Barley genome gives insight into future pest and disease resistance

After decades of hard work, the barley genome, or genetic code, has been cracked.

The barley genome is twice the size of our own human genome and was successfully ordered and assembled by an international group of scientists ranging from many different scientific disciplines.

The International Barley Sequencing Consortium is the group of scientist who cracked the genetic code of the 5.3 billion lettered barley genome, and the research was published in the most recent edition of Nature.

This consortium was created in 2006 and is a collaboration of scientists from 22 different organizations in nine different countries.

Roger Wise, research plant geneticist for United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service and collaborator professor of plant pathology at Iowa State was one of these scientists.

This project was absolutely huge, and this is reflected by the well over 60 authors on the paper, Wise said.

Records indicate that barley has been around and developing for more than 10,000 years, originating in modern-day Middle East.

Today, barley ranks fourth among the cereals in worldwide production, behind wheat, rice and corn.

According to the National Barely Growers Association, 320 million bushels of barley were produced each year in the United States from 1994 till 2003, averaging $760 million dollars in the agricultural economy.

This research is the first of many steps to bring an increase in yields, improve pest and disease resistance, and enhance nutritional value to barley.

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Barley genome gives insight into future pest and disease resistance