The SHAPE project is entering its third funding phase with the aim of completing the information of the barley pan genome and making it available as a basic knowledge base for breeding and research. The pan-genome describes the complete, non-redundant genome information including all possible differences that can occur in the genome of any two or more individuals of the same species. This new database for barley, including the spectrum of single nucleotide and structural variations (SNV, SV), will in future help to link plant breeding at the highest resolution with data on natural genetic diversity, as well as traits for disease resistance or general agronomic importance. As one of the much needed knowledge bases, the barley pan-genome will help to gain a systematic understanding of simple and complex trait formation as a function of time and environment. As a result, contemporary barley breeding will transform into a new discipline of systems analysis and modelling in the era of big data.

Sub-projects

Essential work begun in project phase P1 and continued in SHAPE-P2 will be completed and/or supplemented by central components: (i) creation of a bridging pan-genome from at least 20 elite cultivars with a central role in the phylogenetic tree of Central European barley breeding, (ii) genome-wide annotation of all >70 Hifi chromosome-scale genome assemblies from SHAPE-P2 as well as the newly created 20 assemblies from SHAPE-P3, (iii) integration, visualisation and targeted utilisation of the barley pan-genome data for research and breeding, (iv) validation of possible new resistance genes not used in elite breeding in biparental crosses, (v) further development of the core collection built up in P1 and P2 into trait-specific core collections.