National Barley Foliar Pathogen Variety Improvement Program (NBFPVIP)

The most economical means of controlling barley foliar diseases is through genetic resistance which can deliver low-cost, environmentally-friendly protection for the life of the crop. However, as barley breeding programs move to a national focus, development of durable or long-lasting resistances can only be achieved by a nationally-coordinated, strategic approach. Effective disease-resistance breeding demands knowledge of virulences in the pathogen populations, selection of superior resistances to these virulences and incorporation of those resistances into adapted material using the most efficient methods available. The diseases targeted in this project are net form net blotch (NFNB), spot form net blotch (SFNB), spot blotch (SB), scald, powdery mildew (PM) and barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). The ultimate aim of the project will be to develop germplasm with resistances to multiple diseases in lines that are attractive to breeding programs.