Investigating the gene–environment interplay in complex trait formation for better crop productivity

The independent working group ‘Functional Plant Structures (FPS)’ studies how complex traits are formed in barley, with a primary focus on stem and inflorescence – both are the composite of several iterative functional units called phytomers. The structure and function of each phytomeric unit depend on both the developmental trajectories and environmental conditions throughout the lifecycle. By delving into the genetic and physiological mechanisms underlying these functional units, we aim to decipher the intricacies of barley's adaptation to changing environments.  

In the DFG-funded Emmy Noether Project, we are investigating how barley plants’ spatial-temporal physiological responses to different planting densities will change their internode number and length, thereby influencing complex end-point agronomic traits, such as plant height and grain yield. We seek to identify genetic variants, genomic regions, and molecular pathways that balance internode elongation and floral organ development under different planting densities. Expected outcomes will be to identify optimal planting configurations that balance yield potential with lodging resistance.

Impacts of proximal internode elongation on yield performance in barley

In the DFG-funded Emmy Noether Project, we are investigating how barley plants’ spatial-temporal physiological responses to different planting densities will change the internode anatomy and architecture, thereby influencing complex end-point agronomic traits, such as plant height and grain yield. We seek to identify genetic variants, genomic regions, and molecular pathways that balance internode elongation and floral organ development under different planting densities. Expected outcomes will be to identify optimal planting configurations that balance yield potential with lodging resistance.

Floral heterochrony and spike shape formation

Grain yield of the cereal crops is largely dependent on inflorescence morphology, which can be profoundly shaped by slight shifts in the timing and rate of floral organ development (floral heterochrony). For example, in the spike inflorescence of barley, grain yield along the main spike axis follows a unimodal distribution. This means that the size and weight of the grains typically peak around the middle of the spike, decreasing towards both the base and the tip. In this project, we aim to dissect the genetic and environmental bases of this floral heterochrony and their impacts on the unimodal spike shape formation.