FACCE ERA-NET+ An integrated approach to evaluate and utilise genetic diversity for breeding climate-resilient barley

ClimBar will identify genome regions, genes, and alleles conferring the traits needed to breed resilient barley varieties adapted to the climatic conditions predicted for 2070 in different European environments. Predicted conditions and adaptive plant traits for the northern Mediterranean Basin are also applicable to the southern, non-European side and will be relevant to Stakeholders representing farmers from that region. The phenotypic responses of a tailored barley germplasm diversity set that is relevant to resilience, sustainability, and quality will be determined under anticipated conditions of altered water and nutrients, CO2, and pathogen pressure. The set will include cultivated barley, landraces from key European production regions differing in aridity and pre-figuring climate change effects, and wild barley from the Fertile Crescent, which represents the gene pool from which domestication occurred and also carries resilience adaptations. These responses will be connected to genes and genome regions by Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) using extensive sequence variant, epigenome, and transcript abundance datasets, and by ecogeographic analysis. The genetic and genomic data sets will be leveraged from earlier (barley 9K SNP set; exome capture) and ongoing (WHEALBI exome capture) studies, which will serve to define the germplasm included in WP1, and will be complemented by planned ClimBar studies (ChIP, small RNA). Therefore, a very large amount of mostly transcribed sequence information will be available to declare and use polymorphisms with a density of coverage and representativeness of germplasm exceeding all previous efforts in this species. Plant phenotyping will be carried out under field conditions within regions expected to experience differing climate change scenarios, and under controlled greenhouse conditions where detailed physiological phenotypes will be collected. Genes and landraces and CWR associated with environmental conditions will be identified by ecogeographic analysis of genetic diversity. Based on observed plant responses and predicted climate scenarios, proposals for genomic selection (GS) and ideotype models for 2070 will be developed, and relevance to interim conditions assessed. Collaborative interactions with agro-economic modellers as well as climatic modellers will set up to estimate harvests in 2070 and their impact on the agro-economy, based on data collected within ClimBar

In ClimBar the phenotypic responses of a tailored barley germplasm diversity set that is relevant to resilience, sustainability, and quality will be determined under anticipated conditions of altered water and nutrients, CO2, and pathogen pressure. The set will include cultivated barley, landraces from key European production regions differing in aridity and pre-figuring climate change effects, and wild barley from the Fertile Crescent, which represents the gene pool from which domestication occurred and also carries resilience adaptations. We will use GWAS to connect phenotypic responses to genes and genome regions using extensive sequence variant (exome capture sequencing SNP data), epigenome, and transcript abundance datasets, and by ecogeographic analysis. Thus SNP information from a very large amount of mostly transcribed sequence information will be available and provide a density of coverage and representativeness exceeding all previous efforts in this species. Plant phenotyping will be carried out under field conditions within geographical regions expected to experience differing climate change scenarios, and under controlled greenhouse conditions where detailed physiological phenotypes will be collected. Genes, landraces and Crop Wild Relatives associated with environmental conditions will be identified by ecogeographic analysis of genetic diversity. Based on observed plant responses and predicted climate scenarios, proposals for genomic selection (GS) and ideotype models for 2070 will be developed, and relevance to interim conditions assessed. Collaborative interactions with agro-economic modellers as well as climatic modellers will set up to estimate harvests in 2070 and their impact on the agro-economy.

One of the biggest changes in exploring the genetics of our crop plants over the last 10 years has been the shift in bottlenecks from genotypic to phenotypic analysis. This fundamental shift, largely driven by some participants in this project who have developed technologies that make the former essentially facile, provides the rationale behind the strategy adopted in ClimBar and generates considerable opportunities that are relevant to Food, Agriculture, Environment and Climate Change science. To maximise impact, ClimBar will focus on addressing the phenotype and, by utilising germplasm collections and advances in genotyping made in existing national and international projects, will deliver to each of the food, feed, beverage, milling, farming IT and biotech sectors. The vehicle by which this will be Achieved will be the plant breeding community. By effective characterization and use of the diversity present in ancient barley landraces and wild relatives, and by exploring predictive plant breeding focused on low inputs and climate change coupled with modelling impacts on production, ClimBar will provide the germplasm, tools and information help deliver climate-proofed cereals tailored to our changing environment