Download Project 1 - IPK Gatersleben

Project 1 (Yield components) aims at the map-based cloning of genes determining yield components in a
collection of barley lines representing a world-wide cross-section of the genomic variability of cultivated barley
(Hordeum vulgare ssp vulgare). The projects starts with field trials using a diverse core set of landraces
comprising 213 2-rowed and 237 6-rowed accessions. The yield components number of tillers, grains per spike
and grain weight will be analyzed along with other agronomic traits including plant height, heading and flower-ing
time. First, DNA fingerprinting of the population will be performed by interrogating approx. 9.000 SNPs present on
a customized DNA array (Illumina Infinium Chip, iSELECT techno-logy). Two of the most interesting QTLs will be
further saturated with markers employing the genomic sequence information of related species (Brachypodium
distachion, rice, Sorghum bicolor) as well as a physical BAC contig map of barley and draft genomic
sequences (Mayer et al. 2009). Re-sequencing the corresponding genes from the population will enable the
identification of candidate genes with significant p-values for linkage disequilibrium with the respective trait.
Candidate genes will be confirmed by re-sequencing in a set of IPK gene bank accessions showing the most
extreme values for the corresponding yield traits. The set of accessions will be identified by mining legacy data,
which will be retrieved from gene bank records that are kept since 1946, based on the application of algorithms
that have been developed for the statistical analysis of these non-orthologous datasets. The expected results will
contribute to the understanding of (i) the genetic architecture of yield formation and (ii) the effect of the allelic
diversity of selected candidate genes on trait expression.