Identification of novel plant architecture mutants in barley

In grasses, biomass and grain production are affected by plant architecture traits such as tiller number, leaf size and orientation. Thus, knowledge regarding their genetic basis is a prerequisite for developing new improved varieties. Mutant screens represent a powerful approach to identify genetic factors underpinning these traits: the HorTILLUS population, obtained by mutagenesis of spring two-row cultivar Sebastian, is a valuable resource for this purpose in barley. In this study, 20 mutant families from the HorTILLUS population were selected and evaluated for tiller number, leaf angle and a range of other plant architecture and agronomic traits using an unreplicated field design with Sebastian as a check cultivar. Principal Component Analysis revealed strong relationships among number of tillers, upper canopy leaf angle, biomass and yield-related traits. Comparison to the Sebastian background revealed that most mutants significantly differed from the wild-type for multiple traits, including two mutants with more erect leaves and four mutants with increased tiller number in at least one phenological stage. Heatmap clustering identified two main groups: the first containing the two erect mutants and the second containing Sebastian and the high-tillering mutants. Among the high-tillering mutants, two showed significantly higher biomass and grain yield per plant compared to Sebastian. The selected mutants represent promising materials for the identification of genetic factors controlling tillering and leaf angle in barley.