Hordeum I genome unlocks adaptive evolution and genetic potential for crop improvement
Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are invaluable for crop improvement. Among these, Hordeum I-genome species exhibit exceptional tolerance to alkali and salt stresses. Here we present a chromosome-scale genome assembly of Hordeum brevisubulatum (II, 2n = 2x =14) and genome resequencing of 38 diploid germplasms spanning 7 I-genome species. We reveal that the adaptive evolution of the H. brevisubulatum genome is shaped by structural variations, some of which may contribute to its adaptation to high alkali and salt environments. Evolutionary duplication of the stress sensor-responder module CaBP-NRT2 and the horizontally transferred fungal gene Fhb7 were identified as novel alkaline-saline tolerance mechanisms. We also demonstrate the potential of the Hordeum I genome in crop breeding through the newly synthesized hexaploid Tritordeum (AABBII) with enhanced alkaline-saline tolerance. Our study fills critical gaps in Hordeum genomics and CWR research, advancing introgression of CWR resources into current crops for sustainable agriculture.
Authors
- Rajeev Kumar Varshney (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4562-9131)
- Mengwei Jiang
- Xingtan Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5207-0882)
- Brett Chapman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4484-2253)
- Xinjie Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2440-2971)
- Vanika Garg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6446-4603)
- Yong Jia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0394-3966)
- Mengxue Gu
- Chengdao Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9653-2700)
- Jiaxin Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3374-8675)
- Tianhua He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0924-3637)
- Yameng Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1311-0762)
- Yibin Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0852-0767)
- Ying Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9524-0370)
- Hao Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1038-1495)
- Haiwen Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0221-8989)
- Shanshan Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4421-1040)
- Qingwei Du
- Jianhua Wei
- Ruifen Li
Institutions
- Murdoch University (AU)
- Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen (CN)
- Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (AU)
- Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Plants
- Published
- 2025-03-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-01942-w
- Citations
- 15
- Primary Topic
- Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 27.26