ISSN 2375-074X
African Journal of Plant Breeding ISSN: 2375-074X Vol. 12 (1), pp. 001-007, January, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Identification of DNA Markers via PCR Flanking Three Mutant Loci Associated with Low Phytic Acid in Barley
R. E. Oliver1*, C. Yang2, G. Hu1, V. Raboy1 and M. Zhang2
1USDA-ARS, Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit, Aberdeen, ID 83210, USA.
2Hebei Institute of Food and Oil Crops, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050031, People’s Republic of China.
Accepted 10 October, 2024
Abstract
Phytic acid (PA) is the most abundant form of phosphorus (P) in cereal grains. PA chelates mineral cations to form an indigestible salt and is thus regarded as an antinutritional agent and a contributor to water pollution. Grain with low phytic acid (lpa) genotypes could aid in mitigating this problem. In barley, more than 20 lpa mutant lines have been isolated, representing at least 6 different genetic loci. These mutants have significantly reduced levels of seed PA, which are largely replaced by inorganic P, a form readily digestable by animals. Use of lpa lines in breeding has proved a practical approach for improvement of phosphorus nutrition in barley. Efficient utilization of these loci in marker-assisted selection breeding programs requires identification of closely-linked, high-throughput molecular markers. Here we report development of flanking, PCR-based markers for 3 major lpa loci in barley: lpa1-1 (M422), lpa2-1 linked locus (M640), and a locus linked to the myo -inositol 1-phosphate synthase (MIPS) gene (M678). In addition, marker position accuracy in the MIPs region has been improved by detection and elimination of marker redundancy.
Key words: Barley breeding, SSR marker, low phytic acid (lpa), grain nutrition.