Damage from heat events is a common constraint limiting crop production in Australia. The flowering stage of crop growth is particularly sensitive to high temperatures that can significantly decrease fertility and seed-setting rate resulting in grain yield losses.

While considerable genetic variation for heat tolerance at flowering has been identified in wheat and rice, little information is currently available for barley.

This investment will investigate heat impact on spikelet fertility, a crucial trait that determines subsequent grain development and yield, in barley. The project will make explicit use of existing germplasm, heat chambers, and field nurseries in heat prone areas in Australia to investigate fertility rate and heat tolerance at the flowering stage to provide information on tolerant phenotypes and genotypes to Australian barley breeders.