Testing and Modification of the Protocol for Accelerated Growth of Malting Barley under Speed Breeding Conditions

Speed breeding is a method that reduces the generation time of spring cereals to two months. The method has gained significant popularity for addressing challenges in breeding and genetics. It relies on the use of physiological factors that accelerate flowering onset, shorten the generative phase of development, and overcome post-harvest seed dormancy. Currently, the use of speed breeding is not widespread in the Russian Federation due to a lack of regarding its implementation with Russian cereal genotypes. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using speed breeding to accelerate the growth of malting barley and developed our own protocol that initiates heading on the 39th day after sowing. By drying immature spikes and overcoming post-harvest seed dormancy, we were able to begin the growing of the next generation on the 77th day; furthermore, the use of embryo culture enabled us to reduce this time to 60 days. The use of a tool such as speed breeding has allowed us to carry out mass hybridization of plants and the development of pure lines following crosses in a short timeframe. It is also convenient for the introgression of genes of interest and the rapid propagation of valuable barley genotypes.