Characterization of the Moroccan Barley Germplasm Preserved in the Polish Genebank as a First Step towards Selecting Forms with Increased Drought Tolerance

In marginal, arid, and semi-arid areas of Morocco, crops are often exposed to multiple abiotic and biotic stresses that have a major impact on yield. Farmer-maintained Moroccan landraces have been shaped by the impact of very strong selection pressures, gradually adapting to the local ecosystem and obsolete low-input agricultural practices without improvement towards high yield and quality. Considering the increasing threat of drought in Poland, it is necessary to introduce germplasm with tolerance to water deficit into barley breeding programs. The aim of this research was a DArTseq-based genetic characterization of a collection of germplasm of Moroccan origin, conserved in the Polish genebank. The results showed that all conserved landraces have a high level of heterogeneity and their gene pool is different from the material developed by Polish breeders. Based on the analysis of eco-geographical data, locations with extremely different intensities of drought stress were selected. A total of 129 SNPs unique to accessions from these locations were identified. In the neighborhood of the clusters of unique SNPs on chromosomes 5H and 6H, genes that may be associated with plant response to drought stress were identified. The results obtained may provide a roadmap for further research to support Polish barley breeding for increased drought tolerance.