Barley Breeding Research Articles

Barley Variety and Growing Location Provide Nuanced Contributions to Beer Flavor Using Elite Germplasm in Commercial-Type Malts and Beers

Understanding the role barley variety plays in the overall flavor profile of beer is an area of research of interest to barley breeders, maltsters, and brewers. Here we build on previous research on the effect of barley variety on beer flavor by focusing on commercial-type malts and beers. A selection of three winter-habit, elite malting lines – two released varieties and one experimental – were grown in three locations across Oregon and California and harvested in summer 2020. Each was malted to the specifications of Pilsner-style malt. Beers were produced to mimic offerings of the industry partner and utilized a small portion of specialty malt and higher hopping rates than previous work. All beers underwent descriptive sensory analysis and Projective Mapping (Napping®) to characterize and determine the magnitude of separation between samples. Malting and brewing performance differed among the nine entries, but sensory outcomes showed only minor separation and few significant differences in the descriptive analysis. The results here showed that there is correlation between malt modification and sensory outcomes and ultimately confirmed that barley variety and growing location contributes to beer flavor. However, the overall contributions are nuanced, particularly in commercial-ty3pe malts and beers.

Estimation of adaptability indicators of the spring barley varieties according to their productivity under environmental variability

In the current spring barley breeding, the leading direction is the development of early-maturing, drought-resistant, highly productive varieties with good technological grain quality. The productivity of these varieties is influenced both by the economic and biological parameters of the variety and, to a greater extent, by the environmental conditions in the growing area. The purpose of the current study was to carry out a comparative estimation of the spring barley varieties according to ecological adaptability and productive stability under environmental variability. In 2020–2021 there was conducted the study to estimate ecological adaptability and stability of 17 spring barley varieties of Russian breeding (FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy”) in the Ecological Variety Testing in the Rostov and Samara regions. The trial was carried out in four repetitions with a plot area of 10 m². When assessing adaptability, there were used the methods of S.A. Eberhart, W.A. Rassel as edited by V.A. Zykin (2005), V.V. Khangildin and N.A. Litvinenko (1981), A.A. Rosielle, J. Hamblin as presented by A.A. Goncharenko (2005), E.D. Nettevich (2001). The productivity formation through the years of study was mainly influenced (96.5%) by the factor ‘cultivation zone’. The index of environmental conditions showed that more favorable growing conditions were developed on the ecological variety-testing plot of the “ARC “Donskoy” (Ij = +0.61). According to productivity, there has been identified a number of varieties, significantly exceeding the standard variety in only one ecological variety-testing plot. The linear regression coefficient ranged from 0.43 to 1.43, revealing varieties both responsive and weakly responsive to changing growing conditions. According to a number of indicators, there have been identified the varieties ‘Zernogradsky 1755’, ‘Zernogradsky 1724’, ‘Zernogradsky 1754’ valuable for spring barley breeding.

Advances in Barley Breeding for Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency

Crop breeding for high nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) or tolerance to low nitrogen fertilization is thought to be an ideal solution to reduce the cost, carbon footprint, and other environmental problems caused by the excess use of nitrogen fertilizers. As a model plant for cereal crops, barley has many advantages, including good adaptability, a short growth period, and high natural stress resistance or tolerance. Therefore, research on improving NUE in barley is not only beneficial for nitrogen-efficient barley breeding but will also inform NUE improvement in other cereal crops. In this review, recent progress in understanding barley’s response to nitrogen nutrition, evaluation of NUE or low-nitrogen tolerance, quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and gene cloning associated with improving NUE, and breeding of nitrogen-efficient barley is summarized. Furthermore, several biotechnological tools that could be used for revealing the molecular mechanisms of NUE or breeding for improving NUE in barley are introduced, including GWAS, omics, and gene editing. The latest research ideas in unraveling the molecular mechanisms of improving NUE in other crops are also discussed. Thus, this review provides a better understanding of improving the NUE of barley and some directions for future research in this area.

Genetic structure and genome-wide association study of a genomic panel of two-row, spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) with differential reaction to Fusarium head blight (Fusarium graminearum Schwabe) and deoxynivalenol production

Fusarium head blight (FHB), primarily incited by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe, is the most devastating disease of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in Canada. Contaminated grains are unsuitable for use as livestock feed or by the malting industry, primarily due to contamination by mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON). Reducing DON content has been a long-term goal of barley breeders; however, the complex genetics of resistance and laborious testing required have made it difficult to develop resistant cultivars. An Illumina 50 K SNP beadchip was used to genotype a diverse collection (n = 400) of two-row barley genotypes, selected primarily from North American-breeding programs. This genomic panel was phenotyped in three environments in Manitoba, Canada, over two growing seasons. Genotypes were evaluated for heading date, height, FHB score, and DON content. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was carried out using a mixed linear model (MLM: Q + K) accounting for population structure (Q) and kinship (K) as covariates. This study characterized the population structure of two-row barley germplasm important to North American-breeding programs. Significant marker-trait associations were identified on all chromosomes for FHB, and on all chromosomesexcept 1 H and 6 H for DON content. Individual marker effects were small, explaining only up to 5% of the phenotypic variation. Genes within genomic regions that were associated with FHB-related traits displayed multiple functions linked with disease resistance. While numerous minor, marker-trait associations were identified, phenotypic evaluations are still the best predictors of these traits, despite their time-consuming nature and dependenceon environmental conditions.

Genome-Wide Association Mapping of Hulless Barely Phenotypes in Drought Environment.

Drought stress is one of the main factors restricting hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum Hook. f.) yield. Genome-wide association study was performed using 269 lines of hulless barley to identify single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with drought-resistance traits. The plants were cultured under either normal or drought conditions, and various quantitative traits including shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root fresh weight, root dry weight, leaf fresh weight, leaf saturated fresh weight, leaf dry weight, ratio of root and shoot fresh weight, ratio of root and shoot dry weight, shoot water loss rate, root water loss rate, leaf water content and leaf relative water content, and field phenotypes including main spike length, grain number per plant, grain weight per plant, thousand grain weight (TGW), main spike number, plant height, and effective spike number of plants were collected. After genotyping the plants, a total of 8,936,130 highly consistent population SNP markers were obtained with integrity > 0.5 and minor allele frequency > 0.05. Eight candidate genes potentially contributed to the hulless barley drought resistance were obtained at loci near significant SNPs. For example, EMB506, DCR, and APD2 genes for effective spike number of plants, ABCG11 gene for main spike number (MEN), CLPR2 gene for main spike length, YIP4B gene for root and shoot dry weight (RSWD), and GLYK and BTS genes for TGW. The SNPs and candidate genes identified in this study will be useful in hulless barley breeding under drought resistance.

Grain beta-glucan as selection criteria for wort beta-glucan in malt barley improvement

In malt barley improvement, lower values of beta-glucan in the wort is one of the most desirable criteria to get better quality of the end products. To estimate wort -glucan, the barley grains first need to be malted and then mashed to get wort, which is then used to measure beta-glucan in the wort. It takes a large quantity of grains, a lot of time and labour for the malting process and wort preparation, and cumbersome costly analysis to determine wort beta-glucans. During initial generations of malt barley breeding, the grain quantity is major limitation along with large number of samples for screening. In this study, a strong positive correlation has been observed between grain, malt & wort beta-glucan contents, indicating the possibility of selecting low wort beta glucan only by estimating beta-glucans in grain by taking a smaller quantity of samples.

Benefit of Introgression Depends on Level of Genetic Trait Variation in Cereal Breeding Programmes.

We investigated the benefit from introgression of external lines into a cereal breeding programme and strategies that accelerated introgression of the favourable alleles while minimising linkage drag using stochastic computer simulation. We simulated genomic selection for disease resistance and grain yield in two environments with a high level of genotype-by-environment interaction (G × E) for the latter trait, using genomic data of a historical barley breeding programme as the base generation. Two populations (existing and external) were created from this base population with different allele frequencies for few (N = 10) major and many (N ~ 990) minor simulated disease quantitative trait loci (QTL). The major disease QTL only existed in the external population and lines from the external population were introgressed into the existing population which had minor disease QTL with low, medium and high allele frequencies. The study revealed that the benefit of introgression depended on the level of genetic variation for the target trait in the existing cereal breeding programme. Introgression of external resources into the existing population was beneficial only when the existing population lacked variation in disease resistance or when minor disease QTL were already at medium or high frequency. When minor disease QTL were at low frequencies, no extra genetic gain was achieved from introgression. More benefit in the disease trait was obtained from the introgression if the major disease QTL had larger effect sizes, more selection emphasis was applied on disease resistance, or more external lines were introgressed. While our strategies to increase introgression of major disease QTL were generally successful, most were not able to completely avoid negative impacts on selection for grain yield with the only exception being when major introgression QTL effects were very large. Breeding programmes are advised to carefully consider the level of genetic variation in a trait available in their breeding programme before deciding to introgress germplasms.

Genetic solutions through breeding counteract climate change and secure barley production in Australia

Climate changes threaten global sustainable food supply by reducing crop yield. Estimates of future crop production under climate change have rarely considered the capacity of genetic improvement in breeding high-yielding and stress-tolerant crop varieties. We believe that technological advancements and developing climate-resilient crop varieties may offset the adverse effects of climate change. In this study, we examined the historical record of barley breeding and yield, and the trends of climate changes over the past 70 years in Australia. We related the selection of fast development varieties to yield improvement, and revealed the genetic connections of fast development and yield potential through genome-wide association studies. Historical records show that Australia's barley yield has experienced a steady growth despite that the seasonal production window has been shortened due to increased risk of frost damage at flowering stage and terminal heat during maturity since the 1970s. The increase in yield is largely the result of higher yield capacity of the more recently developed varieties that develop faster to counteract the impact of increased terminal heat. We also show that the changing temperature may soon reach a critical point that dramatically changes the barley flowering behaviour to impact yield by pushing its growth beyond the seasonal production window to face increasing frost damage. For the first time, we provide evidence that the effects of climate change on crop production might be less severe than what is currently believed because the advancement of technologies and development of climate-resilient crop varieties may mitigate the adverse effect of climate change to some extent. The greater use of genetic techniques in crop breeding will play a vital role in sustainable global food production in the era of climate change. • The increase in barley production in Australia over the last 70 years is related to the improved yield of varieties. • The newer varieties are flowering earlier to counteract the increased terminal heat/drought stress in the maturity stage. • Crop genetic improvement is a powerful solution to counteract the adverse impact of climate change. • Modelling crop production under climate change should consider the capacity to breed stress-tolerant varieties.

Результаты экологического испытания сортов ярового ячменя в южной лесостепи Южного Урала

Abstract. The aim of the research was to adjust the direction of barley breeding towards the creation of semi-intensive and intensive varieties, for farms with different levels of agricultural culture, according to economically valuable characteristics adapted to the conditions of the Chelyabinsk region. An assessment of the ecological testing of spring barley varieties in the southern forest-steppe zone of the Southern Urals during sowing according to the fallow and grain predecessor for 2018 – 2020 of the parameters of ecological adaptability in yield was carried out. Methods. The studies were conducted from 2018 to 2020. In the conditions of the southern forest-steppe of the Chelyabinsk region, GP “Troitskoe”. A detailed analysis of the adaptability parameters is given: the coefficients of the environmental conditions index (Ij), the coefficients of adaptation, genetic flexibility, plasticity (bi) and stability (2d) are calculated. The selection of varieties for all studied parameters was obtained. Results. The results of this environmental test showed that of the whole set, the varieties have high ecological plasticity for this period: Omsk 95, Orda, Nutans 236C158, Nutans 272F677, Nutans 193C93 with an adaptability coefficient greater than 1. Nutans 236C158, Orda, Nutans 272F677, Nutans193C93 showed the maximum adaptability for 3 years when sowing according to the grain predecessor, they had a consistently high yield and an adaptation coefficient greater than 1 under any weather conditions. An increase in the genetic flexibility of varieties was found when sowing in pairs from 1.61 to 3.09. For the zone of risky farming, the most plastic varieties with a high yield potential in any weather conditions were distinguished: Orda, Nutans 236C158, Nutans 272F677, Omsk 95, Nutans 193C93 and Nutans 207C74. Pallidum 297C151, Chelyabinsk 99, Chelyabinsk 96 and Nutans 103G177 varieties reacted sharply to changes in vegetation conditions. Scientific novelty Groups of the studied varieties have been identified according to the parameters of ecological plasticity and stability, simplifying selection for further breeding process. Varieties Omsk 99 and Vakula can be used for breeding for drought resistance.

The genetic diversity of Ethiopian barley genotypes in relation to their geographical origin.

Ethiopia is recognized as a center of diversity for barley, and its landraces are known for the distinct genetic features compared to other barley collections. The genetic diversity of Ethiopian barley likely results from the highly diverse topography, altitude, climate conditions, soil types, and farming systems. To get detailed information on the genetic diversity a panel of 260 accessions, comprising 239 landraces and 21 barley breeding lines, obtained from the Ethiopian biodiversity institute (EBI) and the national barley improvement program, respectively were studied for their genetic diversity using the 50k iSelect single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. A total of 983 highly informative SNP markers were used for structure and diversity analysis. Three genetically distinct clusters were obtained from the structure analysis comprising 80, 71, and 109 accessions, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed the presence of higher genetic variation (89%) within the clusters than between the clusters (11%), with moderate genetic differentiation (PhiPT = 0.11) and five accessions were detected as first-generation migrants using Monte Carlo resampling methods. The Mantel test revealed that the genetic distance between accessions is poorly associated with their geographical distance. Despite the observed weak correlation between geographic distance and genetic differentiation, for some regions like Gonder, Jimma, Gamo-Gofa, Shewa, and Welo, more than 50% of the landraces derived from these regions are assigned to one of the three clusters.

Overview of Identified Genomic Regions Associated with Various Agronomic and Physiological Traits in Barley under Abiotic Stresses

Climate change has caused breeders to focus on varieties that are able to grow under unfavorable conditions, such as drought, high and low temperatures, salinity, and other stressors. In recent decades, progress in biotechnology and its related tools has provided opportunities to dissect and decipher the genetic basis of tolerance to various stress conditions. One such approach is the identification of genomic regions that are linked with specific or multiple characteristics. Cereal crops have a key role in supplying the energy required for human and animal populations. However, crop products are dramatically affected by various environmental stresses. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the oldest domesticated crops that is cultivated globally. Research has shown that, compared with other cereals, barley is well adapted to various harsh environmental conditions. There is ample literature regarding these responses to abiotic stressors, as well as the genomic regions associated with the various morpho-physiological and biochemical traits of stress tolerance. This review focuses on (i) identifying the tolerance mechanisms that are important for stable growth and development, and (ii) the applicability of QTL mapping and association analysis in identifying genomic regions linked with stress-tolerance traits, in order to help breeders in marker-assisted selection (MAS) to quickly screen tolerant germplasms in their breeding cycles. Overall, the information presented here will inform and assist future barley breeding programs.

Evaluation of Advanced Kenyan Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Genotypes for Resistance to Stem Rust (Puccinia graminis Pers:.Pers. f.sp tritici Eriks. & E. Henn.) Race Ttksk and Its Variants

Stem rust caused by Puccinia graminis Pers:.Pers. f.sp tritici affects all the aerial parts of wheat and barley plants leading to yield losses. The objective of this study was to determine the level of resistance in advanced Kenyan barley lines to stem rust race TTKSK and its variants. The greenhouse and field experiments were laid in complete block design and randomized complete block design respectively with all experiments replicated three times. The experiments were conducted at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization- Njoro. In the greenhouse experiment, forty genotypes were sown in perforated plastic pots and when the seedlings attained two-leaf stage, stem rust isolate collected from wheat variety, KS Mwamba was used to inoculate the genotypes. In the field, forty genotypes were sown in a one meter twin rows of each genotype were planted and all agronomic practices implement except management of stem rust disease. Infection types (IT) on the seedlings were observed and data collected following a scale described by Stakman et al. 1962. Disease severity data was collected according to modified Cobbs scale and then subjected to Area Under Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC). All genotypes showed immunity to moderate resistance at seedling level ranging from 0 to 2+. Adult plant reactions to race TTKSK and its variants ranged from an overlap of moderately resistant (MR) to susceptible (S). In all genotypes AUDPC ranged from 225.83 to 887.92 for under this study and the Coefficient of Infection ranged from 13 to 47. High levels of slow rusting were observed in only 12.5% of the genotypes tested while 10% of the genotypes had low levels. 77.5% of the genotypes had moderate levels of slow rusting. The genotypes with high levels of slow rusting can be advanced for release as varieties or be included in barley breeding.

A simple and reliable assay to quantify host resistance and aggressiveness of the pathogen in the Fusarium head blight-barley pathosystem

Abstract A simple and reliable method for quantifying Fusarium head blight (FHB), a widespread disease of barley, would enhance our capacity in identifying resistance sources and highly aggressive isolates. A detached head assay (DHA) was used to reliably assess: (i) resistance of two barley cultivars, Arabi Aswad (AS) and Arabi Abiad (AB) with different susceptibility to FHB and (ii) aggressiveness in a set of 16 fungal isolates of four Fusarium species. The two inoculated cultivars showed different responses in FHB incidence (DI) and severity (DS) using spray and point inoculation on detached barley heads, respectively. On AB, susceptible under several experimental conditions, inoculation with different Fusarium species resulted in significantly higher DI and DS, compared with AS, which showed Fusarium resistance. Furthermore, the values of DI and DS were significantly correlated with the previous findings generated under several experimental conditions. The use of this simple and reliable method in barley breeding programs can speed up the process of identification of sources of resistance to multiple FHB isolates. To our best knowledge, this is the first in-depth report investigating the usefulness of DHA for distinguishing susceptibility of barley plants and aggressiveness of diverse Fusarium species from a breeder's point of view.

Metabolomic spectra for phenotypic prediction of malting quality in spring barley

We investigated prediction of malting quality (MQ) phenotypes in different locations using metabolomic spectra, and compared the prediction ability of different models, and training population (TP) sizes. Data of five MQ traits was measured on 2667 individual plots of 564 malting spring barley lines from three years and two locations. A total of 24,018 metabolomic features (MFs) were measured on each wort sample. Two statistical models were used, a metabolomic best linear unbiased prediction (MBLUP) and a partial least squares regression (PLSR). Predictive ability within location and across locations were compared using cross-validation methods. For all traits, more than 90% of the total variance in MQ traits could be explained by MFs. The prediction accuracy increased with increasing TP size and stabilized when the TP size reached 1000. The optimal number of components considered in the PLSR models was 20. The accuracy using leave-one-line-out cross-validation ranged from 0.722 to 0.865 and using leave-one-location-out cross-validation from 0.517 to 0.817. In conclusion, the prediction accuracy of metabolomic prediction of MQ traits using MFs was high and MBLUP is better than PLSR if the training population is larger than 100. The results have significant implications for practical barley breeding for malting quality.

From Ground to Glass: Evaluation of Unique Barley Varieties for Craft Malting, Craft Brewing, and Consumer Sensory

Differentiating agricultural products has been adopted as a strategy to improve farm profitability and thereby business sustainability. This study aimed to evaluate unique barley varieties for craft malting and brewing markets to enhance profitability for diversified grain growers in southwestern Washington. Advanced barley breeding lines from Washington State University (WSU) were compared to a control variety (CDC-Copeland) through field trials, experimental and commercial malting conditions, and consumer sensory evaluation. The beers differed only by the genotype-dependent malt. Malting conditions (experimental or commercial) and field replicate influenced five out of the eight malt quality traits measured, while genotype influenced seven out of eight of the traits. Consumers differentiated the beers through ranking, open description, and check all that apply during a central location test. Based on consumer liking, breeding lines 12WA_120.14 or 12WA_120.17 could replace CDC-Copeland in beers. A total of 83% of consumers responded that they would pay more for a beer if it would support local farmers. This value proposition represents an opportunity for consumer purchasing to support producers, who form the foundation of the craft malt and beer value chain and whose economic success will determine the sustainability of small farms in minor growing regions. We provide further evidence for the contributions of barley genotype to beer flavor, while tracing the impact of barley genotype from ground to glass.

Development of a near‐infrared spectroscopy calibration for Hagberg falling number assessment of barley (Hordeum vulgare): A comparison of methods

AbstractClimate change leads to increased risks of reduced Hagberg falling numbers (HFN). The objectives of this study were to (i) compare partial least square (PLS) with deep learning methods with respect to establishing near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) calibrations for HFN in spring barley, (ii) compare the accuracy of NIRS calibrations for metric versus categorical response variables and (iii) discuss the usefulness of the developed NIRS calibrations in the context of barley breeding programmes. This study was based on 560 samples from the preapplication trial of a commercial spring barley breeding programme and the double round robin population of barley. Across all the examined preprocessing combinations, the lowest root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) in the calibration set was observed with 59.95 s for PLS regression where that of the best deep learning method was higher. The accuracies to predict HFN from NIR spectra observed in our study indicated that they cannot replace the HFN reference method, but their use for selection in early generations of barley breeding programmes are promising.

CRISPR/Cas genome editing perspectives for barley breeding.

The CRISPR/Cas9 technology shows potential to improve crop breeding efficiency and antiviral defense. The interest in DNA editing in crops has grown due to the possibility of increasing the resistance of different plants to many viruses. Our aim was to create an elite disease-resistant local barley cultivar using CRISPR/Cas9 biotechnology. For this purpose, we used CRISPR/Cas 9-eIF4E with the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) barley gene to edit the genomes of five local Kazakhstan barley cultivars. After identifying the single guide RNA (sgRNA) target sequences, they were synthesized and cloned into the CRISPR-plant vector before being introduced into barley cells via our own patented Agrobacterium germ-line transformation technique. Barley plants eIF4E-modified were successfully obtained and were resistant to virus infection. Based on our research, the CRISPR/Cas9 system for plant genome editing could be a prospect for applying this breakthrough biotechnology in barley breeding.

Quantitative trait loci impacting grain β‐glucan content in wild barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum) reveals genes associated with cell wall modification and carbohydrate metabolism

AbstractBarley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seeds are a rich source of β‐glucans that can help reduce blood serum cholesterol content in human diets. However, high levels of this polysaccharide in the seeds causes inefficiencies such as slow lautering during the brewing process due to the higher wort viscosity. Thus, depending on the end use, barley breeding programs have opposing goals with respect to β‐glucan. Discovery of new alleles for β‐glucan content in exotic barley germplasm could have significant commercial importance. We leveraged the Wild Barley Diversity Collection (WBDC; N = 314), grown at University of California‐Davis experiment station, to characterize both the variation in β‐glucan content found in this wild barley subspecies (Hordeum vulgare spp. spontaneum) and to reveal chromosomal regions associated with this trait. Grain β‐glucan content ranged from 2.56 to 11.73% in the WBDC. Within structured subpopulations, geographical coordinates as well as annual precipitation data of original collection sites showed associations with differing levels of β‐glucan content. Genome‐wide association study identified a total of 13 quantitative traits loci (QTL) spread across the seven barley chromosomes that explained most of the variation in β‐glucan content in the WBDC. Previously reported genes associated with β‐glucan content such as β‐glucan synthases and hydrolases (e.g., callose synthase) were identified within these QTL regions. Genes such as Patatin and Nudix hydrolase provide novel targets for manipulating grain β‐glucan in barley. RNA‐seq data from both developing and germinating barley seeds for the annotated genes in the QTL regions provide further corroboration for a functional role for these genes in modulating seed β‐glucan levels.

Productivity and stress resistance of the Omsk spring barley varieties in the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia

Newly developed varieties should be not only highly productive, but also adaptable. In this regard, the Omsk Agricultural Center is certainly one of the leaders in spring barley breeding (23 varieties have been created). New varieties should meet both the current needs of agricultural producers and agro-technological requirements in accordance with the achievements of science and production. In this regard, the purpose of the current study was to determine adaptability parameters of the Omsk barley varieties. There have been presented the study results of 2015–2019. The objects of the study were the two-row hulled varieties and lines ‘Omsky 95’ (standard), ‘Sasha’, ‘Podarok Sibiri’, ‘Omsky 100’, ‘Omsky 101’, ‘Medikum 4867’, ‘Nutans 4883’, ‘Nutans 4812’; the multi-row hulled varieties and lines ‘Omsk 99’ (standard), ‘Rikotense 4885’, ‘Pallidum 4861’; the multi-row hulles varieties and lines ‘Omsk golozerny 2’ (standard), ‘Omsk golozerny 4’. There have been estimated such adaptability parameters as coefficient of adaptability (according to Zhivotkov), coefficient of responsiveness to favorable growing conditions (according to Zykin), stress resistance and compensatory ability (according to Goncharenko), adaptability (according to Baransky and Gryaznov), trait variability and coefficient of agronomic stability (according to Dospekhov). The final estimation of the response of varieties to cultivation conditions had to be carried out by the sum of the ranks, taking into account that the first rank was the highest. The studied varieties were characterized by productivity of 5.2±0.97 t/ha. There was identified a significant increase for all varieties (+0.13…+0.90 t/ha to standard). The greatest contribution to the yield variation was made by the year conditions (65%); the share of a variety genotype effect was 19%. According to the sum of ranks, for the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia, the most adaptive varieties among the two-row hulled varieties and lines were ‘Sasha’, ‘Omsky 100’, ‘Omsky 101’ and ‘Nutans 4883’ (sum of ranks = 45–49). Among multi-row hulled varieties and lines it was ‘Rikotense 4885’ (sum of ranks = 46). Among the multi-row hulles varieties and lines they were ‘Omsk golozerny 2’ (standard), ‘Omsk golozerny 4’ (sum of ranks = 86 and 87).

Genomic Prediction Can Provide Precise Estimates of the Genotypic Value of Barley Lines Evaluated in Unreplicated Trials.

Genomic prediction has been established in breeding programs to predict the genotypic values of selection candidates without phenotypic data. First results in wheat showed that genomic predictions can also prove useful to select among material for which phenotypic data are available. In such a scenario, the selection candidates are evaluated with low intensity in the field. Genome-wide effects are estimated from the field data and are then used to predict the genotypic values of the selection candidates. The objectives of our simulation study were to investigate the correlations r(y, g) between genomic predictions y and genotypic values g and to compare these with the correlations r(p, g) between phenotypic values p and genotypic values g. We used data from a yield trial of 250 barley lines to estimate variance components and genome-wide effects. These parameters were used as basis for simulations. The simulations included multiple crossing schemes, population sizes, and varying sizes of the components of the masking variance. The genotypic values g of the selection candidates were obtained by genetic simulations, the phenotypic values p by simulating evaluation in the field, and the genomic predictions y by RR-BLUP effect estimation from the phenotypic values. The correlations r(y, g) were greater than the correlations r(p, g) for all investigated scenarios. We conclude that using genomic predictions for selection among candidates tested with low intensity in the field can proof useful for increasing the efficiency of barley breeding programs.