Perspectives on low temperature tolerance and vernalization sensitivity in barley: prospects for facultative growth habit

Authors: MUNOZ-AMATRIAIN, MARIA - Colorado State University; HERNANDEZ, FRANCISCO - Oregon State University; HERB, DUSTIN - Oregon State University; BAENZIGER, STEPHEN - University Of Nebraska; BOCHARD, ANNE MARIE - Limagrain Ibérica; CAPETTINI, FLAVIO - Lacombe Research Centre; CASAS, ANNA - Estaciòn Experimental Aula Dei- Csic; CUESTA-MARCOS, ALFONSO - Oregon State University; EINFELDT, CLAUS - Saatzucht Donau Gesmbh & Co Kg; FISK, SCOTT - Oregon State University; GENTY, AMELIE - Secobra Research, Bois-Henry Center; HELGERSON, LAURA - Oregon State University; HERZ, MARKUS - Bavarian State Research Center For Agriculture; Hu, Gongshe; IGARTUA, ERNESTO - Centro De Edafología Y Biología Aplicada Del Segura-Csic; KARSAI, ILDIKO - National Center For Agricultural Research (CNRA); NAKAMURA, TOSHIKI - National Agricultural Research Organization - Japan (NARO); SATO, KAZUHIRO - Okayama University; SMITH, KEVIN - University Of Minnesota; STOCKINGER, ERICK - The Ohio State University; THOMAS, WILLIAM - The James Hutton Institute; HAYES, PATRICK - Oregon State University

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2020
Publication Date: 11/9/2020
Citation: Munoz-Amatriain, M., Hernandez, F.J., Herb, D., Baenziger, S., Bochard, A., Capettini, F., Casas, A., Cuesta-Marcos, A., Einfeldt, C., Fisk, S., Genty, A., Helgerson, L., Herz, M., Hu, G., Igartua, E., Karsai, I., Nakamura, T.I., Sato, K., Smith, K., Stockinger, E., Thomas, W., Hayes, P. 2020. Perspectives on low temperature tolerance and vernalization sensitivity in barley: prospects for facultative growth habit. Frontiers in Plant Science. 11:Article 585927. Available: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.585927.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.585927

Interpretive Summary: Barley has two types based on the planting season. Winter type is planted in fall and spring type is planted in spring. Normally winter variety can not be planted in spring because it can not complete the physiological process to transit into the reproductive phase. Spring variety can not be planted in fall because tit usually lacks of the low temperature tolerance genes and can not survive the winter. Relatively new type of barley called facultative could be used in both winter and spring. To better understand the genetics of facultative barley, A panel of 882 barley germplasm lines are characterized by the large scale of DNA markers, useful alleles related to the facultative traits are identified among the germplasm lines. The information is very useful for future barley improvement in breeding.

Technical Abstract: One option to achieving greater resiliency for barley production in the face of climate change is to explore the potential of winter and facultative growth habits: for both types, low temperature tolerance and vernalization sensitivity are key traits. Sensitivity to short day photoperiod is a desirable attribute for the latter. In order to broaden our understanding of the genetics of these phenotypes, we mapped QTLs and identified candidate genes using a GWAS panel comprised of 882 barley accessions that was genotyped with the Illumina 9K SNP chip. The principal drivers of LTT - assessed as winter survival in ten field tests and mapped using a GWAS meta-analysis - were FR-H1, FR-H2, VRN-H2, and FR-H3. Candidate genes were identified for the latter. The principal determinants of vernalization sensitivity were VRN-H1, VRN-H2, and PPD-H1. VRN-H2 deletions conferred insensitive or intermediate sensitivity to vernalization. A subset of accessions with maximum LTT were identified as a resource for allele mining and further characterization. Facultative types comprised a small portion of the GWAS panel but may be useful for developing germplasm with this growth habit.