Dissecting adult plant resistance to stem rust through multi-model GWAS in a diverse barley germplasm panel

Stem rust (SR), caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), remains a major threat to global barley production, particularly in regions with conducive environments and evolving pathogen populations. Despite progress in understanding seedling resistance, adult plant resistance (APR) to SR remains underexplored in diverse barley germplasm. This study aimed to dissect the genetic architecture of APR to SR in a panel of diverse origins of two-row spring barley using a genome-wide association study (GWAS).

A total of 273 barley accessions were evaluated for APR to SR in two distinct environments in Kazakhstan. Phenotypic data were combined with high-density SNP genotyping to perform GWAS using five statistical models (GLM, MLM, MLMM, FarmCPU, and BLINK). Population structure and kinship were accounted for to identify robust marker-trait associations (MTAs), followed by haplotype-based QTL delineation. Transcriptomic data from 16 barley tissues were used to identify candidate genes within major QTL regions. Substantial phenotypic variation in SR severity was observed across environments.

A total of 204 MTAs were identified, among which 96 were stable across models, resulting in 19 model-stable QTLs spanning all seven barley chromosomes. Six QTLs co-localized with known SR-resistance QTLs and genes, including Rpg1 and Rpg6. Q_rpg_7H.1 (coinciding with Rpg1) was one of the strongest and most consistent QTL, harboring 42 highly expressed candidate genes. A novel major-effect QTL on chromosome 5H, Q_rpg_5H.1 (3.5 - 9.9 Mb), not previously associated with known resistance loci, contained 10 highly expressed genes grouped into three co-expression clusters, including WRKY transcription factors and PR-5 proteins.

This study provides new insights into the complex, multilayered genetic control of SR resistance in barley. The discovery of both known and novel QTLs offers valuable targets for marker-assisted selection and lays the foundation for breeding durable SR-resistant barley adapted to diverse agroecological conditions.