Rapid Evolution of wild barley: R-Evolve

Lead Research Organisation: James Hutton Institute
Department Name: Cell & Molecular Sciences

Abstract

Genetic diversity is the fuel that drives crop improvement. However, in our major cereal crops, by continually crossing closely related high performing individuals, traditional methods of crop improvement have resulted in a drastic loss of overall diversity. While strategies for mobilising diversity controlling simple traits (e.g. disease resistance) from more diverse wild accessions or landraces into cultivars do already exist, none are effective for introducing components of key complex traits that include such as tolerance to biotic or abiotic stresses, or components of yield. We propose to develop a radically different approach to refreshing the diversity in the barley breeding genepool. Our proposed enrichment strategy involves the partial domestication of wild genotypes by incorporating key domestication genes and genes required for modern NW European agriculture in a wild barley background. We will then evaluate the new partial domesticates as both inbreds and F1 hybrids, the latter generated efficiently using a male sterile derivative of a contemporary elite cultivar. We expect to construct completely novel and diverse germplasm pools that will have value for future barley breeding. In the process we will address a fundamental issue that is vexing the genetic resources and breeding communities, i.e. how to efficiently extract value from diverse germplasm in crop improvement programs for complex and multigenic traits.

Technical Summary

To refresh our increasingly narrow crop breeding genepools and address the issue of improving complex traits using diverse germplasm, we recently proposed parallel strategies that involved partially domesticating wild relatives of our crop plants2. Here we want to test one of these strategies. We propose to introgress three alleles essential for NW European barley cultivation by marker assisted selection (MAS) from a domesticated, fully sequenced, donor genotype (cv. Planet) into nine selected, exome sequenced, wild species recipient genotypes. These are the recessive allele of BRITTLE RACHIS1 responsible for grain retention on the spike at maturity, the recessive X-ray induced DENSO (sdw1) gene that induces a morphological and developmental program typical of barley cultivated in NW Europe and, as wild barleys are 'facultative winter types', the dominant spring-type VRN1-2 allele. Molecular diagnostics will be used to identify partially domesticated 'triple homozygote' progeny early in a breeding program designed to maintain, rather than erode, the wild (donor) genome. Advancing rapidly through single seed descent (SSD) we will enhance allelic shuffling by applying a heat treatment when plants are undergoing meiosis. At >F5, individual plant genome composition will be assessed using 50K SNP array data, which will allow us to project alleles at other 'adaptation loci' (e.g. HvPPDH1 and HvCEN) revealed in the available sequence data directly onto the partially domesticated lines. The breeding potential of the partial domesticates will be assessed directly under field conditions as inbred lines and as F1 hybrids generated using 'RIPE' male sterile technology. We will use biomass and harvest index as preliminary indicators of novel beneficial alleles in the partial domesticates. The outcome of the project will be a radically different partially domesticated genepool which could quickly find application in crop improvement programmes.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description This project aims to develop a completely new approach to accessing novel diversity for deployment in crop breeding programmes. Using wild barleys, which originate in the near-east fertile Crescent, extending from Israel and Jordan to south Turkey, Iraq, Kurdistan and southwestern Iran, we have developed partially-domesticated wild populations. These are the basis of our strategy, transferring critical domestication and adaptive traits (alleles of key known genes) from elite germplasm into wild material. We identified 12 wild barleys representing available diversity across the region and crossed them with the elite variety RGT Planet. We have identified variation at three domesticated genes: seed retention, spring growth habit and short stature, designing specific markers to the wild barley variant. For each cross, we generated 4-40 hybrid plants, which were selfed, producing an average of 2,200 seeds per cross, with over 27,000 seeds available for testing. A set of 768 of each cross were genotyped for each of the three domestication traits and those plants that were identical to the wild barley in those genes were selected for single-seed descent via speed breeding. We now have a population of 926 lines that are almost 'fixed' genetically for these key traits. These plants are completely novel, representing for the first time a unique germplasm pool, allowing us to identify novel characteristics from the wild barleys that have enabled survival and flourishment in hot, dry and harsh environments.
Exploitation Route The material generated by this award is being used in a new EU Horizon funded research project Cousin: Crop Wild Relatives Utilization and Conservation for Sustainable Agriculture. As a partner in this project, we will use the populations developed in field trials, both conventional and organic, across Europe, assessing for yield and yield stability under reduced inputs.
Sectors Agriculture

Food and Drink

Environment

Culture

Heritage

Museums and Collections

URL https://cousinproject.eu/
 
Description EU HORIZON
Amount € 6,000,000 (EUR)
Organisation European Commission 
Department Horizon 2020
Sector Public
Country European Union (EU)
Start 01/2024 
End 01/2028
 
Description Discovery Project exploiting wild barley diversity 
Organisation University of Adelaide
Country Australia 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are sharing information on our barley populations as they are developed.
Collaborator Contribution The partners are providing information on their pre-breeding strategy with wild barley and Australian elite barley. Marker sequences were shared to track key barley domestication genes.
Impact No outputs yet but expected publications
Start Year 2021
 
Description Examining variation around the domestication gene 
Organisation University of Melbourne
Country Australia 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Dr Mohammad Pourkheirandish, head about the populations that we are developing in WP1 of BARGAIN and was interested in developing a collaboration to use these population to identify variation around the shattering, brittle rachis genes in barley.
Collaborator Contribution The partners are providing information around this gene to develop a series of markers that we can use to screen for diversity within the 2000 lines generated in the first rounds of crossing.
Impact None as yet but will lead to a publication
Start Year 2022
 
Description Barley Away days Event 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact This 2-day event was organised by the barley group and is a series of talks and workshops with invited speakers from industry, stakeholders and academics. Thsi yera we introduced the new RESAS programme work as well as focussed on the cohort of 8 new PhD studnets funded as part of the CTP which brings together stakeholders (Distillers, Maltsters, Brewers, Breeders and advisor groups).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Cereals 2023: the Arable Event 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact We demonstrated some of research with plot demonstrations, 20 plots from our Ethiopian and Eritrean germplasm collection and 20 plots from a Bere Barley x Concerto population along with a marquee describing some of our RESAS and externally funded research. We were visited by breeders including RAGT, KWS, Syngenta and colleagues from NIAB and IBERs. Plot walks and Gridscore software demos were successfully completed with high levels of engagement from the general public and other stakeholders
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.cerealsevent.co.uk/welcome
 
Description Guest speaker at annual MAGB lunch 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Presentation on the new Collaborative Training Partnership (BARIToNE) on barley which was funded by BBSRC.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Guest speaker at annual MAGB lunch 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Presentation on the new Collaborative Training Partnership (BARIToNE) on barley which was funded by BBSRC.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Interview for Sky TV - 'Responsible Business - A Green (Sustainable) Approach' 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact An interview was carried out with Sky TV describing the R-evolve project- the projects aims/outputs and why the work is so important.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Presentation at International Barley Genetics Symposium 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Several members of the team attended the IBGS held in Riga, Latvia in July 2022. Luke Ramsay gave a talk titled 'An induced mutation in HvRecql4 increases overall recombination and restores fertility in a barley HvMlh3 mutant background'
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Talk at All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture- UK led innovation in barley 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact At the APPG meeting on 2 November, we (Joanne Russell-IBH, Julian South- MAGB; James Brosnan-SWRI) highlighted the exciting developments in UK-based R&D in barley, and the opportunities this presents not only to cement the UK's position as a world-leading hub of barley research, but also to drive economic activity and export growth in Britain's high-value food and drink sectors.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022