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Purpose <p>Drought stress poses a significant threat to global barley production, adversely affecting crop yield, quality, and agricultural sustainability. To address these challenges, this study aims to elucidate the genetic associations underlying intergenerational and transgenerational stress memory resulting from historical drought exposure. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using a diverse collection of 138 barley accessions to identify the genetic determinants that modulate plant responses to drought stress over successive generations.</p> Methods <p>We evaluated seeds from four distinct treatment groups: a control group from the second generation with no drought exposure (C1C2); a group with drought exposure two generations prior, representing transgenerational drought memory (D1C2); a group with drought exposure in the previous generation, representing intergenerational drought memory (C1D2); and a group subjected to drought stress in both generations (D1D2), representing combined drought memory. Comparative analyses were performed across these groups to assess the impact of historical drought stress on key agronomic and physiological traits.</p> Results <p>The study revealed that prior drought exposure, irrespective of the generation affected, led to significant alterations in multiple traits, including spike length, number of spikelets per spike, grain number per spike, grain weight per spike, thousand kernel weight, and both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities. These findings indicate that historical drought events induce lasting modifications in plant physiology, potentially priming the plants for enhanced responses to future stress events. Furthermore, the GWAS identified several highly significant associations and candidate genes linked to the evaluated traits, underscoring the complex genetic architecture governing drought stress memory in barley.</p> Conclusions <p>The results demonstrate that both intergenerational and transgenerational stress memory contribute significantly to drought tolerance in barley. By leveraging these naturally occurring mechanisms, it may be possible to enhance the resilience and productivity of barley in increasingly challenging environmental conditions.</p>

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Genetic Associations of Multi-Generational Drought Stress: Physiological Responses and Yield Adaptations in Barley

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年6月9日

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  • Samar G. Thabet,
  • Fatmah Ahmed Safhi,
  • Andreas Börner,
  • Ahmad M. Alqudah

摘要

Purpose

Drought stress poses a significant threat to global barley production, adversely affecting crop yield, quality, and agricultural sustainability. To address these challenges, this study aims to elucidate the genetic associations underlying intergenerational and transgenerational stress memory resulting from historical drought exposure. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using a diverse collection of 138 barley accessions to identify the genetic determinants that modulate plant responses to drought stress over successive generations.

Methods

We evaluated seeds from four distinct treatment groups: a control group from the second generation with no drought exposure (C1C2); a group with drought exposure two generations prior, representing transgenerational drought memory (D1C2); a group with drought exposure in the previous generation, representing intergenerational drought memory (C1D2); and a group subjected to drought stress in both generations (D1D2), representing combined drought memory. Comparative analyses were performed across these groups to assess the impact of historical drought stress on key agronomic and physiological traits.

Results

The study revealed that prior drought exposure, irrespective of the generation affected, led to significant alterations in multiple traits, including spike length, number of spikelets per spike, grain number per spike, grain weight per spike, thousand kernel weight, and both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities. These findings indicate that historical drought events induce lasting modifications in plant physiology, potentially priming the plants for enhanced responses to future stress events. Furthermore, the GWAS identified several highly significant associations and candidate genes linked to the evaluated traits, underscoring the complex genetic architecture governing drought stress memory in barley.

Conclusions

The results demonstrate that both intergenerational and transgenerational stress memory contribute significantly to drought tolerance in barley. By leveraging these naturally occurring mechanisms, it may be possible to enhance the resilience and productivity of barley in increasingly challenging environmental conditions.