The OzBarley project has created an innovative and more efficient way to explore the genetic drivers of important barley traits.

Linking agronomic traits that are important for grain production to telltale genetic signatures is a cornerstone of advanced breeding technology and trait discovery breakthroughs.

For the grains industry, this means acquiring complex datasets – genetic marker data as well as trait-related phenomics data from large-scale, multi-season and multi-environment field trials.

Both types of data are needed to make the links between gene variation and the desirable trait. This approach is called genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

The entire process is costly, time-consuming and susceptible to the whims of environmental conditions that can wipe out field trials. Until recently, the process also needed to be repeated every time a different trait was targeted for innovation.

Then something changed. In 2021, the Australian Plant Phenomics Network (APPN) and collaborators from the public and private sector assembled a trait-mapping and discovery pipeline – called OzBarley – that centralises the acquisition of genomic and phenomic datasets for public release.

This endeavour freed barley innovators from the need to collate populations, invest in genotyping and establish and fund individual trials to collect the all-important datasets. Instead, the sector can now tap into one centralised experimental system that was specifically designed to meet the universal needs of barley researchers and breeders.

A universal approach

At the helm of this innovative endeavour is Associate Professor Bettina Berger, the Scientific Director of the Plant Accelerator at Adelaide University. The Plant Accelerator is one of the nodes of the APPN.

“New phenotyping capabilities are key to our ability to understand the complex interactions that occur between plants, the environment and management practices – the all-important G×E×M (genetics x environment x management) effect,” Associate Professor Berger says.

Phenomics also proved pivotal in terms of making practical, predictive and unprecedented use of plant genomic information.

In her role, Associate Professor Berger has helped expand phenomics capability in Australia. She has engaged closely with the grains sector and researchers at all stages of discovery work and deeply understands the range and depth of challenges that continue to limit discovery work.

The OzBarley project emerged to support the research needs of barley producers much more efficiently.