Objective
Barley yield in rain-fed, variable climates depends on stable spikelet fertility. Yet in Ethiopian landraces, a striking labile (“irregular”) inflorescence phenotype reveals dramatic environmental sensitivity. Plants carrying labile can shift within a single spike between fertile and sterile spikelets, creating mosaics that resemble both two- and six-row types. This unique instability, long recognized in Ethiopian barley but never explained, offers a natural entry point to understand how the environment writes into floral fate.
The LABILE project will link field ecology to gene function. First, I will quantify labile penetrance across Ethiopian altitude gradients (1500-3500 m) and relate missing florets per spike to night temperature, rainfall, and soils. Second, I will fine-map the causal interval on chromosome 2H, integrate PacBio HiFi sequencing of the Ethiopian parent, and test candidate genes with CRISPR edits in a six-rowed background. Third, I will develop a controlled-environment assay that mimics Ethiopian cool-night and warm-night regimes to resolve environmental tipping points and uncover the gene-regulatory basis. Finally, if resources permit, I will extend to haplotype sequencing of Ethiopian landraces and pilot chromatin profiling. The outcomes will be transformative: identification of the causal allele, diagnostic markers, and an easy field assay for penetrance, all enabling breeders to select for stable grain set under stress. Beyond barley, LABILE will establish a general strategy for decoding adaptive plasticity at the gene-environment interface. Conducted at CPSFG-IEB Olomouc with strong support from IPK Gatersleben (Germany), the fellowship will deliver advanced training in genomics, phenomics, and genome editing while strengthening international collaboration with Ethiopian partners. LABILE ultimately positions barley improvement for resilience under the climate extremes of tomorrow.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
- social sciences sociology demography fertility
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics chromosomes
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture grains and oilseeds cereals
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
165 02 Praha
Czechia
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.