Mylnefield Trust Scholars: The modulation of flowering development to improve yield performance in barley

Global warming is undeniably one of the main threats that affects our ability to produce affordable, good-quality food at high yields. It is estimated that for each 1˚C temperature elevation global yield of cereal crops decreases. Interestingly, fertility is determined even before plants switch from producing leaves to flowers at floral transition. This has been demonstrated by studies focusing on the shoot apical meristem (SAM), a structure at the shoot tip that contains a group of self-renewing cells. We have shown in Arabidopsis that flowering time is regulated by the trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P) pathway, which signals the level of sucrose to both metabolic and developmental processes. In the absence of TREHALOSE PHOSPHATE SYNTHASE 1 (TPS1), the enzyme synthesizing T6P, the induction of the florigen, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) is hampered. Heat-induced induction of FT under otherwise non-inductive conditions, which provides plants with an escape strategy under stress conditions, also requires the T6P pathway. Barley carries one copy of TPS1, which is highly differentially expressed in leaves under abiotic stress conditions, suggesting that the T6P pathway also has a role in the control of stress responses in barley.

The ability to modulate flowering time and the extent of flowers developing in a crop is a valuable trait for breeders. Even though the genetics of many traits have been extensively studied in barley, little is known about the pathways that trigger floral transition and flower development. Moreover, the impact of abiotic stress and nutrient availability on fertility is not sufficiently documented in barley. This PhD project thus focuses on the identification of sensitive stages during the floral transition and early flower development in barley by studying the morphological and genetic responses of the SAM of various cultivars to increased temperature conditions. 

This PhD focuses on understanding floral transition in barley by studying the formation and development of the barley shoot apical meristem from different cultivars and under different growth condition. The student will gain skills in barley plant growth habits, high-throughput screening and genotyping, quantitative phenotyping, plant development, molecular biology, and analysis of allelic variation. The program will provide essential skills in experimental design, scientific writing, and oral presentations. The student will be embedded in the Hutton initiatives, including the development of networks through the International Barley Hub that facilitate establishing an independent research portfolio and develop key skills to the barley industry.