Pre-breeding using wild relatives of barley

Abstract

A total of 100 accessions of H. sponteneum were evaluated for powdery mildew and yellow rust at Marchouch station in Morocco. More than 83% of these lines combine resistance to both diseases. These accessions are under evaluation for beta glucans and micro-elements. A total of 75 interspecific crosses were made between barley varieties with Hordeum spontaneum and 10 crosses were made with H. bulbosum in collaboration with INRA-Morocco.