Future Options for Barley Breeding

Bill ThomasJames Hutton Institute

www.barleyhub.org; barleyplanet

Barley MarketBreeding Issues

Producing more barrels per hectareInternational Barley Hub

UK Barley Production

Data from Defra & RESAS

UK On Farm Barley Yields

Data from Defra Statistics

Scotch Whisky Barley Use

Data derived from Scotch Whisky Association Statistical Report for 2015

English Malting Barley Purchases

Data from MAGB Annual Survey of Barley Purchases

Barley Breeding Progress

Breeding – a numbers game?

• For every difference there is a 50% chance of having the best card• But probabilities are multiplicative; 25% chance of having 2 best cards• >40,000 genes in barley!!• Laureate differs from Concerto by 8,000/44,000 genetic loci• If 1% functional 1*1024 possible combinations!

Parent 1 Gametes Parent 2 Gametes

Barley Genome Sequence

• Total sequence is 5,300,000,000 base pairs➢165 % of human genome ➢Enough characters for 11,000 large novels

• Expressed Genes - 60,000,000 base pairs➢Approx 1% of total sequence, like humans➢125 large novels

Genome Sequence and Breeding

• Tools to help improve speed and/or accuracy➢Better knowledge

of germplasm➢Markers to select

for specific characters

➢Selection without phenotyping

IMPROMALT IdeotypeOverture

SY VentureIMPROMALT

OvertureSY Venture

IMPROMALT

OvertureSY Venture

IMPROMALT

OvertureSY Venture

IMPROMALT

OvertureSY Venture

IMPROMALT

OvertureSY Venture

IMPROMALT

OvertureSY Venture

IMPROMALT

1H

3H

4H

5H

6H

7H

2H

No GN

High

Extract

High DP

High

Extract

Introgression scheme

Winter Barley(Recipient Variety)

Spring Barley(Donor Variety)

xF1 Hybrid(50:50 Donor:Recipient)

Winter Barley(Recipient Variety)

BC1F1(75:25 Donor:Recipient) x Winter Barley

(Recipient Variety)

BC2F1(87.5:12.5 Donor:Recipient)

x

Inbred lines for testing(>87% Donor)

Markers used to Select for

Target Regions and next cycle

NIL population: malting results

• Nulls compared against triple QTL NILs

• Consistent increase in HWE in triple QTL NILs

• Most significant effect on modification traits

Trait t p

Friability 2.86 0.009

Homogeneity 2.71 0.010

Grain Length -2.62 0.012

HWE 1.90 0.065

Genomic Selection

• Marker assisted selection targets significant QTL

• Genomic Selection derives an allelic effect at each polymorphic locus

• Summation gives Genomic Estimated Breeding Value (GEBV)

• Can use genotype to select without phenotyping

• Shortens breeding cycle

Ppd-H1Ara

Bgl2UAM2CslF8

CslF10Bmy2CslF3Eps2

CslF4UXS3

LTPL102_COLTPL102_OP

IsaVrs1

Epi2MUR4.2

UXE2

Ara1UAM4

Iam1

HW

E-WH

WE-S

HW

E-S

2H

QTL1

QTL2

QTL3

GS

P1 x P2

F1 >400 Crosses

Year

0.5

F7 NLT1 1-5 Entries 4

F6 Rep Trial @ Sites >50 Entries 3

F5 Rep Trial (OS) >500 Entries 2.5

F4 Trial 1 Rep >5,000 Plots 2

F3 (OS) >60,000 Plant Plots 1.5

F2 Field >500,000 Plants 1

Genomic Selection in Barley

StockProduction

Genome Editing• Targeted mutagenesis• CJEU ruling that induced mutations are GMOs• But ‘traditional’ mutagenesis methods are exempt• Otherwise, all UK and most European spring barley

would be GMO

International Barley Hub

Re-domestication of crops?

Zsögön et al., (2018). Nature Biotechnology doi:10.1038/nbt.4272

Summary

• Breeding is increasing output characters

• Malting barley demand for distilling is increasing and not met by Scottish Crop

➢Need to produce more barrels per hectare

➢ Introgressing spring quality to winter barley reduces distilling land demand by ~35,000ha

• Barley genome sequence opens up new opportunities to breed better barely

• Genome editing can introduce new variation precisely

➢Need to know target characters and role in a system

AcknowledgementsJHI Robbie Waugh, Luke Ramsay, Joanne Russell, Pete Hedley,

Allan Booth, Hazel Bull, Paul Shaw, David Marshall, Stuart Swanston, Kelly Houston, Mark Looseley

KWS (UK) Peter Werner, David Harrap, Gabriella EverettLimagrain Mark Glew, Anne-Marie BochardMAGB Richard Broadbent, Nigel Davies, Julian SouthJHL David SomervilleNIAB Ian Mackay, Keith GardnerRAGT Peter Jack, Steve Klose, Nathalie Leroy, Guillaume MilliotSaaten Union Richard Jennaway, Claus Einfeld, Susanna BoxbergerSecobra Amelie Genty, Dominique Vequaud, Pierre-Marie Le RouxSWRI James Brosnan, Tom Bringhurst, Linde Hess, Nick PittsSyngenta Paul Bury, Joanne Campion, Pierre Pin, Sylvain ChombartIBH Donna Cumming, Phil Gane, Colin West

Funding BBSRC, RESAS, AHDB