Discovery and molecular characterization of novel Loci/genes controlling salinity tolerance at seedling, vegetative and reproductive stages in two highly diverse barley collections.

土壤盐分浓度过高必然导致植物根系严重缺水。鉴于气候变化，这被认为是对全世界农业生产的重大威胁。气候模型预测，到2050年，由于盐碱化，农业生产的压力将增加25%。这使得理解和利用植物如何耐受高盐浓度成为一项重大的科学挑战。提高耐盐性是复杂的，因为它是作为一个数量性状，涉及多个遗传途径同时进行调节。盐胁迫对植物生长和生产的明显影响是通过减少根细胞中的渗透胁迫和离子毒性（例如，Na+）。目前，我们对盐对作物初级代谢调控的影响以及基因对作物耐盐性的分子基础缺乏了解。在本研究中，我的目标是发现和解释新的遗传和分子途径的调节耐盐相关性状在两个高度多样化的大麦收藏在幼苗，营养和生殖阶段。我的假设是，确定在大麦适应盐胁迫中发挥重要作用的新位点和基因，将极大地支持应对气候变化和大麦及小麦等其他作物可持续生产的育种计划。为了实现我的研究目标，我将专注于表征高度多样化的全球大麦集合HEB-25和中间穗大麦集合，以研究盐胁迫下与植物产量相关的性状。下一步将是使用基因组编辑将来自野生近缘种的有益等位基因的序列引入优良大麦。第二种方法是传递任何关于候选基因对花发育至关重要和完全敲除是致命的问题。我将在哈勒大学（MLU）植物育种的成熟和成熟的椅子上开展这项研究工作，该大学为盐胁迫研究网络提供了一个独特的起点，与MLU自然学院III和莱布尼茨植物遗传学和作物研究所（IPK）的领先植物科学家合作，Gatersleben。

High salt concentration in soil will inevitably cause severe root water shortage in plants. In the light of climate change, this is considered a major threat to agricultural production worldwide. Climate models predict a 25% increase in pressure on agricultural production due to salinity by 2050. This makes understanding and utilizing how plants tolerate high salt concentrations a major scientific challenge. Improving salinity tolerance is complex, since it is regulated as a quantitative trait that involves multiple genetic pathways simultaneously. The apparent effect of salinity stress on plant growth and production is by causing problems for plant roots to absorb water by reducing osmotic stress in root cells and ion toxicity (e.g., Na+). Currently, we have a lack of knowledge regarding the effect of salinity on the regulation of primary metabolism and the molecular basis on which genes contribute to salinity tolerance in crops. In the present research proposal I aim to discover and explain novel genetic and molecular pathways of the regulation of salt tolerance-related traits at seedling, vegetative and reproductive stages in two highly diverse barley collections. My hypothesis is that identifying new loci and genes that play an important role in barley adaptation to salinity stress will greatly support breeding programs coping with climate change and the sustainable production of barley and other crops such as wheat. To achieve my research goal, I will focus on characterizing the highly diverse worldwide barley collections HEB-25 and the Intermedium-spike barley collection in order to study traits related to plant yield under salinity stress. The next step will be to introduce the sequence of the beneficial alleles from wild relatives into elite barley using genome editing. This second approach would be to pass on any issues with the candidate gene being essential for floral development and a complete knockout being lethal. I will carry out this research work at the well-developed and established Chair of Plant Breeding, Halle University (MLU), which offers a unique starting site for a salinity stress research network, in collaboration with leading plant scientists from MLU’s Natural Faculty III and from the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben.