Molecular biology support for barley improvement - North

Abstract

The principal aim of this project was to improve the rate of genetic gain and selection efficiency in developing barley varieties for Queensland (QLD) and New South Wales (NSW). The use of molecular markers in the Barley Breeding Australia – Northern Node (BBA-North), which has expanded significantly over the course of the project, has successfully contributed to improvements in the adaptive breeding of elite malting and feed barley germplasm; the deployment of genetic resistance to diseases including leaf rust, net and spot form of net blotch (NFNB, SFNB), stem rust and Russian wheat aphid (RWA); the rate of development of varieties with multiple disease resistance; the rate of genetic gain for grain yield by fixing other important traits; and in selection for animal feed quality traits.