Germplasm evaluation for crop improvement: Analysis of grain quality and cadmium accumulation in barley

Evaluating genetic variation in barley ( Hordeum vulgare ) germplasm, combined with genome-wide genotyping, is vital for identifying genes controlling important grain-quality traits. For example, addition to traditional grain quality properties such as starch and protein contents, safety parameters heavy metal content, are the use of human food animal feed. A number affecting have been identified by map-based cloning strategies functionally analyzed transformation experiments. Moreover, germplasm evaluation yielded information that enabled introgression a key gene cadmium accumulation into an elite cultivar, reducing content this grain. Genotyping molecular markers resequencing accessions may provide about how quality–related loci evolved current allelic diversity was established. In review, we describe resources traits methods used analyze functions these traits, illustrating example. We also discuss future directions efficient identification genes. • Genetic factors quality-related trait were germplasm. Cadmium utilized safety. Future discussed.