early maturity 7 promotes early flowering by controlling the light input into the circadian clock in barley.

Breeding for variation in photoperiod response is crucial to adapt crop plants to various environments. Plants measure changes in day length by the circadian clock, an endogenous timekeeper that allows plants to anticipate changes in diurnal and seasonal light-dark cycles. Here, we describe the early maturity 7 (eam7) locus in barley (Hordeum vulgare), which interacts with PHOTOPERIOD 1 (Ppd-H1) to cause early flowering under non-inductive short days.

WAPO-A1 is the causal gene of the 7AL QTL for spikelet number per spike in wheat.

Improving our understanding of the genes regulating grain yield can contribute to the development of more productive wheat varieties. Previously, a highly significant QTL affecting spikelet number per spike (SNS), grain number per spike (GNS) and grain yield was detected on chromosome arm 7AL in multiple genome-wide association studies. Using a high-resolution genetic map, we established that the A-genome homeolog of WHEAT ORTHOLOG OF APO1 (WAPO-A1) was a leading candidate gene for this QTL.

Interactions between SQUAMOSA and SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE MADS-box proteins regulate meristem transitions during wheat spike development.

Inflorescence architecture is an important determinant of crop productivity. The number of spikelets produced by the wheat inflorescence meristem (IM) before its transition to a terminal spikelet (TS) influences the maximum number of grains per spike. Wheat MADS-box genes VERNALIZATION 1 (VRN1) and FRUITFULL 2 (FUL2) (in the SQUAMOSA-clade) are essential to promote the transition from IM to TS and for spikelet development.

Application of DNA Fingerprinting using the D1S80 Locus in Lab Classes.

In biological sciences, DNA fingerprinting has been widely used for paternity testing, forensic applications and phylogenetic studies. Here, we describe a reliable and robust method for genotyping individuals by Variable Number of Tandem Repeat (VNTR) analysis in the context of undergraduate laboratory classes. The human D1S80 VNTR locus is used in this protocol as a highly polymorphic marker based on variation in the number of repetitive sequences.

encodes an ortholog and is required for inflorescence indeterminacy and spikelet determinacy in barley.

Inflorescence architecture dictates the number of flowers and, ultimately, seeds. The architectural discrepancies between two related cereals, barley and wheat, are controlled by differences in determinacy of inflorescence and spikelet meristems. Here, we characterize two allelic series of mutations named () and () that convert barley indeterminate inflorescences into wheat-like determinate inflorescences bearing a multifloreted terminal spikelet and spikelets with additional florets.

FLOWERING LOCUS T4 delays flowering and decreases floret fertility in barley.

FLOWERING LOCUS T-like (FT-like) genes control the photoperiodic regulation of flowering in many angiosperm plants. The family of FT-like genes is characterized by extensive gene duplication and subsequent diversification of FT functions which occurred independently in modern angiosperm lineages. In barley, there are 12 known FT-like genes (HvFT), but the function of most of them remains uncharacterized.

Ppd-H1 integrates drought stress signals to control spike development and flowering time in barley.

Drought impairs growth and spike development, and is therefore a major cause of yield losses in the temperate cereals barley and wheat. Here, we show that the photoperiod response gene PHOTOPERIOD-H1 (Ppd-H1) interacts with drought stress signals to modulate spike development. We tested the effects of a continuous mild and a transient severe drought stress on developmental timing and spike development in spring barley cultivars with a natural mutation in ppd-H1 and derived introgression lines carrying the wild-type Ppd-H1 allele from wild barley.

An Acyl-CoA -Acyltransferase Regulates Meristem Phase Change and Plant Architecture in Barley.

The modification of shoot architecture and increased investment into reproductive structures is key for crop improvement and is achieved through coordinated changes in the development and determinacy of different shoot meristems. A fundamental question is how the development of different shoot meristems is genetically coordinated to optimize the balance between vegetative and reproductive organs. Here we identify the () gene as a major regulator of plant architecture in barley ().

Differential Effects of Day/Night Cues and the Circadian Clock on the Barley Transcriptome.

The circadian clock is a complex transcriptional network that regulates gene expression in anticipation of the day/night cycle and controls agronomic traits in plants. However, in crops, how the internal clock and day/night cues affect the transcriptome remains poorly understood. We analyzed the and circadian leaf transcriptomes in the barley () cultivar 'Bowman' and derived introgression lines harboring mutations in (), (), and ().

CENTRORADIALIS Interacts with -Like Genes to Control Floret Development and Grain Number.

CENTRORADIALIS (CEN) is a key regulator of flowering time and inflorescence architecture in plants. Natural variation in the barley () homolog HvCEN is important for agricultural range expansion of barley cultivation, but its effects on shoot and spike architecture and consequently yield have not yet been characterized. Here, we evaluated 23 independent also termed mutants to determine the pleiotropic effects of HvCEN on developmental timing and shoot and spike morphologies of barley under outdoor and controlled conditions.

Subfamily-Specific Specialization of RGH1/MLA Immune Receptors in Wild Barley.

The barley disease resistance (R) gene locus mildew locus A (Mla) provides isolate-specific resistance against the powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis hordei and has been introgressed into modern cultivars from diverse germplasms, including the wild relative Hordeum spontaneum. Known Mla disease resistance specificities to B. graminis hordei appear to encode allelic variants of the R gene homolog 1 (RGH1) family of nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins.

FLOWERING LOCUS T3 Controls Spikelet Initiation But Not Floral Development.

In many angiosperm plants, ()-like genes have duplicated and functionally diverged to control different reproductive traits or stages. Barley () carries several -like genes, the functions of which are not well understood. We characterized the role of HvFT3 in the vegetative and reproductive development of barley.

Fluorescent reporter lines for auxin and cytokinin signalling in barley (Hordeum vulgare).

The phytohormones auxin and cytokinin control development and maintenance of plant meristems and stem cell systems. Fluorescent protein reporter lines that monitor phytohormone controlled gene expression programmes have been widely used to study development and differentiation in the model species Arabidopsis, but equivalent tools are still missing for the majority of crop species. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is the fourth most abundant cereal crop plant, but knowledge on these important phytohormones in regard to the barley root and shoot stem cell niches is still negligible.

Targeted resequencing reveals genomic signatures of barley domestication.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is an established model to study domestication of the Fertile Crescent cereals. Recent molecular data suggested that domesticated barley genomes consist of the ancestral blocks descending from multiple wild barley populations. However, the relationship between the mosaic ancestry patterns and the process of domestication itself remained unclear.

Unique and Conserved Features of the Barley Root Meristem.

Plant root growth is enabled by root meristems that harbor the stem cell niches as a source of progenitors for the different root tissues. Understanding the root development of diverse plant species is important to be able to control root growth in order to gain better performances of crop plants. In this study, we analyzed the root meristem of the fourth most abundant crop plant, barley ().

Six-Rowed Spike3 (VRS3) Is a Histone Demethylase That Controls Lateral Spikelet Development in Barley.

The complex nature of crop genomes has long prohibited the efficient isolation of agronomically relevant genes. However, recent advances in next-generation sequencing technologies provide new ways to accelerate fine-mapping and gene isolation in crops. We used RNA sequencing of allelic () mutants with altered spikelet development for gene identification and functional analysis in barley ().

Floral transitions in wheat and barley: interactions between photoperiod, abiotic stresses, and nutrient status.

The timing of plant reproduction has a large impact on yield in crop plants. Reproductive development in temperate cereals comprises two major developmental transitions. During spikelet initiation, the identity of the shoot meristem switches from the vegetative to the reproductive stage and spikelet primordia are formed on the apex.

Metabolite profiling of barley flag leaves under drought and combined heat and drought stress reveals metabolic QTLs for metabolites associated with antioxidant defense.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is among the most stress-tolerant crops; however, not much is known about the genetic and environmental control of metabolic adaptation of barley to abiotic stresses. We have subjected a genetically diverse set of 81 barley accessions, consisting of Mediterranean landrace genotypes and German elite breeding lines, to drought and combined heat and drought stress at anthesis.

The Genetic Control of Reproductive Development under High Ambient Temperature.

Ambient temperature has a large impact on reproductive development and grain yield in temperate cereals. However, little is known about the genetic control of development under different ambient temperatures. Here, we demonstrate that in barley (Hordeum vulgare), high ambient temperatures accelerate or delay reproductive development depending on the photoperiod response gene PHOTOPERIOD1 (Ppd-H1) and its upstream regulator EARLY FLOWERING3 (HvELF3).

Co-evolution of methods and thoughts in cereal domestication studies: a tale of barley (Hordeum vulgare).

Five major cereals such as wheat, rice, maize, barley and sorghum were among the first Neolithic crops that facilitated the establishment of the early agricultural societies. Since then they have remained the staple source of calories for the majority of the human population. Ample archaeological and molecular evidence has provided important insights into the domestication history of cereals but the debates on the origin of cereal crops are still far from resolved.

Fine mapping of a major QTL for awn length in barley using a multiparent mapping population.

Awn length was mapped using a multiparent population derived from cv. Morex and four wild accessions. One QTL was fine mapped and candidate genes were identified in NILs by RNA-seq.

CONSTANS Controls Floral Repression by Up-Regulating VERNALIZATION2 (VRN-H2) in Barley.

In barley (Hordeum vulgare), PHOTOPERIOD1 (Ppd-H1) acts as a major positive regulator of flowering under long-day conditions, while VERNALIZATION2 (VRN-H2) is a strong repressor of flowering under long days before vernalization. By contrast, CONSTANS (CO) plays a key role in the photoperiodic regulation of flowering in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Here, we study the role of the closest barley CO homologs, HvCO1 and HvCO2, in the long day-dependent control of flowering and their interactions with Ppd-H1 and VRN-H2.

Mutations in Barley Row Type Genes Have Pleiotropic Effects on Shoot Branching.

Cereal crop yield is determined by different yield components such as seed weight, seed number per spike and the tiller number and spikes. Negative correlations between these traits are often attributed to resource limitation. However, recent evidence suggests that the same genes or regulatory modules can regulate both inflorescence branching and tillering.