Extensive photophysiological variation in wild barley is linked to environmental origin.

ABSTRACT: Intraspecific variation between crop wild relatives (CWRs) represents a source of untapped genetic diversity for crop improvement. At the same time, improving photosynthesis in crops has the potential to enhance yield. Thus, exploring variation for photophysiology within CWRs is an important, yet underexplored, research area. We describe a common garden experiment where 320 wild barley accessions were grown across two seasons. A photophysiology phenotyping pipeline was employed to quantify > 30 traits within this diversity panel. Population genetics, genome-wide association analyses (GWAS) and deep phenotyping were performed to address local adaptation hypotheses. Heritable variation was detected across this photophysiological spectrum, with genotype-by-environment (G × E) interactions bei

SUBMITTER: Breil-Aubert M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12676107 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature