AUTHOR=Muñoz-Amatriaín María , Hernandez Javier , Herb Dustin , Baenziger P. Stephen , Bochard Anne Marie , Capettini Flavio , Casas Ana , Cuesta-Marcos Alfonso , Einfeldt Claus , Fisk Scott , Genty Amelie , Helgerson Laura , Herz Markus , Hu Gongshe , Igartua Ernesto , Karsai Ildiko , Nakamura Toshiki , Sato Kazuhiro , Smith Kevin , Stockinger Eric , Thomas William , Hayes Patrick TITLE=Perspectives on Low Temperature Tolerance and Vernalization Sensitivity in Barley: Prospects for Facultative Growth Habit JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science VOLUME=11 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2020.585927 DOI=10.3389/fpls.2020.585927 ISSN=1664-462X ABSTRACT=

One option to achieving greater resiliency for barley production in the face of climate change is to explore the potential of winter and facultative growth habits: for both types, low temperature tolerance (LTT) and vernalization sensitivity are key traits. Sensitivity to short-day photoperiod is a desirable attribute for facultative types. In order to broaden our understanding of the genetics of these phenotypes, we mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and identified candidate genes using a genome-wide association studies (GWAS) panel composed of 882 barley accessions that was genotyped with the Illumina 9K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip. Fifteen loci including 5 known and 10 novel QTL/genes were identified for LTT—assessed as winter survival in 10 field tests and mapped using a GWAS meta-analysis. FR-H1, FR-H2, and FR-H3 were major drivers of LTT, and candidate genes were identified for FR-H3. The principal determinants of vernalization sensitivity were VRN-H1, VRN-H2, and PPD-H1. VRN-H2 deletions conferred insensitive or intermediate sensitivity to vernalization. A subset of accessions with maximum LTT were identified as a resource for allele mining and further characterization. Facultative types comprised a small portion of the GWAS panel but may be useful for developing germplasm with this growth habit.