Identifying the Components of Salinity Tolerance using a Nested Association Mapping Barley Population

The need to feed an ever-increasing population remains one of the major concerns of humanity, especially given that the available area of arable lands is limited. Hence, many research groups, including “The Salt Lab” at KAUST, are interested in making crops more tolerant to abiotic stresses, such as high soil salinity. Salt is a major limiting factor that affects plant growth and yield. Therefore, identifying loci associated with different traits that contribute to salinity tolerance can help breeders improve crops.

In this study, the effect of salinity on HEB-25 barley population is being investigated under both controlled and field conditions. HEB-25, developed by Professor Klaus Pillen, is a Nested Association Mapping population, where Barke (the recipient) is crossed with 25 wild barley donors from the Fertile Crescent. Growth of seedlings is measured in control and salt-stressed barley using non-destructive, high-throughput imaging facilities available at The Plant Accelerator^® (Adelaide, Australia). The effect of salinity on harvest index, yield, and other important agronomic traits is evaluated in the field at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA, Dubai, UAE).

Preliminary results obtained from both controlled environment and field experiments will be presented to highlight the effects of high soil salinity on barley and to suggest putative QTLs associated with salinity tolerance.