Researchers say they have a better understanding of barley quality now.
Scientists have identified a natural variation on a gene which they believe may help lead to barley varieties with improved yield and resilience.
The discovery was made by International Barley Hub scientists working at the James Hutton Institute (JHI) in collaboration with teams in the UK, Australia and China.
The scientists found that while an excessive level of sodium in soil – which is transported from the root to the shoot of barley plants – is toxic to most plants, non-toxic concentrations can improve yields under certain conditions, such as when soil potassium is low.
Researchers looked at a specific version of the gene HKT1;5 which allowed barley plants to accumulate high concentrations of sodium without adverse impacts on plant growth.
JHI barley geneticist and the study’s lead author, Dr Kelly Houston, said: “This particular version of HKT1;5 is present in 35% of contemporary barley genetic material, compared to being almost absent in the wild barley and landraces screened, which means there is potentially an advantage to having it in future varieties.”
The study findings are published in Communications Biology.
