Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University, Chuo 2-20-1, Kurashiki, 710-0046, Japan.
Faculty of Agriculture, Setsunan University, 45-1 Nagaotoge-cho, Hirakata, 573-0101, Japan.
Commun Biol. 2024 Sep 28;7(1):1203. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-06903-1.
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the fourth most produced cereal crop in the world, but its productivity on acid soil has been restricted due to its high sensitivity to aluminum (Al) toxicity. The major gene controlling Al tolerance in barley is HvAACT1 (Al-activated citrate transporter 1), which is involved in citrate secretion from the roots for Al detoxification. Here we bred a malting barley cultivar with enhanced acid soil tolerance by introgression of a 1-kb transposon regulating the expression of HvAACT1 into an elite malting cultivar through multiple backcrossing and marker-assisted selection. The line selected showed increased expression of HvAACT1, enhanced citrate secretion from the roots and decreased Al binding to the roots. This line produced more than two to three times the grain yield compared with the original cultivar when grown on acidic soil, providing a potentially sustainable and economic way to boost productivity of malting barley cultivars in areas with acidic soil.
大麦（Hordeum vulgare L.）是世界上第四大粮食作物，但由于其对铝（Al）毒性的高度敏感，其在酸性土壤上的生产力受到限制。控制大麦耐铝性的主要基因是 HvAACT1（Al 激活的柠檬酸转运蛋白 1），它参与从根部分泌柠檬酸以解毒 Al。在这里，我们通过多次回交和标记辅助选择，将一个调节 HvAACT1 表达的 1kb 转座子导入一个优质麦芽大麦品种，培育出一种耐酸性土壤能力增强的麦芽大麦品种。该品系表现出 HvAACT1 的表达增加、根系柠檬酸分泌增强和根系 Al 结合减少。与原始品种相比，该品系在酸性土壤上的谷物产量增加了两倍以上，为在酸性土壤地区提高麦芽大麦品种的生产力提供了一种潜在的可持续和经济的方法。
