title: Yield-related salinity tolerance traits identified in a nested association mapping (NAM) population of wild barley.
abstract: Producing sufficient food for nine billion people by 2050 will be constrained by soil salinity, especially in irrigated systems. To improve crop yield, greater understanding of the genetic control of traits contributing to salinity tolerance in the field is needed. Here, we exploit natural variation in exotic germplasm by taking a genome-wide association approach to a new nested association mapping population of barley called HEB-25. The large population (1,336 genotypes) allowed cross-validation of loci, which, along with two years of phenotypic data collected from plants irrigated with fresh and saline water, improved statistical power. We dissect the genetic architecture of flowering time under high salinity and we present genes putatively affecting this trait and salinity tolerance. In addition, we identify a locus on chromosome 2H where, under saline conditions, lines homozygous for the wild allele yielded 30% more than did lines homozygous for the Barke allele. Introgressing this wild allele into elite cultivars could markedly improve yield under saline conditions.
authors: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Stephanie
authors: S
authors: Saade
authors: Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Betty-Heimann-Str. 3, 06120 Halle, Germany.
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Maurer
authors: International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
authors: Mohammed
authors: M
authors: Shahid
authors: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Helena
authors: H
authors: Oakey
authors: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Sandra M
authors: SM
authors: Schmöckel
authors: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Sónia
authors: S
authors: Negrão
authors: Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Betty-Heimann-Str. 3, 06120 Halle, Germany.
authors: Klaus
authors: K
authors: Pillen
authors: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Tester
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D035264:Flowers / Q000502:physiology; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D005838:Genotype; D001467:Hordeum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D055049:Salt Tolerance / Q000235:genetics*