Identifying potential novel resistance to the foliar disease ‘Scald’ (Rhynchosporium commune) in a population of Scottish Bere barley landrace (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Jonathan E. Cope*, Gareth J. Norton, Timothy S. George, Adrian C. Newton*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)
14 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Barley ‘Scald’ is an economically damaging fungal disease that is a global problem, causing significant yield and economical losses in the UK barley feed and malting industries. Presently, a limited number of Rhynchosporium resistance genes exist, but selective pressures on the fungi cause the demand for new sources of resistance. Landraces, such as the Scottish Bere barley, hold potential sources of resistance that can be utilised, with farmers providing anecdotal evidence of resistance in field populations of Bere. This study analysed 131 heritage cultivars and landrace lines, including 37 Bere lines, to screen for resistance using both detached leaf assays (DLAs) and field experiments. Results showed that Bere lines produced smaller, but more necrotic, lesions for the majority of isolates in the DLAs, as well as smaller scores when visually assessed in field conditions. Whilst the infection patterns of the lines differed between isolates and experimental conditions, three Bere lines were identified as consistently showing reduced levels of infection (45 A 23, 58 A 36 Eday, and 8-125). Using genome-wide association analysis, we were able to identify a number of genomic regions associated with reduced infection symptoms, four in regions associated with known resistance genes, but another four associated with new regions that contain promising candidate genes. Further analysis of these new regions and candidate genes should be undertaken to identify targets for future disease-resistance breeding.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)999-1012
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Plant Diseases and Protection
Volume128
Issue number4
Early online date27 May 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was funded by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), through a Cereals & Oilseeds PhD Studentship, and the James Hutton Institute. We thank Christine A. Hackett (BioSS) for statistical advice, and Amy Learmonth for guidance in the GWAS analysis. The technical assistance of Carla De La Fuente Canto, Trevor Mason, Clare Macaulay, Malcolm Macaulay, Richard Keith, Christopher Warden, and especially David Guy is also greatly appreciated. Final thanks for funding go to the Scottish Government’s Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS) for funding associated work by Adrian Newton and Tim George. Experimental work, analysis, and paper writing were undertaken by Jonathan Cope. Gareth Norton, Timothy George, and Adrian Newton provided supervision and advice throughout the project, as well as significant editorial decisions in creating the paper. Raw data is available upon request by contacting the corresponding author. This study was funded by AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds (GB) (Grant Number SR49).

Funding Information:
This research was funded by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), through a Cereals & Oilseeds PhD Studentship, and the James Hutton Institute. We thank Christine A. Hackett (BioSS) for statistical advice, and Amy Learmonth for guidance in the GWAS analysis. The technical assistance of Carla De La Fuente Canto, Trevor Mason, Clare Macaulay, Malcolm Macaulay, Richard Keith, Christopher Warden, and especially David Guy is also greatly appreciated. Final thanks for funding go to the Scottish Government?s Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS) for funding associated work by Adrian Newton and Tim George. Experimental work, analysis, and paper writing were undertaken by Jonathan Cope. Gareth Norton, Timothy George, and Adrian Newton provided supervision and advice throughout the project, as well as significant editorial decisions in creating the paper. Raw data is available upon request by contacting the corresponding author. This study was funded by AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds (GB) (Grant Number SR49).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).

Keywords

  • Barley landraces
  • Barley leaf scald
  • Bere barley
  • Genetic diversity
  • Hordeum vulgare
  • Rhynchosporium commune

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