Barley Sources of Resistance to the Net Form of Net Blotch (<i>Pyrenophora teres</i> f. <i>teres</i>)

Abstract

Barley is one of the economically important crop species and the net form of net blotch (NFNB) caused by Pyrenophora teres f. teres has a significant impact on the quantity and quality of grain yield. Selection and inbreeding have resulted in a lack of genetic diversity in elite barley accessions. Old varieties often possess unique genetic traits that may have been lost in modern crop breeding. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to identify sources of resistance to barley NFNB in the collection of European old varieties. In this study, 431 European barley accessions were evaluated phenotypically under field conditions scoring APR to NFNB and genotypically using DArTseq. The range of adult plant resistance (APR) variability at the HA growth stage was sufficient to determine marker–trait associations (MTAs). The net form of net blotch at the HA stage was scored with a range of 1.0–4.0 according to a scale of 1–9, and GWAS identified 10 marker–trait associations (MTAs) for NFNB resistance. In the HA stage, two MTAs were identified on each chromosome 1H, 3H, 5H and 6H. Moreover, one was identified on the chromosome 7H and un. One of these MTA is localized on chromosome 6H, corresponding with findings from other studies, and could contribute to the exploration of genetic resistance of barley to NFNB. Additionally, the results of this study will be utilized to establish a Polish Gene Bank platform for precise breeding programs.

Keywords

• adult plant resistance
• barley
• DArTseq
• <i>Hordeum vulgare</i>
• net form of net blotch
• <i>Pyrenophora teres</i> f. <i>teres</i>