The proposed research aims to provide the relevant technology and detailed information required for the practical improvement of the quality of European barleys employed in the manufacture of foods and beverages.

Four overlapping and complementary aspects will be considered in-depth.

First, a major emphasis will be placed on evaluating the biochemical, physiological, environmental and genetic components of malting quality in order to develop new varieties containing combinations of genes which match an increase in overall quality with local growing conditions, preferences and malt manufacturing practices. Three doubled haploid populations, generated from crosses where one of the parents is a regionally favoured malting cultivar, will be studied. Robust associations between diagnostic genetic markers and chromosomal segments containing genes which influence malting quality will be identified. These will be employed in validation and improvement programmes using relevant European germplasm. The resulting varieties will provide raw materials with improved malt extract yield and quality and less waste. Second, significant concerns exist over the level of chemical pesticide residues entering the food chain at the level of primary production. This is largely a consequence of intensive monoculture and sensitivity to potentially devastating plant diseases. Prophylactic measures have been widely adopted to maintain phytosanitary status and crop yield. A programme aimed at decreasing the application of chemical prophylactics needed to control a number of the most important European barley pathogens will be initiated. The targeted resistance mechanisms are a combination of quantitative and qualitative effects. The aim is to develop genotypic tests for disease resistance loci which can be incorporated into existing plant breeding programmes for gene pyramiding and multi-resistance selection without resistance testing. Third, molecular markers will be developed which are better suited to the high throughput requirements of plant breeding and statutory applications. Work will focus on simple sequence repeats (SSRs). A minimum of 700 primer pairs designed to amplify SSR loci will be produced and evaluated. Tests will be performed on a selection of germplasm relevant to current EU barley breeders but also include wild and related species. Where possible, their intrachromosomal location will be determined by segregation analysis in two existing, extensively mapped, reference populations. Fourth, a bioinformatics centre will be established to promote the flow of information, initially between the participating groups and ultimately to the general research community. Several of the participants within this RTD project (both commercial and academic) will be applying the technologies and information generated before the end of three years.