Raise a glass to improved barley breeding breakthrough

New high performance, robust barley varieties are on the horizon as a result of another leap in genetic research by an international consortium that includes Australian scientists.

The Western Crop Genetics Alliance, between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Murdoch University, was a key contributor to an International Barley Pan Genome Consortium that has developed an updated barley pan genome.

Western Crop Genetics Alliance director, Professor Chengdao Li and DPIRD research scientist Sharon Westcott contributed to an international consortium that recently updated the barley pan genome to help breed new high performance varieties.

The research also included input from the University of Adelaide and Agriculture Victoria, with co-investment by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

The updated barley pan genome – a collection of all possible DNA sequences in a species – is more detailed and much larger than the initial proof of concept map developed in 2020.

The research included international commercial varieties, as well as landraces and wild relatives, which are important gene pools to draw from for genetic improvements.

Australia contributed two popular barley varieties – Maximus and RGT Planet – as well as two other genomes to the global collection of germplasm to help determine genes linked to certain traits.

These genes are used in combination to develop new barley varieties with improved yield, quality, disease resistance, abiotic (environmental) stress and climate resilience traits.

Western Crop Genetics Alliance director Chengdao Li said the research would help bridge the ″genetic diversity gap″ between Australian varieties and worldwide lines to help plant breeders improve crop performance.

″This research filled in the barley gene sequence gaps, providing a better understanding of gene variation and how it links to different performance traits,″ Professor Li said.

″As a result, we now have more detailed information about where to locate genes related to various traits, such as disease resistance, malting quality and plant architecture, which influence frost and heat tolerance.

″The research also highlighted the genetic differences between the Australian varieties and barley varieties.

″This knowledge will help us understand what other genetic resources are available but have not yet been used by barley breeders worldwide – opening the door to plant material from throughout the world from which to breed improved barley lines.″

New DNA breeding tools were developed by the Alliance in 2020 to help commercial plant breeding companies integrate the barley pan genome data into their operations.

DPIRD Grains Director Darshan Sharma said the scientific advancement would generate flow on benefits throughout the Australian grains supply chain.

″This research will help growers produce more, better quality barley varieties in variable seasonal conditions that perform to maltsters’ and brewers’ specific requirements – boosting industry productivity and profitability,″ Dr Sharma said.

Pro Vice Chancellor of Murdoch University’s Food Futures Institute, Peter Davies, said the research demonstrated the benefit of collaborative research to scientific innovation.

"Congratulations to Murdoch University Centre for Crop and Food Innovation research theme leader and Alliance director Professor Li and all the contributing authors for this important advancement in plant genetics,″ Professor Davies said.

″We look forward to seeing how these findings can be applied to Australian grains breeding programs in the near future."

GRDC Manager Barley and Coarse Grains Michael Groszmann said GRDC had been at the forefront of investment into projects that advance the understanding of genomic variation for major grain crops.

"The Barley Pan Genome Consortium will provide breeders with cutting-edge genomic tools to enhance barley breeding efficiency and crop resilience," Dr Groszmann said.

"By developing a comprehensive barley pan genome, we can improve selection and the rate of genetic gain in barley to ultimately deliver improved varieties to Australian grain growers more efficiently."