Screening of diverse barley germplasm for rapid discovery and utilisation of novel disease resistance in barley novel using R-HapSelect: A haplotype-based toolkit.

The three barley pathogens, Pyrenophora teres f. maculata, the causal agent of the spot form of net blotch (SFNB), P. teres f. teres, that produces the net form of net blotch (NFNB), and Rhynchosporium secalis (scald) are genetically and pathogenically diverse. Their ability to reproduce sexually and to rapidly develop new virulences and overcome genetic resistance means it is important to identify novel sources of resistance. The objective of this project is to use R-HapSelect, a haplotype-based toolkit, to rapidly identify novel resistances to these three pathogens in order to increase the diversity of NFNB, SFNB and Scald resistance genes available to breeders. The project also aims to determine the optimal combinations of resistant genes to enable greater durability of resistance in deployed cultivars.