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A. Himmelbach

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Open access Sep 2026

Unlocking the potential of spring wheat genetic resources: uncovering resistance sources against leaf rust and yellow rust

Integrating high-throughput phenotyping with multiple complementary GWAS models reduces method-dependent bias and enables reliable identification of novel loci and elite germplasm for durable yellow and leaf rust resistance in wheat. The causal agents of yellow and leaf rust in wheat, Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici and Puccinia triticina, pose a serious threat to grain yield and quality worldwide. Growing durable resistant wheat cultivars is an effective protection measure contributing to sustainable agriculture. Many of the known resistance genes, however, have been overcome due to the high genetic diversity and adaptability of pathogen populations. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify novel loci associated with yellow rust and leaf rust in a genome-wide association study using 1984 spring wheat accessions from the German Federal ex situ Genebank. Phenotypic data obtained from a detached-leaf assay were combined with 90,283 genotyping-by-sequencing genome-wide markers. Six significant peak marker-trait associations were identified for yellow rust and leaf rust, respectively. These are located on chromosomes 1D, 2B, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4D, 5A, 6B, and 7D. Six candidate genes were identified close to the identified loci. These findings may be valuable for identifying and deploying genetic resources to broaden the genetic basis of resistance and safeguard durability of resistance against yellow and leaf rust.

Behnaz Soleimani, Anne-Kathrin Pfrieme, Ulrike Beukert et al. · 0 citations
Open access Jul 2026

Comparative epigenomics across the barley pangenome links structural variation to regulatory genome function

Structural variants (SVs) are abundant in plant genomes and influence agronomic traits, yet their regulatory interpretation remains challenging. Here, we combine pangenome-wide profiling of DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility across 20 barley genotypes, complemented by histone modification and chromatin interaction data in a subset of 10 genotypes. Comparative analysis of genotype-specific epigenomes reveals a globally conserved DNA methylation landscape across the barley pangenome alongside extensive regulatory variability at orthologous genes. We show that SVs do not broadly remodel global chromatin landscapes but instead act through context-dependent rewiring of local regulatory interactions. Despite this epigenomic stability, SVs may contribute to gene expression changes via chromatin contacts. Tissue-specific chromatin accessibility demonstrates that SV effects depend on developmental context. Integrating chromatin state variation with SVs at key vernalization genes explains epigenetic contributions to growth habit diversity. Together, these results provide a framework for interpreting the regulatory consequences of structural variation in crop genomes.

Zihao Zhu, Erwang Chen, Pavla Navrátilová et al. · 0 citations
Open access Aug 2026

Unveiling centromeric retrotransposon dynamics through a high-quality rye genome assembly

An improved rye genome assembly is presented and unique retrotransposon organizations within its centromeres are uncovered, revealing RLG_Abia and RLG_Abigail as abundant, recently active elements, unlike in wheat.

Erwang Chen, Carlotta Marie Wehrkamp, Srijan Jhingan et al. · 0 citations

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