An international effort involving approximately 70 scientists in nine countries (Germany, UK, Australia, USA, Finland, Japan, Israel, France, Italy) with nine working at UCR developed a high-resolution genomic resource for barley that could potentially help produce higher yields, improve pest and disease resistance, and enhance its nutritional value. IIGB/CEPCEB researchers Timothy Close and Stefano Lonardi made significant contributions to the research project.

The resource gives new molecular and cellular insight into the biology of barley, one of the world’s most important and earliest domesticated cereal crops. It represents a hub for trait isolation, understanding and exploiting natural genetic diversity and investigating the unique biology and evolution of the crop.

Study results appear in the journal Nature (Oct. 2012). In the research paper, the scientists provide a detailed overview of the functional portions of the barley genome, revealing the order and structure of most of its 32,000 genes. They also give a detailed analysis of where and when barley genes are switched on in different tissues and at different stages of development.

The scientists also describe the location of dynamic regions of the barley genome that carry genes conferring resistance to devastating diseases, such as powdery mildew, Fusarium head blight and rusts. The result, they say, is a better understanding of the crop’s immune system and the genetic differences among barley cultivars.

The success of the barley genome sequencing and other grass family crops, such as wheat and rye, will allow breeders and scientists to effectively address the challenge of feeding the world’s burgeoning population under the constraints of an environment that increasingly challenges farmers and ranchers with extreme weather events.

To develop the barley genome resource, Close and Lonardi joined researchers at the University of Minnesota, USDA-Agricultural Research Service and 19 other organizations around the world. Together, the scientists make up the International Barley Sequencing Consortium (IBSC), which was founded in 2006. The IBSC created the high-resolution barley genome resource that places the majority of barley genes in order. Included in the resource, too, are the sequences of nearly all genes and associated regulatory regions, which offers new direction to researchers seeking to improve barley yield and quality.

Besides Close and Lonardi, the following researchers at UCR are members of the interdisciplinary collaboration between the departments of Botany & Plant Sciences and Computer Science & Engineering that contributed to the research project: postdoctoral scholars Kavitha Madishetty, Jan T. Svensson and Prasanna Bhat; undergraduates Matthew Moscou, Josh Resnik and Matthew Alpert; Ph.D. student Denisa Duma; visiting scientists Francesca Cordero and Marco Beccuti; faculty member Gianfranco Ciardo; assistant specialist Yaqin Ma; and programmer Steve Wanamaker.