Barley sodium content is regulated by natural variants of the Na⁺ transporter HvHKT1;5

During plant growth, sodium (Na⁺) in the soil is transported via the xylem from the root to the shoot. While excess Na⁺ is toxic to most plants, non-toxic concentrations have been shown to improve crop yields under certain conditions, such as when soil K⁺ is low. We quantified grain Na⁺ across a barley genome-wide association study panel grown under non-saline conditions and identified variants of a Class 1 HIGH-AFFINITY-POTASSIUM-TRANSPORTER (HvHKT1;5)-encoding gene responsible for Na⁺ content variation under these conditions. A leucine to proline substitution at position 189 (L189P) in HvHKT1;5 disturbs its characteristic plasma membrane localisation and disrupts Na⁺ transport. Under low and moderate soil Na⁺, genotypes containing HvHKT1:5_P189 accumulate high concentrations of Na⁺ but exhibit no evidence of toxicity. As the frequency of HvHKT1:5_P189 increases significantly in cultivated European germplasm, we cautiously speculate that this non-functional variant may enhance yield potential in non-saline environments, possibly by offsetting limitations of low available K⁺.