A MAGIC population as an approach to the conservation and development of genetic diversity of winter barley for breeding purposes by on-farm management

Abstract

Additional genetic diversity in crop breeding programmes \nand in crop production is required to better cope with the \nimpact of climate change. To complement ongoing activities \nof winter barley breeders, an evolutionary plant \nbreeding programme has been initiated in 2008. Out of \n227 German winter barley varieties released between 1914 \nand 2003, a set of 58 varieties was genetically analysed \nusing SSR markers. Among these, 32 genotypes representing \nthe genetic diversity of the whole set were \ncrossed according to the Multi-parent Advanced Generation \nInter-Cross scheme (MAGIC) over six generations. \nThe resulting 324 lines were combined to form a heterogeneous \nMAGIC winter barley population. In order to \nadapt to regional agricultural conditions, MAGIC subpopulations \nare currently being cultivated within a network \nof 12 eco-geographically contrasting locations and subjected \nto natural site-related selection as evolutionary \nbulks. Cultivation and seed saving will take place over a \nperiod of 6 to 8 years under high and low input production \nconditions. An information system named ROBUSTUM \nhas been developed for consistent recording of cultivation \nconditions, of characterisation and evaluation data as \nwell as for documentation of the pedigree and for subsequent \ndata analyses. The present approach enables a \ncontinuous and dynamic adaptation of the natural \ngenetic diversity present in our crops to climatic and \nsite-related agronomic changes. This makes the evolutionary \nbulk particularly suitable for organic cultivation, \nbut also for marginal sites and locations with unfavourable \nsoil and weather conditions. In view of increasingly extreme \nclimatic conditions, these properties may become even \nmore important for agriculture in the future. Populations \nalso contribute to the maintenance and development of a \ngenetic diversity as broad as possible. This approach enables \nestimation of the potential of evolutionary bulks to contribute \nto the development of sustainable agricultural \nproduction systems.