ARS | Publication request: SSR LINKAGES TO EIGHT ADDITIONAL MORPHOLOGICAL MARKER TRAITS

Submitted to: Barley Genetics Newsletter
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: June 10, 2006
Publication Date: July 10, 2006
Citation: Dahleen, L.S., Franckowiak, J.D. 2006. Ssr linkages to eight additional morphological marker traits. Barley Genetics Newsletter. 36:12-16.

Interpretive Summary: Genes for traits affecting plant morphology are of interest to plant breeders and geneticists. Locating these genes in barley chromosomes can help scientists manipulate the traits they affect to develop improved barley varieties. In this report we characterized and located eight genes for morphological traits, including five that altered spike morphology, one that altered leaf waxes and two that are involved in premature ripening. Characterization of the lines with these traits showed that some had negative effects on other traits like yield and seed weight. With this information, scientists can select the most desirable genes for barley improvement and limit the effects on other traits.

Technical Abstract: More than 1000 morphological markers have been identified in barley. Less than half of these markers have been incorporated into the barley consensus linkage maps. We characterized and mapped eight additional morphological marker traits in this report including one eceriferum (cer-zt.389, three dense-spikes (dsp.ah, dsp.at, dsp.ba), one intermedium spike (int-k.47), one pyramidatum spike (pyr.ai) and two necroticans (nec.50 and nec.54). F2 populations derived from plants backcrossed multiple times to Bowman barley were tested with polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Linkage maps were constructed using the molecular and morphological marker data. One morphological marker (cer-zt) mapped to chromosome 2H, two (dsp.ba and pyr.ai) mapped to chromosome 3H, and five (dsp.ah, dsp.at, int-k.47, nec.50 and nec.54) mapped to chromosome 7H. Knowledge of the locations of these markers and linked molecular markers provide breeder with more choices to manipulate the morphology of barley and provides geneticists with starting points for map-based cloning of these genes.