Features Agronomy Genetics/Traits
Grains of promise

Nov. 13, 2012 - Barley is one of the world's most important cereal crops, and the first high-resolution sequence of its large genome—twice the size of the human genome—could have important implications for global food security.

A small army of researchers have now produced a detailed map of the haploid genome's functional regions, including genes that confer resistance to disease.

This information should help agricultural scientists to improve yields and create more robust barley varieties that can better cope with pests, disease, and extreme weather wrought by climate change.

Malted barley is a key ingredient for brewers and distillers too, so it could also help produce tastier booze.

See the full study here: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11543.html

November 13, 2012  By Genome Digest