quality" is being investigated using a barley cDNA array. By correlating the phenotypic malting trait data of selected barley lines with the corresponding expression profiles, a set of candidate genes was identified and further verified by genetic analysis.

 

QTL for Malting Quality a 25 Piece Puzzle

A. R. Barr1, J. K. Eglinton2, H. M. Collins2, E. J. Vassos2 and S. Roumeliotis2

1Australian Grain Technologies, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia, E-mail: andrew.barr@adelaide.edu.au; 2University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia

Over the past decade, great progress has been made in identifying and characterising at least 25 QTL associated with the key malting quality parameters of malt extract, diastatic power and cell and protein modification. Does this knowledge greatly enhance the barley breeders efforts to breed better malting barley varieties faster? This paper will examine marker-assisted selection for malt quality in a general sense, but more specifically in several current breeding projects including attempts to convert a feed barley variety cv. Keel (with low malt extract, low diastatic power and high wort -glucan) to a malting barley through marker assisted introgression of key QTL from 3 donor parents with excellent malting quality. Knowledge of repulsion phase linkage and pleiotropic effects of key QTL will be described and strategies for overcoming these difficulties discussed. Cases to be presented include the Harrington high diastatic power sprouting propensity locus on 5HL and the thin husk high skinning (peeling) high malt extract locus on 2HS from Haruna nijo.