Abstract
In grasses, biomass and grain production are affected by plant architecture traits such as tiller number, leaf size and orientation. Thus, knowledge regarding their genetic basis is a prerequisite for developing new improved varieties. Mutant screens represent a powerful approach to identify genetic factors underpinning these traits: the HorTILLUS population, obtained by mutagenesis of spring two-row cultivar Sebastian, is a valuable resource for this purpose in barley. In this study, 20 mutant families from the HorTILLUS population were selected and evaluated for tiller number, leaf angle and a range of other plant architecture and agronomic traits using an unreplicated field design with Sebastian as a check cultivar. Principal Component Analysis revealed strong relationships among number of tillers, upper canopy leaf angle, biomass and yield-related traits. Comparison to the Sebastian background revealed that most mutants significantly differed from the wild-type for multiple traits, including two mutants with more erect leaves and four mutants with increased tiller number in at least one phenological stage. Heatmap clustering identified two main groups: the first containing the two erect mutants and the second containing Sebastian and the high-tillering mutants. Among the high-tillering mutants, two showed significantly higher biomass and grain yield per plant compared to Sebastian. The selected mutants represent promising materials for the identification of genetic factors controlling tillering and leaf angle in barley.
Highlights
By the year 2030, the global human population will be over 8.3 billion leading to an increase in demands for food and energy (FAO 2017)
Screening of the HorTILLUS population for leaf angle and tillering mutants Comparison to the Sebastian background revealed that most mutants significantly differed from the wild-type for multiple traits (Table 1, Figure S1)
M08.0589 showed higher values for PAngle, peduncle length (PedL), plant height (PH), spike weight (SpWt), spike length (SpL), seeds per spike (SeedSp), seeds per plant (SeedPl), seed yield per plant (SeedYPl), Biomass, and lower values for days to heading (DH) and days to ripening (DR) compared to Sebastian
Summary
By the year 2030, the global human population will be over 8.3 billion leading to an increase in demands for food and energy (FAO 2017). Manipulation of plant architecture traits was the most significant result of the Green Revolution, as illustrated by rice and wheat varieties with strong and short stems and higher grain yields (Khush 2001). Vulgare), an important plant in the history of humanity, has been cultivated for over 10,000 years (Pankin and Von-Korff 2017). Straw has attracted attention as a source of renewable energy with a view to develop barley as a dual-purpose crop to produce grains and biofuel. Concurrent increase in biomass and grain yield has been proposed as a strategy to meet demands for higher food production (Aisawi et al 2015). The lack of progress in harvest index increase for the last 40 years makes biomass improvement more important than before (Foulkes et al 2011)
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