Characteristics of the barley mutant line ‘N68-411’ with improved balance of malt modification and seed dormancy

In general, barley with smoother degradation of seed storage material (modification) is known to have lower seed dormancy and a higher risk of pre-harvest sprouting (PHS). The Qsd1 and Qsd2 genes affecting seed dormancy have also been reported to affect malting characteristics. To overcome this situation, barley with an excellent balance of modification and seed dormancy was screened among the mutant population derived from ‘Nittakei 68 (N68)’. In the mutant lines screened, ‘N68-411’ exhibited a moderate seed dormancy similar to that of ‘N68’, but with higher modification. It was considered that ‘N68-411’ was mutated in a different gene from Qsd1 and Qsd2, resulting in no significant change in seed dormancy, only in modification. ‘N68-411’ also showed rapid modification during germination, suggesting a possibility of shorter germination time in malting process. Analysis of progenies from 12WY375/N68-411 and Xena/N68-411 indicated that the ‘N68-411’ trait was inherited and associated with a small number of genes.