Earliness and photoperiod sensitivity of barley accessions from East Asian countries

Background. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a staple crop cultivated since ancient times. Currently, barley is the leader among cereals in acreage. Due to the growing concern about climate change, the relocation of agriculture to northern regions becomes increasingly popular. Important traits that determine plant adaptability and the range of its geographic expansion include its rate of development and tolerance to various growing conditions.

Materials and methods. The duration of the germination-to-heading period was studied in 660 barley accessions from East Asian countries. DNA-markers were used to analyze the allelic state of the Ppd and VRN genes in 51 accessions that matured early in Northwest Russia. The photoperiod sensitivity was assessed for 44 genotypes maturing early in the field. The accessions that demonstrated earliness under various soil and climatic conditions, including ‘Bankuti Korai’, ‘Kinai 5’, ‘Mona’, and k-15013, served as controls. The tested material was analyzed in accordance with conventional guidelines adopted at VIR.

Results and conclusions. Nineteen accessions with very high development rates were selected under long-day conditions in Northwest Russia. Eleven groups with different allelic combinations of the Ppd and VRN genes were identified. The most frequent allele combination among early-maturing barley accessions was Ppd-H1Ppd-H2vrn-H1vrn-H2vrn-H3, i.e., two dominant and three recessive alleles (DD-RRR), represented by 17 genotypes. The most common combinations among early barleys: DD-RRR, DR-DRD, DD-DDR, and DR-RRR, were absent in late-maturing and winter barley accessions, which may attest to their diagnostic value. Fifteen sources of weak photoperiod sensitivity were selected. Accession k-12223 from China was identified for its earliness and lack of response to day length.

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